Sugar Action Steps
So what do we do? How do we begin to separate ourselves from a high glucose life and move towards balance? Without colonization and slavery, we may have had a very different relationship to what some call ‘white death’ but here we are with our bodies, minds, and entire financial structure built out of something thats making us sick. Sugar is not easy to leave behind. Neither is refined grain. Simply put we are addicted to sugar and the additional myriad of ways it shows up in our foods. Cutting it out altogether is not a simple or sustainable change, its not you or your willpower; I promise.
Here are my own action steps. Pick one or many and be kind to yourself. With sugar, the system is truly rigged against you.
Add fiber and fat to your diet. As much as you can. Seriously. Crowd out the desire to eat sweets. It works. Also, forget about counting calories. That myth has been debunked. If you’re hungry eat real food. If you want something sweet, eat it! And also try to add things that will help you in the long run; thick rolled or steel-cut oats, berries, green/orange/red/yellow/purple vegetables, nuts and seeds, avocado, nut butters, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, olive oil, coconut oil/milk/cream, and whole pasture-raised eggs. If there's a food listed here you don’t like or have an adverse relationship with find a replacement or let’s talk.
Eat enough. If you’re getting hungry every two hours, have regular crashes where you feel crazy or foggy, or get shaky; you’re likely not eating enough for your body or eating more refined carbohydrates and sugars than you realized. Stabilized glucose generally looks like three to four hours between meals and a gradual dip into hunger. Fill up on veggies, proteins, and fats. Allow yourself to feel full and satisfied. It’s a glorious sensation.
Switch to water. Most of the sugar we consume in America comes from sugar-sweetened beverages. These are ridiculously overpriced and terrible for our health. Don’t switch to diet anything. Cut back and cut out. Sorry, but it really can’t be any other way. This includes fruit juices as your body responds the same to them as to soda. There are a million ways to drink water, find what works for you as long as it does not include sweetener.
Try to have a regular movement practice. Walking, yoga, weight lifting, chair exercises - whatever you’re capable of. Even for as little as 10 minutes after a meal. Moving helps your skeletal muscles ‘sop up’ glucose in your bloodstream so it has less of an opportunity to cause harm. Moving is also supportive of your gut microbiome which makes about 90% of your dopamine and serotonin; so helps you feel good without sugar.
Be exceedingly kind to yourself. I’m not talking about going to the spa, watching tv all day, or shopping. I’m talking about having a deep kindness to your body and your mind as you try and shift something for yourself that has likely been with you forever. There is no good or bad here, there is no failure or blame if you want to eat a piece of cake. There is no demand that you ‘work’ for what you want to eat. Let yourself rest. This will not change overnight and that is completely okay.
As you are able; start to notice what foods you usually eat that have added sugar and/or less than 3 grams of fiber per serving. This includes most packaged foods. Our food system has set us up to be reliant on these and many folks don’t have a choice to cut them out entirely due to finances, time constraints, or lack of safe and clean cooking facilities. Do what you can when you’re able; swap these for foods that have no added sugar and contain at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. Demanding better food by avoiding those that have added sugar and lack nutrient density paves the way for better foods to be available to those whose choices have been limited through decades of social and political policies aimed at exploitation.
If you can afford to vote with your fork, do this. If you can support a CSA, shop at the farmers market, buy local, do this. Where you can afford to buy food matters. Put pressure on the USDA to fund food that is healthy, safe, and available to all. Don’t have a grocery store nearby? If you’re able, find out why. Part of ending our reliance on sugar is ending food apartheid by building an equitable food system and access is a big part of this.
Vote for officials that support sustainable agriculture and a national food policy based in science rather than financial gain.
Try using acetic acid mixed with water before a meal. This is not a panacea but can be helpful and is well supported by research. I use 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a little water prior to lunch and dinner. I notice it makes me a little nauseous if I have it before breakfast. If you notice acid reflux or abdominal pain while using vinegar then stop or cut back and talk to your doctor. Any vinegar will work but balsamic and rice vinegar have a high amount of naturally occurring sugars that will work against you.
Quitting sugar is not just something to do for your own health, though this is an entirely valid reason to start cutting ties. Quitting sugar is a radical act that empowers you and your community by demanding food justice and racial equity. It shuts down centuries of exploitative policy designed to keep you sick and supports a strong body and sharp mind.
Take back your intrinsic power.
