How to Quit Sugar

I’m honestly VERY excited to write on this subject, because it’s something I’m so passionate about. My first experience understanding my own sugar consumption was during my first parasite cleanse in 2019. During a parasite cleanse you need to totally eliminate sugar (which feeds parasites in the gut) and that includes, not just sweets and alcohol of course, but also most carbohydrates, fruit and pretty much EVERYTHING you buy in a can or tub from the supermarket. Once I started looking more closely at the food I was buying and eating I was blown away to discover how much sugar I was consuming every day without even knowing it!

So if you take anything away from this blog post, let it be to check the sugar content of the items you purchase and understand your sugar intake BEFORE you “treat” yourself with sweets and cookies.

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Why Quit Sugar?

Before you make any major lifestyle changes it’s so important that you are aligned with “your why” - why do you want to do this? A quick google of the effects of sugar on the body will reveal a plethora of “why’s”, but let’s summarise some of the big ones…

Longer lasting energy
Weight loss
Reduced risk of diabetes and heart disease
Improved gut health (poor gut health is linked to depression: read more)
Great looking skin

I’ve been struggling with IBS for more than ten years and improving my gut health and managing my stress levels with yoga and meditation has gone MILES in helping me feel better both physically and mentally. I knew that sugar was doing no good whatsoever for my gut and that was “my why”.

Learning how to quit sugar and actually doing it was tough as all heck, and this process is really not for the faint of heart. But when you’re clear and passionate about “your why” then nothing can stop you!

How to Quit Sugar

RESEARCH
I started reading and learning. I discovered that most tinned goods are usually packed with sugar, so is ketchup, mayonnaise and carbohydrates from potatoes which are essentially just start that turns to sugar during digestion. I want you to know that I just listed some of my favourite food groups! Like I said, this process is HARD! But once I understood what had to be eliminated I could start to make a plan.
PLAN PLAN PLAN
The hardest thing about eliminating sugar is trying to find suitable substitutes for your favourite easy meals. It’s too easy to shove last night’s mac and cheese in the microwave and VIOLA, lunch. Get your meals planned up for the week ahead and shop accordingly. I also strongly urge you to pre-make what you can so that you’re not tempted to slip back to your favourite grilled cheese when you come home from work after a hard day. I’ve outlined some of my go-to ideas for meal plans at the bottom of this post.
PREPARE FOR THE CRASH
You can, of course, just start to slowly cut down on your sugar intake. And if you have a very high sugar diet then this may be a good idea for you before you go hard on this thing! But I’m an all or nothing kinda gal; I love to learn by experience, so I just dived into this 100% cut head-first to see what would happen! I was okay for 2 or 3 days to start, albeit with a little less energy, then one day I felt so ill with lethargy and shakes I could barely get off the sofa. This was part to do with parasite die-off symptoms and part to do with the sugar crash. All I’m saying is, this is not easy and it’s going to get harder before it get’s easier.
KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE
Have I mentioned yet how hard this is??? It really is! That’s why it’s so important that you remember why you’re on this path and that what you’re doing is GREAT for your long-term health. I found that by the second and third week the cravings started to dissipate, and my energy levels had returned to normal (even though I still wasn’t consuming sugar!).
REINTRODUCE
I know it sounds silly after all of that work to think about adding sugar back in. Don’t roll your eyes at me, Susan. Your body NEEDS certain amounts and certain types of sugar. Not to mention so much food elimination is extremely bad for your health (more on that later). So, reintroduce good sugars from fruit, dairy and non-starchy carbohydrates slowly and to a moderate level.
I almost feel like this is the hardest bit, because I’d done SO much work to get here and I was hyper aware of my sugar consumption. I felt guilty pretty much every time I ate a potato, but I know that health isn’t just physical it’s mental too and it’s important to cultivate a healthy and loving, long-term relationship with food - seek out the balance between fuelling yourself correctly and eating the damn cake because IT’S JUST CAKE, OKAY!

THIS IS IMPORTANT

Eliminate sugar, sure, but when you eliminate such a huge range of foods in this way you’re going to be missing out on a lot of other vital nutrients too, so it’s important that you make sure you’re getting these! It’s important that you ADD digestive support whilst you go through this process; start taking a multivitamin and pre + probiotic. I also found it helpful to add a collagen supplement to my diet, to support gut function. Make sure you eat a LOT of greens, and drink a LOT of water.

Here are a few of my recommended supplements for gut support during a sugar cleanse…

MEAL IDEAS WITH NO (OR LITTLE) SUGAR

If you know me you know that I am no chef. No no my friends; gourmet in my book is avocado on toast! But a sugar-free diet is the PERFECT setting for kitchen avoiders because ultimately it comes to just meat and vegetables.

Breakfast: I like stir fry some vegetables with scramble egg and garlic + feta (top tip - feta is sugar free!!) Or I’d have boiled eggs + avocado and crispy bacon. If I didn’t have time I’d just make a shake using Almond milk and Organic Protein Powder, I like this one from Garden of Life.

Lunch: salad. SO. MUCH. SALAD. But mix it up - sometimes I’d roast beets and carrots and make a roast beet salad, sometimes using chicken, sometimes just a good old garden salad or a Greek salad. I made a simple dressing too with ACV + Balsamic (sugar warning - so just a little) + Olive Oil + salt and pepper.

Dinner: meat and veg. It’s that simple. Roast chicken and veg is my go-to, or sub it for a tuna steak or salmon. I also loved a tapas style dinner of, for example, avocado, tuna, olives and low sugar rye crackers. I also, often make a bone broth and add shredded chicken or beef + vegetables in to make a chunky soup. It’s SO good!

Taking steps to educate yourself on your sugar consumption, to learn how to manage it and to learn about what you’re eating in general is truly an empowering process. I wish you all the best for it, and let me know how you get on!

Kat x

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