How to Beat Your Craving for Sweets
For most of us sugar is the first addictive substance we were ever exposed to in life. It was the carrots that was offered when we had been good or were having a birthday celebration. Denial of it was the stick that kept us in line and made us behave. “Eat your vegetables or you won’t get dessert.” From an early age most of us develop a problematic relationship with sugar that is perhaps as much psychological as physical. Sugar cravings are something that everyone needs to deal with on a day to day basis. There’s nothing more satisfying than something sweet. After gaining a good deal of weight, we realize that now there is a need to stop sugar cravings if we ever wanted to meet any weight loss goals. So here are some easy and healthy ways to beat cravings for sugar:
Beating Craving For Sweets Way #1
The first way to beat sugar cravings is to stop drinking soda. This includes diet soda. I always crave more sugar whenever I drink soda. Drink water and you might just notice that you don’t have as many sugar cravings.
Beating Craving For Sweets Way #2
If you want to beat sugar cravings, brush your teeth when you feel one coming on. Nothing tastes worse than something sweet immediately after brushing your teeth. The stronger the mint in your toothpaste, the better it will help you curb your sugar cravings. You will also get the added benefit of enjoying better oral hygiene.
Beating Craving For Sweets Way #3
Suck on a peppermint. If you want to beat sugar cravings and you can’t get to your toothbrush, suck on a peppermint. With a strong minty taste in your mouth, nothing sweet will taste good.
Beating Craving For Sweets Way #4
If you just can’t beat sugar cravings, eat fruit. Fruit is naturally sweet and good for you. Turn your sugar cravings in to healthy habits by opting to eat fruit whenever those pesky sugar cravings spike.
Beating Craving For Sweets Way #5
Keep a food journal. Make an entry every time you put something in your mouth. If you so much as add a packet of sugar to your coffee, make sure that you log it in your food journal. Keeping a food journal is a great way to make yourself aware of what you eat so that you can stop sugar cravings.
Beating Craving For Sweets Way #6
Eat a diet rich in fiber and protein. Fiber and protein keep you full and satisfied longer. If you aren’t hungry, chances are you won’t have sugar cravings.
Beating Craving For Sweets Way #7
Stay away from carbs and starches such as white bread and potatoes. To the body, these items act just like sugar. If you are trying to stop a sugar craving by eating a slice of white bread, you are being very counterproductive.
Beating Craving For Sweets Way #8
Eat several mini-meals instead of three large meals a day. By eating, you are keeping your blood glucose levels stable. If your blood glucose levels are stable, you might not crave sugar as much.
Beating Craving For Sweets Way #9
Eating sugar causes serotonin in your brain to fire up. This is what makes you feel good when you eat sugar. Instead of succumbing to that sugar craving take a walk. Walking and physical activity raises serotonin levels as well. You might not need that candy bar after you take a nice, brisk walk.
It is difficult to stop sugar cravings, especially when you have a sweet tooth. With the help of these 10 tips on how to beat sugar cravings, hopefully you will be able to better manage your sugar intake and meet your fitness goals.
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How to Control Sugar Cravings
Need to eat sugar is triggered by our body. This is body’s naturally tendency to tell you that blood sugar levels are dropping and need to be replenished. Over a period of time this physiological reaction becomes psychological and we start to mistake this desire as need. This is when most of the trouble begins that traditionally transforms into weight gain and then eventually lifestyle diseases like high blood sugar & diabetes type 2. Sugar cravings can be controlled and managed with some effort.
Sugar Cubes (Cr/freedigital)
Sugar is a carbohydrate and quickly breaks down in our body providing energy and releases happy hormone serotonin which makes us feel good and reduces stress and anxiety. The sweet taste of sugar is liked by most people from birth and indulge in eating them for sugar cravings. Sugar is also known to release endorphins also known as “happy hormones” that is the reason why we also crave them when we are sad or generally stressed.
How do we control this urge? First we should start with understanding what is your daily sugar intake and what are the main sources of it. Let us explain this through an example of the common sugar foods consumed by us on a daily basis like a cup of tea/coffee, sweetened cereals like cornflakes, musselli aerated drinks or sweetened drinks like packaged juices & lemonade along with one or two desserts/chocolates through the day.
Here is a quick list of a calories per serving:
Sugar coated cereals- 127 kcal (3/4 cup)
Tea spn of sugar- 20 kcal
100 ml aerated drink/soda- 37 kcal
1 chocolate- (plain Bar , 49 g of chocolate) 250 Kcal
Packaged juice-110 kcal (250 ml)
Energy drinks-152 Kcal (350 ml/one can)
All this roughly mounts upto 700 calories if you have one of each of these things listed. Incase you are looking to lose weight than you just require 2 tea spoons of sugar in a day. Besides processed sugar doesnt have any health benefits . Read here to know how it affects our health. Read more
