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Sugar is a drug. It is addictive and can be one of the hardest habits to kick. But when it comes to your health, weight, and lifestyle, getting rid of a sweet tooth can be a big help. Whether you are diabetic, want to lose weight, or just want to make healthier choices, getting your sugar cravings under control is a hard but crucial step.

To break this habit, you will need to set a goal. Slowly weaning yourself off of it is the only way possible. Quitting cold turkey will only make things worse, and you will wind up stuffing yourself in a few days with every bit of sugar you can find.

First, make notes of how much sugar you intake each day, as this will assist in your goal. Keeping track of this will keep your mind on what you are taking in and will also help you to realize how much you are actually consuming. This can be easily accomplished by reading the labels on the foods you are eating.

After evaluating your diet, slowly start replacing processed sugars like cakes, cookies, and sodas, for healthier choices, like fruits and vegetables. Another way to avoid those processed sugars is by eating healthy whole grains, like cereals and granola bars that use natural sweeteners like honey to lightly sweeten the product without overly applying it. For beverages, why not try a dry packaged drink mix that is sugar free, that you add to a bottle of water. This will not only re-hydrate you, but will also cleanse your body, and make the transition of lower sugars easier.

Another advantage to whole grains is that they keep you fuller longer. Many new items on store shelves are many wiith 100% whole grain, or at least mostly whole grain. This diet substitute is especially good for diabetics as whole grains contain "complex carbs" which take longer to break down and enter the blood system. An interesting fact is that carbohydrates actually convert to sugar in the body, so if your watching your sugar intake, you should also watch your carbohydrate intake, and taking that step with whole grains will get you on the right track.

Something else you can do, is to start incorporating sugar substitutes to sweeten beverages, and deserts. Once again, this does not, and should not be done all at once, but rather slowly integrated into your daily routine. This will allow your body, and your taste to get used to the change. For instance, say you drink a cup of coffee every morning with 3 tablespoons of sugar. Slowly lower the 3 tablespoons of sugar to about 2 and a half tablespoons of sugar with a half tablespoon of sugar substitute. Keep lowering the sugar and raising the sugar substitutes as weeks and months go by, and you won't even notice the change. Eventually, you will wind up having replaced all of your granulated sugar for the sugar substitute.

When and if you get a sugar craving, and fruits and vegetables will not do, and the sugar substitutes just are not cutting it, do not give in. This is exactly what that sweet tooth of yours is hoping for. But remember, if you surrender to that craving, all your hard work can go down the drain. At that point your body will want more and more, and you will wind up in the same position you were to start with. However, at a certain point beyond the start of your diet, after your body has gotten used to the healthier choices, it will find highly sweetened products almost sickening, as it will spike you blood sugar, and the appeal of the sugary food will no longer be relevant.

Though it can be very hard, kicking your sugar habit will lead to a healthier lifestyle, and you will feel better and be healthier for it.

Learn more about this author, Renee' Palmer.
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