How to Beat Sugar Addiction, Food Craving [Video]

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Cutting back on sugar?

The number of studies on the overconsumption of sugar and the danger it poses on one's health cannot be overstated. While sugar addiction is a craving many face today, breaking the habit is easier said than done.

Grant Butler of Oregon Live shares four strategies that can help improve your diet.

1. Pick a plan that's right for you.

If you are the type of person who can't easily and totally break up from sugars or sweets, Oregon Live suggests that you slowly taper yourself away from such types of food or drinks. For example, you may start by diluting sugary drinks with water. The report also proposes other tactics: "Add fresh fruit to plain yogurt, rather than eat fruit-flavored yogurts; cut back on dessert portion sizes; and limit desserts to particular days of the week."

2. Make sure you're eating enough healthy foods.

It is well suggested by many health and diet gurus that starving yourself is not the way to go as it only amps your cravings. What you think is cutting calories is actually just making your blood produce more sugar. Oregon live proposes to: "load up your plate with protein, grains, and other foods that will keep you feeling full."

3. Get your sugar fix from healthy fruits.

There are different types of sugars out there and one not as popular as refined sugar is fructose -- another term for fruit sugar. If you're really in need of a sugar fix, a healthier alternative is one found in fruits.

"Go for the natural sugar found in healthy fruits like bananas and berries. Bonus: You get fiber and lots of nutrients," Oregon Live advises. The same report also warns those who are fans of artificial sweeteners: "They're actually sweeter than sugar, and can trick your palate so foods like fruits aren't attractive anymore."

4. Healthy fats vs. bad fats.

Those who are kick-starting their new year's resolutions this January are probably focused on maintaining a low-fat diet. However, fat is scientifically proven to have benefits for the body as well.

A new study by the Journal of the American Heart Association reports that a healthy diet includes healthy fats such as nuts, most plant-based liquid oil, fatty fish and avocados. In addition, examples of fatty foods people should avoid are "fatty cuts of meat, including processed meat; chicken fat; full-fat dairy; tropical oils; processed foods made with partially hydrogenated oils; margarines that are not trans-fat free."

In sugar-related news, the United Kingdom's NHS are facing a crisis due to the number of patients seeking care due to obesity. As a matter of fact, The Independent informed that the government is now considering placing taxes on sugar to alleviate the current obesity crisis.