Is it possible to quit sugar

Soda, fruit juice, sports drinks, iced tea—these and other sweetened beverages are sneaky sources of added sugar. One can of cola, for example, racks up nine teaspoons, already a third more than the six teaspoon daily limit suggested by the American Heart Association. She suggests substituting soda for seltzer, which has no added sugar and zero calories.

As for fruit-flavored beverages and fruit juice, sub in fruit-infused bottled water or water with fresh fruit slices added to it. Pastries, cookies, muffins, and other white-bread, refined-flour treats offer little nutrition-wise but are dense with added sugar.

And since they're not hard to identify, it's easy to slash them from your diet. They mess with blood sugar levels, setting up a cycle of grabbing a donut or muffin for energy that doesn't last, says Kohn. Instead, get your carb fix with whole grains. These are converted to sugar during digestion, but because they're the complex kind rather than the simple type, they're absorbed more slowly and provide steady energy.

They don't call it sweet and sour pork for nothing. Many types of takeout or eat-in cuisine are smothered in sauces or coatings made with added sugar. Even the crust of takeout pizza is likely to pack hidden sugar, even though you may not taste it, says Avena.

Glazes, condiments, and even pasta sauces are often loaded with sugar, the same sugar that is just as harmful in a prepackaged box of cookies, she adds. Read labels carefully: look for brown sugar, corn syrup, maltose, fructose, dextrose, molasses, agave, brown rice syrup, cane sugar, cane syrup, and evaporated cane juice, which are all just other ways to say "sugar.

If you're used to adding sweetener to your food and drinks, give yourself time to ease out of the habit, suggests Kohn. Typically start your day with two spoons of sugar or honey in your tea or coffee? Cut back to one sugar for a week, then slash it to zero a week later—or sweeten it with a slice of orange or a little milk.

Same thing with the sugar you put on top of French toast or cereal, or the maple syrup doused on your pancakes. Gradually reducing the amount will make it less noticeable that you're cutting back, and you'll be less craving-crazed for a sugar hit. If the rest of your household isn't cutting back on sugar with you, you're likely to see sweet treats and added-sugar products all over your kitchen, inviting temptation. Most of us go for the food we see first, so if you don't see sweets, you won't crave them, and then cave in to them, she adds.

Cutting out sugar is the perfect excuse to indulge in more healthy fats nuts, olive oil, avocado, dairy and lean protein eggs, turkey, and legumes. Both keep you feeling satiated and energized, preventing the blood sugar rise and fall that can lead to hard-to-resist sugar cravings.

A protein-fat breakfast will help you start the day off right. Watch the video: 3 Surprising Protein Sources. To satisfy a sweet tooth without resorting to the refined stuff, just look through your spice rack.

Beyond the improved taste and "mouthfeel" of foods with high sugar content, sugar has profound biological effects in the brain. These effects are so significant it's even led to a debate as to whether you can be "addicted" to sugar — though this is still being studied. Table sugar, or sucrose, is a disaccharide made up of a molecule of glucose and a molecule of fructose joined together Credit: Alamy. Sucrose activates sweet taste receptors in the mouth which ultimately leads to the release of a chemical called dopamine in the brain.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter , meaning it's a chemical that passes messages between nerves in the brain. When we're exposed to a rewarding stimulus, the brain responds by releasing dopamine — which is why it's often called the "reward" chemical. The rewarding effects of dopamine are largely seen in the part of the brain involved in pleasure and reward. Reward governs our behaviour — meaning we're driven to repeat the behaviours which cause dopamine to be released.

Dopamine can drive us to seek food , such as junk food. Experiments in both animals and people have shown how profoundly sugar activates these reward pathways. Intense sweetness surpasses even cocaine in terms of the internal reward it triggers. Sugar is able to activate these reward pathways in the brain whether it's tasted in the mouth or injected into the bloodstream, as shown in studies on mice.

This means its effects are independent of the sweet taste. In rats, there's strong evidence to suggest that sucrose consumption can actually change the structures in the brain that dopamine activates as well as altering emotional processing and modifying behaviour in both animals and humans. It's obvious that sugar can have a powerful effect on us. So that's why it's not surprising to see negative effects when we eat less sugar or remove it from our diet completely. It's during this early "sugar withdrawal" stage that both mental and physical symptoms have been reported — including depression, anxiety, brain fog and cravings, alongside headaches, fatigue and dizziness.

This means giving up sugar can feel unpleasant, both mentally and physically, which may make it difficult for some to stick with the diet change.

Many of these healthy snacks are suitable. This sugar-free diet plan can also make a difference. Certain supplements may help. Walking is a great way to distract yourself from cravings. There are also a number of lifestyle changes you can make to distract yourself from your sugar cravings. Though obviously go for something sugar-free! Another useful trick that Rob recommends is sniffing vanilla.

Knowing how to quit sugar is one thing but should you go cold turkey or take it slowly? But there are ways to manage this challenging period. If you find the thought of going cold turkey too extreme weaning yourself off slowly may suit you better.

Apples can help reduce sugar cravings. Mays suggests combining them with a handful of nuts or a spoon of almond butter to prevent blood sugar from spiking. It swells up to form a jelly-like substance in your gut, which contributes to feeling fuller for longer and preventing sugar cravings.

Technology can help you quit sugar, too. Credit: Air Up. You can buy the reusable water bottles and recyclable flavour pods from the Air Up website. Ready meals can contain a lot of sugar — as many as 6tsp in some! Stick to homemade low calorie meals — avoiding all jars, tins and packets — so you know exactly what has gone into each meal.