How to kick your sugar addiction
New Zealand Holistic Nutritionist Jessica Gilijam-Brown chats to us about sugar addiction through winter.
Q: I need help with my sugar addiction, I'm trying to cut down but I'm struggling!
A: Cutting down on your sugar intake can be a tough thing to do, especially in winter. But it’s not impossible! Cutting down on sugar is as much a mental as it is a physical battle. When you start to crave something sweet you need to decide if you are wanting sugar out of habit (mental) or if you are actually hungry (physical). For many people the 3 pm sugar hit is simply a request by your body for more food - to combat this you need to first make sure you are eating enough at lunch time. Be sure to include a source of protein and real food fat to satiate your hunger, or have a healthy snack on hand (hummus + veg, bliss balls, chia seed pudding, or apple + nut butter). If you are craving sweets out of habit then you need to distract yourself and your palate. Get up, go for a walk, talk to a friend, then go and make a cup of tea. Spicy tea, like Rooibos Chai or Masala Chai, contains cinnamon, cardamom and cloves which have a slightly sweet taste and trick you into thinking you have had something sweet. Detox Evening which contain peppermint and liquorice teas can give you the same effect too.
