“As a personal trainer, I encourage my clients to eat healthier
and cut down on sugars but
could I really go a whole month
without it myself?
I signed up for a programme
called ‘Mentor me off Sugar’ run
by Laura Thomas of Happy Sugar
Habits.
I’m very health conscious and try
to be aware of my sugar intake
but had to admit my weakness
when it came to chocolate. I can’t
just enjoy a couple of pieces, I
need to eat the whole lot and can
easily get through a whole bar in
one sitting.
1. Engage your brain
My sweet tooth also strikes when
eating out and I often find myself ordering dessert, despite the
fact that I don’t always feel great
afterwards! My first task was to
remember and reflect on that feeling next time I was eating out.
2. Eat a big breakfast
Next, I needed to eat a more
substantial breakfast. Not eating
enough at breakfast was causing
me to have cravingsthroughout
the day.
3. Plan ahead
I also needed to think ahead and
have sugar free snacks ready
that were also going to get me
through to the next meal.
4. Reduce sugar intake
The first week required me to
eliminate all refined or concentrated sugars. I could eat some fruit
but was encouraged to keep it to
one piece a day and only have
low fructose fruits such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries,
nectarines, plums, satsumas and
kiwi fruits.
I changed my boring porridges
to something more substantial
by adding lots of nuts, seeds and
plain yoghurt. I also made fruit
free muesli for the mornings when
I didn’t have so much time and
tried to eat more eggs.