Overcoming Your Craving for Sweets After the Holidays

After weeks of family feasts, office treats, and homemade goodies being delivered by your neighbors, it is no surprise that your post-holiday cravings for sweets are out of control. While many people turn to a no sugar diet post-holiday, a majority of these people fail in their resolutions by mid-February. Here are three simple tips to make sure that your no-sugar diet is a success— for good.

1.    Clean out your kitchen. While you have probably been told most of your life that wasting food is bad for you, having sugar-laden treats lying around when you are trying to go sugar-free is no good either. The best way to wean yourself off sugar is not to keep it in the house. Leftover Halloween candy—  Throw it out. Cookies from the neighbors—  They need to go, too. Sweet treats will do less harm in the trash than in your body!

2.    Eat Breakfast. While this is a common piece of advice, if you are craving sweets when you wake up in the morning it may be a challenge to avoid the sugary cereal or breakfast bar. Instead, make sure your breakfast is packed with protein and healthy fat to keep you fuller for longer and ready to make more nutritious decisions throughout the day.

3.    Pump up your probiotics. Known as the ‘good bacteria’ probiotics keep the harmful bacteria from growing out of control and increasing your craving for sweets. 

For more tips on how to achieve a no-sugar diet, visit http://sugar-zen.com/

Mission Possible: Living a Sugar Free Diet Through the Holidays

Many people think undergoing a quitting sugar detox during the holidays is an impossible task. They often list excuses like ‘I’ll go on a sugar-free diet after the holidays,’ or ‘Sugar is in everything, so it is impossible to quit.’ The good news is that neither of these statements is true, and if a quitting sugar detox is your goal this holiday season, here are six easy steps you can take to be on your journey to a sugar-free diet today.

1.    Pass on salad dressing— especially those labeled ‘low fat.’ If you can’t stand the thought of eating a salad dry, use an olive oil & vinegar combo to avoid the added sugars.

2.    Drink up! A full glass of water every hour helps keep you properly hydrated, lose weight, and reduces sugar cravings.

3.    Order your coffee black, or trade it for tea. When you get plain coffee, you to control what milk, cream, or sugars are added.

4.    Don’t leave home without a stash of healthy snacks. Almonds, Greek yogurt, apple, banana or whatever it takes to keep you from hitting the candy aisle.

5.    Skip the pasta, bread, and white potatoes. These forms of glucose cause the same reaction in the body as a 3 pm sugar crash.

6.    Pass on ketchup, BBQ sauce, and mustard as most major brands of condiments are loaded with sugar.

Following these simple steps will get you off to a good start on your sugar-free diet. For more tips and tricks visit http://sugar-zen.com/

How to Handle a Holiday ‘Food Pusher’ When You’ve Quit Sugar

Have you learned to tame the sugar beast this year, but are dreading telling family and friends ‘no thank you, I quit sugar,’ when they offer their homemade treats at holiday parties? The good news is, it can be done. When Aunt Bertha waves her homemade gingerbread under your nose and says ‘I made it just for you!’ follow these tips for fending off the treats without hurting her feelings.

When handling food pushers in your life, the trick is to understand the meaning behind their actions. While they may not understand the reasoning behind your decision to quit sugar, the real meaning behind their food pushing often has nothing to do with the food itself but is often them seeking for reassurance that they are liked and appreciated.

Before the food battles begin, spend some quality time with the food pusher in your life to help them understand you do love and care about them, but that love does not need to be expressed through food. Express to this person ‘why’ you are learning how to quit the sugar addiction, and help them see the decision not to eat their food is not personal.

While food pushers may be in abundance this holiday season, learning how to quit sugar will prove to be one of the best decisions you have made as long as you stick to your guns. For more information on how to quit sugar addiction, visit http://sugar-zen.com/

Holiday Activities That Don’t Revolve Around Food

If this is your first holiday season attempting to stick to your no-sugar diet, you may find yourself in for a treat. Sugar cravings seem to get even stronger during the holiday season when you are surrounded by goodies at every turn. However, no matter how much the season seems to revolve around sugar and candy, there is no reason to bite into that gingerbread at your company party only to regret it later. Here are a few activities to plan and participate in that don’t revolve around sugar-laden treats:

●     Take a Sleigh Ride

●     Organize a family snowball fight

●     Create homemade ornaments

●     Volunteer at a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen

●     Sing in a local choir

●     Plan a game night

●     Shovel snow for a neighbor that can’t do the job

●     Make & deliver cards to children in a pediatric ward at your local hospital

●     Organize a food or clothing drive for those in need

●     Host a wreath decorating party where everyone brings a craft supply

●     Go ice skating or snowshoeing

●     Take up knitting

●     Sign up for a Turkey Trot or other fun run in your community

●     Go to the ballet

●     Go caroling with neighbors

●     Host a holiday classic movie night

By following these tips, your holiday season can be more meaningful and not one that simply revolves around feeding your sugar cravings. For more information on how to eat a no-sugar diet during the holidays, visit http://sugar-zen.com/

How to Stop Sugar Cravings During the Holidays

Quitting sugar detox during the holidays doesn’t make you a Grinch, but many people struggle with keeping a balance in their diet this time of year. Learning how to stop sugar cravings even during the most wonderful time of the year may be easier than you think. Here are six simple steps to help you control the amounts of added sugar in your diet not only through the holiday season but throughout the entire year.

1.    Don’t drink your sugar. While all those holiday cocktails are divine, they also come with a hefty amount of added sugar. Stick to lower sugar options that will lower your caloric intake.

2.    Slowly cut out sugar. Baking for the holidays? Try a natural sugar substitute, or use a fraction of the amount of sugar called for in the recipe. Using less sugar will help you crave sugar less and become more sensitive to it when you do indulge.

3.    Reach for Savory Snacks. The higher fat content in savory snacks may help curb your appetite and reduce sugar cravings.

4.    Freeze your treats. If you are committed to taking homemade treats to a party, bake them early and then freeze them until the day they are needed.

5.    Outsmart Sugar. Think about how to handle sugary situations beforehand. Duck out before dessert, make a remade version of a classic, or drink enough water during the meal that you can pass on dessert completely.

6.    Balance your diet. Focus on a balanced diet of fruits, veggies, protein, and lean fat along with the proper amounts of water, and your sugar cravings will become a thing of the past.

For more information on undergoing a quitting-sugar detox at the holidays or just learning how to stop sugar cravings, visit http://sugar-zen.com/