Transforming Mornings: From Sugar Cravings to Sweet Success

Oh my gosh!  How can it be 6am already!  Maybe if I just hit the snooze – just once….  Maybe I’ll feel better in 9 minutes.  Drag myself through the shower, and then brush my teeth…  Wait… did I already brush my teeth?  I’m already thinking about when I can crawl back into bed!

This is how I used to start my day – Now – I’m up and out of bed without an alarm and, yes, I’m actually awake! 

Before, I was prediabetic – Now – my sugar numbers are good.

Before, I was totally stressed out – Now – I’m full of joy.

My turnaround was not overnight, but it had to turn around.  This has been a journey – a journey of learning, awareness, trial and error.  I was skeptical when I first started.  I thought change would only happen through sheer willpower, which I don’t have, but I realized it was much easier than I thought, and I was able to follow through in a way I never had before.

I believe that healthy doesn’t have to be hard!

One way to be healthier is to kick the sugar habit.  Whether you’ve never tried to be healthier before – Whether you’ve tried several (or every) “diet” – or Whether you are already pretty healthy, you will learn something that can take you to the next level.

Sweetness in your life does not equal the amount of processed sugar you eat.  You may not want to completely give up sugar (I’m not asking you to, but if you want to, that is absolutely doable!), although you may want to cut down on your sugar and tame your sugar cravings.

There are 3 main challenges we face when we try to kick sugar and there are 7 solutions to finally kick that sugar habit.

The 3 main challenges we face when kicking sugar.

The first challenge is wondering why the heck we have sugar cravings in the first place.

💬 Everyone else is saying that food is calories and grams of fat.  I’m saying that is only ONE way to look at food.

💬 Everyone else is saying that food is fuel.  I’m saying that food is more than simply fuel.  It has energetic qualities that are beyond the science and mechanics of calories, fat grams, and nutrient values.

For example, leafy greens grow upward, so they have a ‘lifting’ energy, whereas root vegetables, like a potato or beet, grow deep into the ground, so they have a ‘grounding’ energy.

✨ I’m saying the other way to look at food is something really cool, and the concept is called the ‘polarity of food’. ✨

So how does this concept apply to food and what does the polarity of food look like? 

Where does the inherent energetic quality of different foods fall on the spectrum?

And how might this polarity in your food actually be CREATING your cravings?

I posted an entire BLOG on the Polarity of Food!  Read it here.

If food can create your cravings – food can heal your cravings! Cool right?

The second challenge around kicking the sugar habit is that no one wants to do it, because it feels so GOOD to eat it. Right?!

I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s – I existed on Kraft macaroni and cheese, fruit loops, and coke.  That’s what we did, right?  That was a balanced diet – grain and dairy, fruit, and water.  I’m sure there is a little water in coke, right?

It’s no wonder I didn’t feel like doing anything – and I didn’t even realize how bad I felt.

I also used to kid around and say that when I died they wouldn’t have to embalm me with all the preservatives I ate.  But you know what?  Neither of those things are funny.  I was literally killing myself.

But WHY does it feel so good?

Let’s take a quick look at what’s happening in the body when you eat sugar, and why we experience that awesome sugar high.  

When insulin is sent out, it doesn’t just bring your blood sugar back down into balance, there’s often too much insulin secreted, and our blood sugar dips way down. 

And that’s the blood sugar crash you feel after the sugar high –that shaky, spaced out,uncomfortable feeling. 

So you’ve had a blood sugar crash - now what does your body crave when you are down there, in the middle that nasty crash?

MORE SUGAR! And what happens to our blood sugar when we eat the sugar again? It goes up, up, up – back to the top of that roller coaster.

And so the up and down cycle continues. Has anyone experienced that before? How does it feel? This is one of the reasons we start eating sugar and we quite literally can’t stop and crave it constantly. 

That’s your body actually trying to find blood sugar balance. So, the sugar craving is your body’s way of saying it needs something specific to restore this balance.  The easiest and most convenient food to restore blood sugar balance when your blood sugar is in the toilet is sugar.  I didn’t say the BEST, I said the EASIEST!

However, if we keep eating sugar, we will stay on that crazy craving roller coaster. And that roller coaster affects your mood, causes weight gain, and can lead to serious diseases like Adult Onset Diabetes. 

The 3rd and final challenge with sugar that I experienced myself and I notice with my clients is that, when you’re not happy with an area of your life, like your career, your relationships, your finances, your workouts, your sex life, your family, where you live, the winter weather, it’s sometimes so much easier to reach for sugar than deal with what’s really going on….

And I totally get that. 

A craving may seem like a pain in the butt, but what if cravings are a messenger to help you step into the best version of who you are? That is be pretty amazing!

Here are 7 solutions to help you overcome your sugar cravings!

#1: Check Your Beverages! 

Sounds crazy, but sometimes sweet cravings are a sign of dehydration. Drink a glass of water, wait 5 minutes and then see if you still have the craving.

#2: Satisfy sweet tooth with veggies, fruits & spices

Your tongue has sweet taste buds that demand to be satisfied, so don’t hold out on ‘em! 

#3. Sleep

For many of us, this is easier said than done. But if you’re constantly tired, your body is going to look for energy, usually in the form or sugar or caffeine. 

#4. Check your protein

This is a fun, cool fact – watch how much protein and what kind of protein you’re eating, especially animal protein. Too much or too little protein can lead to sugar cravings.

#5. Sniff out low-fat and fat free foods

When food manufacturers take the fat out of foods, what do they put in? Yep – sugar.

#6. Move yo’self

Movement is another kind of food for your body.  Nourishment is more than just food!

#7. Create new post-meal rituals

If you’re a “dessert after your meal” person, one of things you might love about that is the ritual of it. What are other possibilities for post-meal rituals? 

✨ Do any of these resonate with you?  Is there one in particular that you feel like you need to increase, or maybe one you hadn’t thought about before?  You can use any or all of these today – they are simple and easy.

Sweetness comes in all forms. 

Proverbs 16:24 “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

Ecclesiastes 11:7 “Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.”

Psalm 119:103 “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

There are many ways to enjoy the sweetness of life without processed sugar. 

If you want to experience GOD’S sweetness in a community of other Christian women, I’d love for you to join me in @wholelifehealthforfaithbasedwomen. 

It is a sacred space to integrate your Christian faith into your health and wellness journey.

Not sure if it’s right for you?  Schedule a quick chat (it’s a free call) right here