Therefore, it's possible when you reduce your sugar intake, your brain craves the extra opioids and dopamine, resulting in withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms of sugar withdrawal can include:.

Sugar withdrawal symptoms can last between a few days to a week, but there are steps you can take to mitigate them. Adding certain foods to your diet can help curb sugar cravings and make saying goodbye to added sugars less painful.

Here are some tips to combat sugar cravings:. Eating breakfast with proteins , complex carbohydrates, fiber-rich foods, and healthy fats can keep blood sugar balanced and prevent sugar cravings throughout the day. If quitting cold turkey is too difficult, gradually reduce added sugar intake before cutting it out entirely.

Eating healthy fats like those in nuts and fatty fish can help reduce cravings for sugary foods. Try adding some natural read: no added sugar nut butter into your diet, or adding a serving of avocado to your lunch.

Adding extra protein keeps you full and subsequently reduces food cravings. A small study of people with type two diabetes found a low carbohydrate, high fiber, fat, and protein diet increased feelings of fullness and reduced sugar cravings.

Embracing natural sugars found in fruits like watermelon, berries , and bananas can help satisfy your sweet tooth. Fruit drinks and other packaged beverages can be a sneaky source of added sugar.

Replace sodas and lemonade with club soda, unsweetened tea , or just plain water. Dehydration can exacerbate sugar cravings, so be sure to drink 3. A little bit of sugar isn't a bad thing — but if you find yourself feeling dependent on sugary foods, a sugar detox could help you address your cravings and embrace healthier eating habits.

If you do decide to do a detox, be sure to up your intake of protein, healthy fats, fruit, and fiber and drink plenty of water to keep withdrawal symptoms like headaches and irritability under control. Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'.

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Email Twitter icon A stylized bird with an open mouth, tweeting. Twitter LinkedIn icon The word "in". This low-sugar diet plan fuels your body with the nutrients it needs to stay healthy while limiting foods, like added sugar, that can do harm when you have too much. In this healthy meal plan, we cut out all forms of added sugar think granulated sugar, honey, maple syrup and all of the other names for sugar you may see in packaged foods and load up on delicious whole foods for a week of satisfying low-sugar meals and snacks.

What you will find are lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, fiber-rich whole grains, filling lean protein and healthy fats. This balanced week of healthy eating will help you feel refreshed, energized and good about what's on your plate. Plus, at 1, calories, you'll be on track to lose a healthy 1 to 2 pounds per week.

Not sure if this is the right calorie level for you? Calculate your daily calorie goal and then choose between this 1,calorie plan or the 1, - or 1,calorie versions.

Read the Meal-Prep Tips throughout this meal plan for information on how you can prep ahead and use leftovers during the week. And don't miss the Healthy Shopping Tips for pointers on how to find versions of packaged foods with the least amount of added sugars.

Meal-Prep Tip : Stock up on some air-tight meal-prep containers to keep your meals fresh throughout the week. Meal-Prep Tip: Save leftover Citrus-Lime Vinaigrette for lunch on Day 4 and dinner on Day 6. Blend raspberries together with yogurt and chia seeds to create a quick smoothie or simply mix all the ingredients together for a smoothie bowl.

Daily Totals: 1, calories, 97 g carbohydrates, 29 g fiber, 73 g protein, 61 g fat, 1, mg sodium. Healthy Shopping Tip: When buying muesli, look for a brand that doesn't have added sugars, which take away from the healthy goodness of this whole-grain breakfast.

Healthy Shopping Tip: Use sprouted-grain bread during your low-sugar week; it's made without added sugars, unlike many other store-bought breads. Meal-Prep Tip: Refrigerate 1 serving of the No-Cook Black Bean Salad for lunch on Day 3. Daily Totals: 1, calories, g carbohydrates, 45 g fiber, 53 g protein, 51 g fat, 1, mg sodium.

Daily Totals: 1, calories, g carbohydrates, 33 g fiber, 54 g protein, 59 g fat, 1, mg sodium. Meal-Prep Tip: Cook an extra 3 oz. of chicken to use in the lunch recipe on Day 5. Daily Totals: 1, calories, g carbohydrates, 26 g fiber, 52 g protein, 69 g fat, 1, mg sodium.

Meal-Prep Tip: Save a serving of the Roasted Vegan Cauliflower Soup with Parsley-Chive Swirl to have for lunch on Day 7. Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months for an easy ready-made lunch or dinner down the road. Daily Totals: 1, calories, g carbohydrates, 30 g fiber, 55 g protein, 62 g fat, 1, mg sodium.

Daily Totals: 1, calories, g carbohydrates, 31 g fiber, 66 g protein, 69 g fat, 1, mg sodium. Daily Totals: 1, calories, g carbohydrates, 21 g fiber, 56 g protein, 67 g fat, 1, mg sodium.

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These symptoms can be mental or physical, but are usually short-lived:. While giving up sugar may feel difficult at first, it will get easier just in time for you to reap the benefits. There are no hard and fast rules to a sugar cleanse, but the most important part is to limit added sugar as much as possible.

Incorporating healthy snacks such as CHOMPS meat snacks can curb hunger and ease your sugar-free transition. Our new CHOMPS Pepperoni Seasoned Turkey jerky has 0 grams of sugar, 12 grams of grass-fed protein, and is a mouthwatering addition to your healthy sugar detox.

If you want to cut sugar from your diet, here is a 7-day sugar detox meal plan to get you started. Snack: 1 CHOMPS Original Beef Jerky Stick. Breakfast: Brown rice cakes with guacamole, a sunny-side-up egg, and hot sauce.

Snack: 1 CHOMPS Jalapeno Turkey Jerky Stick. Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with cut up CHOMPS Original Turkey Jerky Sticks , ½ cup berries. Ridding your body of as much added sugar as possible can not only reduce powerful sugar cravings but can improve your mood and overall health.

Visit our CHOMPS store to explore our delicious protein snacks with 0 grams of sugar! Melissa Mitri, RD Melissa is a health writer with over 12 years of experience in the field of nutrition.

She specializes in helping women move away from restrictive habits that lead to vicious yo-yo weight cycles. Melissa enjoys writing about health, nutrition, and fitness with the goal of simplifying complex health topics for the reader. You can find out more about Melissa at www. Shop Learn Where to Buy.

Shop All. Beef Habanero Beef. Original Beef. Jalapeño Beef. Sea Salt Beef. Italian Style Beef. Taco Seasoned Beef. Shop all Beef. Turkey Original Turkey. Pepperoni Seasoned Turkey.

Jalapeño Turkey. Shop all Turkey. Shop all Venison. Follow these helpful tips to slowly reduce your added sugar intake over time. The tips above can help you slowly cut back on added sugar and improve the quality of your overall diet.

Here are some tips to help you beat the side effects and avoid — or at least limit — some of the symptoms related to cutting sugar out of your diet. Although cutting all sources of added sugar might be helpful for some people, others do best by focusing on reducing or cutting out one source of added sugar at a time.

For example, if the main source of added sugar in your diet is soda, try cutting back on or cutting out sugary beverages from your diet first before moving on to other sources of added sugar. While these might be beneficial for some people, the focus should be on reducing your added sugar intake for life — not just a set time period.

To do that, you must do what works best for you. This may mean slowly cutting out added sugar over time rather than eliminating all sources of added sugar at once. Add protein to every meal to help you avoid hunger and low energy levels during your sugar detox. Research suggests that eating protein can promote feelings of fullness, which can help you manage food cravings.

Healthful sources of protein include fatty fish, lean meats, eggs, beans, legumes, and nuts. Eating high fiber foods may help you stave off hunger and cravings. They take longer to digest, causing you to feel fuller for longer.

High fiber foods also contribute to healthy blood sugar regulation. Keeping your blood sugar levels stable may help prevent cravings. Pairing high protein and high fiber foods is best for healthy blood sugar control.

Examples include mixing high fiber veggies like broccoli into your eggs or spooning some pumpkin seeds over your oatmeal. Staying optimally hydrated is essential for overall health and may help you manage sugar cravings.

Replacing drinks high in sugar, such as soda and energy drinks, with water can help reduce your added sugar and overall calorie intake. Drinking water can likewise help keep your bowel movements regular. This is especially important when you increase your fiber intake. Fiber-rich foods and adequate water intake are needed to help keep stools soft and move them through your digestive system, preventing constipation.

Research suggests that certain artificial sweeteners may lead to metabolic changes that may increase cravings, food intake, and weight gain.

Reducing your intake of sweet foods — even those that are sugar-free — may be the best way to cut added sugar from your diet. Research shows that stress affects food preferences and increases cravings for sweet foods. Sugar also appears to have a calming effect on stress hormones, which contributes to your desire for sugar when feeling stressed.

Keeping your stress in check will make it easier to cut sugar from your diet and help keep cravings under control. It can help increase energy and reduce stress, which can help combat symptoms like fatigue, low energy levels, and stress-induced cravings that may occur when decreasing your added sugar intake.

A study also found that short bouts of exercise, such as a brisk minute walk, reduced cravings for sugary foods. Remember to start slowly and speak to your doctor before you start exercising if you have any preexisting medical issues.

Studies show that improving overall diet quality can help minimize cravings for sugary foods and enhance cravings for healthier foods. For example, eating fewer foods high in added sugar like ice cream, cake, and cookies and increasing your intake of nutrient-dense foods like beans, vegetables, fish, and whole fruits may help reduce your reliance on added sugar and help you crave healthier foods.

Insufficient sleep could worsen symptoms of added sugar reduction, such as fatigue, cravings, and low mood. Sleep deprivation alters appetite-regulating hormones and may enhance cravings for highly palatable foods, such as those high in added sugars.

Eating bitter foods may help prevent sugar cravings by acting on receptors in the brain that drive sugar intake, according to research. You can make your own bitters or choose bitter foods, such as coffee, arugula, or broccoli raab rapini. Read more here.

Giving up or reducing sugar can be difficult, especially if your diet was high in added sugar, so go easy on yourself. Try writing down your motivators for giving up sugar. Look at these when you feel a craving for sugar. If you start adding back foods and beverages high in added sugar, remind yourself of your motivations, you can always try again and learn from your experiences.

For instance, if you find that the cravings are worse during certain times of the day, schedule activities to keep yourself busy during that time, or be prepared with high protein snacks and water.

The most important thing is to decrease your overall intake of added sugar. Making key dietary and lifestyle changes can help people beat their sugar cravings. This includes eating plenty of protein and dietary fiber, staying hydrated, making time for stress relief, and getting enough sleep.

Giving up or reducing sugar may come with unpleasant symptoms. That said, reducing added sugar consumption can have substantial health benefits.

There are many ways to make reducing the amount of added sugar in your diet easier. Making key changes to your diet, exercise, and sleep patterns can help beat cravings and create a healthier lifestyle.

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

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