How to Break A Sugar Habit
Five tips from a former sugar addict on kicking sweets and balancing your blood sugar
Why breaking a sugar habit isn’t about willpower - it’s about purpose, introspection, and rebalancing blood sugar and physiology | Photo from Ground Picture on Shutterstock
Two weeks ago, I celebrated the one year anniversary of my new life in Europe with a trip to Salzburg, Austria. After a local Mozart concert on my first evening, I ordered a black coffee and the last chocolate “Venusbrüstchen” gleaming on a platter.
I ordered it not only to celebrate, but because I was curious. Curious if I could eat just one and really savor it or if I would leave the table craving more. I wondered if I could revert to my younger self who was addicted to chocolate and oreos.
I had given up processed sugar cold turkey five years before — along with dairy, soy, fried food, and alcohol — to help my body heal from Lyme disease. After coming a long way in healing, part of me wanted to know if I had truly changed. So I bit into the dark chocolate shell and into the cherry liquor and chestnut creme to find out — as it melted on my tongue I took a sip of espresso and savored the moment.
After years of struggling with an addiction to sugar, I could finally eat one delicious chocolate, feel satisfied, and move on with life.
Though I decided to give up sugar five years ago, it took much longer to change my relationship with it. The cravings lasted for weeks, they waxed and waned with my emotions, and every so often, I broke down for something sweet, only to regret it when inflammation set in. It took me months to fully break my sugar habit and enjoy it in moderation — a square of 85% dark chocolate with my coffee once every few weeks.
I know better than anyone why sugar is more addictive than cocaine. I also know that it does more than make us fat or hurt our teeth. Constant sugar consumption triggers chronic inflammation and spikes in blood sugar, which aren’t limited to diabetics. Those suffering from skin problems, mood and energy swings, night waking, and hormonal issues are very often experiencing effects of blood sugar dysregulation.
When I work with clients, blood sugar regulation is often the root cause of many other issues. It can be the culprit behind unstable moods, acne, hormonal issues, disrupted sleep, and even reproductive challenges.
I want to share the best strategies I developed over time for not only kicking sugar — but breaking its hold over you.
#1. Determine Your Why
No one likes the feeling of deprivation and losing something enjoyable from their lives.
That’s why the first question I ask any client who wants to give up sugar is, “What would giving up sugar change for you?” Whether your goal is clearer skin, better weightlifting or fitness, weight loss, or supporting your body so you can live a better life with your family, all of them are linked to your blood sugar. Focusing on what kicking your sugar habit will change in your life is the number one step in making the intention stick.
In my case, the “why” was very clear: the inflammation of chronic Lyme disease took away my ability to play the harp, which I loved more than anything else. The health of my joints depended on my ability to give up sugar and reduce inflammation. Every time I chose not to have dessert or chocolate, I told myself, “I’m helping my joints heal” and pictured myself playing music again.
Though I gave up sugar to help my joints heal, I discovered something wonderful: it also cleared up my skin, stabilized my energy and mood, and led me to address emotions and discomfort I would usually ignore through snacking.
So whatever your “why” is, make it tangible — picture it, sense it, and feel it emotionally with your whole body. Imagine stepping into the future state and knowing that it is fully possible. Each time you have the choice to give up sugar, remind yourself that this is what you’ll gain from it.
#2. Replace Sugar with More Fiber, Fat, and Protein
In most cases, carbohydrates, fat, and protein should be evenly balanced in daily meals — though in reality, carbohydrates make up about 50% of the average American’s diet.
One of the biggest problems with frequent carb-based meals is that they convert quickly to sugar in the body, triggering glucose and insulin spikes that damage the body over time and lead to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Constant carb consumption may be why 88% of Americans are likely to have dysregulated blood sugar levels and all the problems that come with them, including weight gain, acne, and infertility.
Dysregulated blood sugar also kicks off a self-perpetuating cycle. After it spikes after a meal and then crashes, you experience sudden dips in mood and energy that prompt you reaching for the next quick source of carbs.
One of the best ways to break the cycle is to eat meals rich in fiber, fat, and protein. There are multiple benefits:
Fats release energy more slowly into the body and create a greater sense of satiety, so you feel energized and full for longer
Eating fiber, fat, and protein instead of, or with, carbohydrates prevents a spike in your blood sugar, which stabilizes your mood and energy
Fats perform other essential roles in the body: they build cell membranes, help restore the intestinal lining, and allow us to absorb fat-soluble vitamins
Fiber slows the transit of food through your gut, slows the release of blood sugar, and helps support a healthy microbiome
Here are a few examples of ways to balance out carbohydrates with fats, proteins, and fiber:
Rather than just eating an apple, dip each slice in almond butter and cinnamon
Rather than snacking on crackers, dip them in a high-quality hummus, which is rich in protein and fat thanks to tahini, chickpeas, and olive oil
Rather than eating oatmeal or pastry for breakfast, make a salad with two hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms
Jessie Inchauspe, the biochemist popularly known as the Glucose Goddess, popularized this concept as “dressing up your carbs.” When you eat carbohydrates in combination with protein, fats, and fiber, you minimize their impact on your blood sugar and stabilize your mood, energy, and health.
#3. Eat Food In the Right Order
If you’re able, take the Glucose Goddess’ advice one step further and planning your meals in the following sequence: 1. Fiber first (e.g. Green starter salad) 2. Protein and fat second 3. Carbohydrates last (e.g. dessert or bread). A 2015 study from Cornell University showed that when you eat food in this order, you reduce your overall glucose spike by 73 percent, as well as your insulin spike by 48 percent.
Whether you’re diabetic or not, balancing the macronutrients in your diet and the order in which you eat can dramatically improve your blood sugar regulation. Not only that, but as you balance your blood sugar, your mood and energy levels will improve as well.
Best of all, your sugar cravings will start to disappear, since your body will adjust to sustained energy and won’t need to reach for sugary snacks anymore.
#4. If You Aren’t Ready to Give it Up, Taper It Off
Roughly every two weeks, your taste buds die and grow back. This means that every two weeks, you have the chance to re-train your tastebuds and sensitivity to sweetness.
If you regularly eat sugar in your daily life — with coffee, in chocolate, or in desserts — use this as an opportunity to observe whether you can taper down the amount of sugar you’re used to.
I tested this principle with a friend who wanted to eat less sugar, but wasn’t ready to give it up entirely. We decided to make a few snacks together that she could use as replacements for the ultra-processed snacks she usually eats at work. We prepared chocolate tahini energy balls together, which are a wonderful, quick snack rich in healthy fat and fiber.
As we prepared the energy balls, my friend was about to pour in ¼ cup honey to sweeten the recipe. “Wait,” I said, as I added a spoonful of honey to the batter. “Close your eyes and taste how they are before you add any honey. Then decide how much honey it actually needs” She took a spoonful and said, “I would add a few more drops of honey, but that’s actually enough.”
I encouraged her to slowly remove sugar from her breakfast and snacks each week and to keep track of how much she’s using. She has already gone from eating sugary cereals to unsweetened müesli and finds the cereal she used to eat far too sweet.
As I did with her, let your body guide changes as you redefine what “sweet enough” is.
When I was kicking my sugar habit, I followed a similar process with chocolate. Previously a fan of milk chocolate, I switched to 5% darker chocolate each time I bought a bar and went from 50% dark chocolate to 85% dark chocolate within a few months.
The wonderful thing about our bodies is how quickly they adapt. Not only can we get used to eating far less sugar within a few weeks, but we can learn to appreciate the full range of flavors that are usually masked by excess sweetness.
#5. Engage In Self-Inquiry
“Our relationship to food is an exact microcosm of our relationship to life itself. I believe we are walking, talking expressions of our deepest convictions; everything we believe about love, fear, transformation and God is revealed in how, when and what we eat.” -Geneen Roth, “Women, Food, and God”
As with any addiction or craving, our relationship with sugar is often not about sugar itself.
We may reach for sugar to compensate for a lack of pleasure or sweetness in other areas of life, to ease our anxiety, to numb ourselves to intense feelings, or to distract ourselves from boredom.
Whatever the reason is, changing your relationship with sugar is a great opportunity to find out what lies beneath it. Next time you find yourself reaching for a sweet snack, ask the following questions:
Am I really hungry right now?
If I am, what else could I eat that may make me feel better after?
If I’m not, what am I feeling that’s prompting me to reach for a snack (e.g. boredom, anxiety)?
What would be a kinder form of self-care? (e.g. calling a friend, stretching, taking a short walk, journaling)
Let open curiosity about your sugar cravings guide you to whatever lies beneath them. Use the opportunity to observe any emotions, habits, and needs and see if you can satisfy them directly rather than numbing or shoving them away.
Though sitting with discomfort may feel worse in the moment, it can ultimately open the door to insights, feelings, and bigger life changes waiting to be recognized.
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