There’s been a lot of talk about sugar lately, now that more people are becoming aware of the importance of a well-balanced diet and its relation to well-being. For long, we used to think fats were the only culprit, yet it turned out sugar was equally, if not more, to blame for weight gain and unhealthy diet.

Once you realise you have a sugar addiction it might seem easier said than done to give up sugar altogether, and giving up isn’t the same for everyone; some people experience fatigue, others don’t, and there are those who experience eyesight problems, dizziness, and issues with the levels of blood sugar, so the first way to start with the sugar cleansing would be to take it slow by replacing it with alternatives like flavoured liquid stevia instead of no intake of sweets.

A healthy, natural option, look for 100% natural stevia, that doesn’t contain chemicals, carbs, calories, and GI to add to your favourite drinks and food. The different flavours like chocolate, vanilla, coconut and caramel, among others, provide your palate with many options, so you can’t complain it’s all the same and use it as an excuse to go back to sugar.

On the plus side, flavoured liquid stevia is also sweeter! It’s a gift from nature that even diabetics can use to sweeten their lives. It’s safe to freeze it and heat it, so it’s safe to use it for cooking and baking. If you need some inspiration, there are many recipes on the internet that have stevia as the basic sweet ingredient, and you can upgrade your recipe book with new options to try every day.

Including stevia in your diet means you have to ditch all the refined sugar products that make it on your menu. The different milk chocolates, sweets, fast food, and sugar based snacks are the first to go, along with sodas and alcohol, but apart from the apparent sugar bombs you also have to beware foods and ingredients that contain sugar despite appearances, like the many sauces and ketchups.

A word of caution is to refrain from indulging on fruits since too much of fructose is as bad as glucose. Don’t worry about the cravings that would appear, it’s normal for someone with a sweet tooth to want to go back to the “drug” in less than a week from the change, but it’s nothing you can’t handle if you set your mind to it.

To make the struggle easier, you should convince a family member or friend to join you, since you could do better with support, sharing the success you go through together.