Why is it so hard to quit sugar?

Plus my favorite Halloween candy swaps

Unpopular opinion, but I really don’t like Halloween. I’ll admit, it’s fun to watch Ozzie get excited about his costume, carve pumpkins, and go trick-or-treating, but I strongly dislike dressing up and can’t get over the gluttony of all those horrible little candies in their horrible plastic wrappers. Why can’t we just give out stickers?

With my least favorite holiday upon us, the Halloween grinch (me) is here to kill the vibe and your sugar cravings. If you’ve tried and failed to kick a sugar habit before, read on for six tangible tips to help you succeed this time around. And for all the anxious parents dreading bedtime on October 31st, scroll to the bottom for candy swaps without high fructose corn syrup and food dyes.

Last year Ozzie was Batman and this year he is going to be a Minion. Even for a Halloween hater like me, it’s pretty cute.

OKAY, SO YOU HAVE A SWEET TOOTH?
When you’re trying to change a habit that isn’t serving you, like a sugar craving, it’s easy to go straight to restriction—to tell yourself that you’re going to be “better” and more “disciplined,” only to end up doing the very thing you said you’d stop doing again and again. It’s a truly maddening cycle that can lead to feelings of failure, guilt, and shame. Nothing about this is supportive of your physical or mental health. 

I see this pattern repeated with nearly every client that I work with, and I’ve been there too. Breaking patterns is never easy, but instead of beating yourself up about it, do the work to understand why you’re reaching for sugar in the first place and find a way to set yourself up for success. Here are my top tips:

1. Make the obvious choice the healthy choice
Part of the problem is that there is sugar everywhere. If something is in front you, you’re going to eat it. I know it sounds obvious, but it’s true. By either keeping sugar out of your environment and having healthier options readily available, it will be easier to break the habit.

I understand that sometimes this is easier said than done. What about at the office, or a party? I’m not concerned about one-off events, it’s daily patterns that we’re trying to change. If your office has a tempting pantry of sugar-y treats, bring your own snacks and make sure you’re not going long periods without eating. Hungry eyes make it all too easy to throw away any goals you’ve set for yourself. And if you’re feeling snack-y for no reason, pop in a mint, a piece of gum, or drink a glass of water and reassess.

Make sure you also check labels diligently—condiments, salad dressings, crackers, bread, milk, granola, yogurt, and more everyday foods can be full of hidden sugar and perpetuate the cycle of sugar cravings.

2. Honor the flavor switch
”But I just like a little something sweet after dinner.” After a meal our tastebuds get desensitized to the dominant flavor of whatever we just ate and might seek a different flavor to stimulate our palate again. Cue sweet thing after dinner. Why would this be? I recently read an interesting theory that we crave a change in flavor after a meal as a way to encourage us to get more diversity in our diet. I love the idea that we are biologically inclined to seek variety, but in the modern world of processed food this has different consequences.

How do you honor the flavor switch without going full blown dessert every night? You could try to have more dynamic meals with different elements so your tastebuds don’t get bored (think a soup and a salad), or have some fruit after dinner, maybe berries with yogurt. I’ve heard “fruit doesn’t do it for me” a million times, but you have to be okay with the transition and give it a chance. If you’re used to ice cream or chocolate after dinner, of course fruit isn’t going to do it for you, but eventually it will. And as you start eating less sweet foods, your tolerance for sweet tasting things will decrease and a handful of blueberries might just scratch that itch.

Another way to switch things up is to have a warm drink — I love LMNTs hot chocolate electrolyte. I use half a pack and mix in a mug with hot water and a splash of almond milk. It’s surprisingly good.

3. Eat 30 grams of protein at breakfast
You knew I was going to sneak protein in here somehow, right? If you hop on that blood sugar rollercoaster first thing in the morning, there’s no coming off. Start your day strong with a protein-rich breakfast. This will give you stable energy and help you avoid cravings. Last week I shared five breakfast recipes with 30 grams of protein. Here they are in case you missed it:

Five breakfast recipes with over 30 grams of protein

4. Improve your gut health
Your gut bacteria can influence your cravings and eating behavior. Sometimes I think of it like we’re giant puppets with these tiny microbes pulling the strings. The bad bacteria in your gut feeds on sugar, alcohol, and processed foods, so the more you eat of it, the more they demand. By eating a whole foods diet, with lots of fiber-rich plants and fermented foods, you can change the makeup of your gut and start craving different foods. Studies show this can take as little as three days. Yes, three days.

5. Prioritize your sleep & practice stress management
When we’re sleep deprived or stressed we reach for stimulants, like sugar, savory carbohydrates, and caffeine to get through the day. If you find yourself falling into this trap, know that this isn’t some defect unique to you, it’s actually a biological mechanism to give you more energy when you’re tired and a little hormonal boost when life feels overwhelming. On days like this, you may also have less time or motivation to exercise, cook, or choose the healthy option. This can set off a cascade of decisions that are not productive for your health or goals, and when 4pm rolls around, it’s hard not to crave something sweet or snack-y.

Getting better, deeper rest and doing what you can to reduce stress (meditate, exercise, spend time in nature, breathe…) will help you fight off cravings without having to white knuckle it. Also, back to that protein, every time you have a blood sugar spike you have a cortisol spike, so managing your blood sugar levels can help with stress management and keep your energy levels stable.

6. Keep a food diary
A food diary will help keep you accountable and understand your triggers. Do you crave sugar more often after a bad night sleep, when you get a stressful email, or on the weekends when your day is less structured? Or, are you skipping breakfast and having a high sugar coffee that sets off your blood sugar for the day? We can’t change what we’re not aware of, and a food diary can be a great mindfulness practice to keep you on track with your goals.

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HALLOWEEN CANDY SWAPS
Here are some alternatives to classic Halloween candy that don’t have food dyes or high fructose corn syrup. Also a lot of these links are to Thrive Market because they’re cheaper. Order today to get in time or find on Amazon/your local grocery store.

• Unreal Candy Coated Chocolate over M&Ms

• Alter Eco Truffles over Hershey’s Kisses

• Yum Earth Giggles over Skittles

• Unreal Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars over Mounds

• Deebe’s Organic Dip Ems over Fun Dip

• Yum Earth Organic Chewys over Starburst

• Smartsweets Sweet Fish over Swedish Fish

• Unreal Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars over Snickers

• Cocomels Caramels over Werther’s Original

• Yum Earth Gummy Bears over regular Gummy Bears

• Skinny Dipped Peanut Butter Cups over Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

When your kids trick or treat, this is likely not the type of candy they are getting. And the sheer volume of candy is just terrifying. We’re VERY into the Switch Witch in our house. Ozzie’s at the prime age for it, and I know some kids are past it, but I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth. There’s even a book about it.