Strategies for Sugar and Step 2 Check-In

While strolling around some of my favorite blogs I cam across this article from our friend Sarah at The Healthy Home Economist who has some straightforward advice on how to kick the sugar habit.  She does a great job of explaining how each step will decrease the cravings that help drive our need for the sweet beast and lays out 4 steps for kicking it. Honestly, for me these steps would be ambitious, but they are still great steps. The wonderful thing about approaching a diet upgrade with baby steps is that you can always take a change that feels overwhelming or difficult in smaller steps.

Sarah suggests replacing ALL refined sugar with natural sweeteners. A great idea, to be sure, but I have to say for ME that would be a big step. So I might identify some part of my cooking routine that I regularly use sugar in and first replace THAT with a natural sweetener. If, for example I use refined sugar in baking, I might begin to cut the refined sugar and mix in some honey or maple syrup. If I sweeten my beverages, I might likewise try replacing sugar with honey or syrup (it’s really good in coffee – no lie). Breaking that leap down allows successes that you can build on.

So I’m with Sarah – let’s cut that sugar. If you think her steps are do-able, go for it. If they seem extreme, take control of those steps and turn 4 steps into 8 steps or 12 steps. It’s YOUR road, your sugar, your body. If you’ve not found a food swap (see Step 1) to make to get your Baby Steps to Better Health underway, maybe some honey or maple syrup should find their way into your grocery cart… It’s all do-able if YOU name the step and YOU decide how big to make it.

By the way, Baby Steppers, how’s that food journal (see Step 2) coming? (Okay, okay, you don’t have to THROW things at me.) In the event you’ve not yet started, I just wanted to remind you that every day is a good day to make a healthy choice. 🙂

For more advice on kicking the sugar habit, see our Sugar Busting series.