5 Ways To Stop Your Sugar Cravings
Do you feel like you have insatiable sugar cravings? Perhaps the sugar cravings are at night, pr you have a sweet tooth from the second you wake up, always favouring sweet over savour food?
Craving sugar can be hard to beat and make you feel out of control sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint the reason why. But sometimes the answer is right under our nose without even realising - and it might actually be our daily dietary habits which are actually exasperating the problem as opposed to helping.
But the good news is some simple changes to your diet might help:
1. Have A Savoury Breakfast
Have you ever noticed as soon as you have something sweet you want more? You've given your brain a little endorphin hit first thing in the morning and now it just wants MORE - no wonder it feels like an insatiable craving! Instead start your day with a savoury protein breakfast such as eggs on toast and see what a difference it can make
2. Eat Bigger Meals
It's easy to get into a cycle of eating high calorie sweet snacks and then trying to compensate by eating smaller main meals. But this will only leave you feeling dissatisfied, still hungry and craving more.
Break the cycle by eating bigger main meals with foods you enjoy and you will feel less tempted to reach for something sweet after.
3. Plan Snacks
Planning in snacks will help keep your blood sugar stable and energy balanced - as well as keeping your energy high - all things you need to avoid reaching out for that chocolate bar.
And these don't have to be savoury - plan in sweet snacks if you want but try to keep them high volume. So for example opt for yogurt and berries with a couple of squares of chocolate as opposed to eating a family chocolate bar.
4. Include All Three Macros Within Your Meals
Protein works well to keep you feeling full and satiated. If you have complex carbs like rice it will help keep energy level and avoid crashes, and a little fat can help slow down digestion again keeping energy level and feeling full.
Where people often go wrong is having just a protein and veggie meal to ‘save calories’ OR a meal high in carbs / sugar (like jam on toast), which will do nothing to provide you with that steady energy and fullness - no wonder it leads you to reach out for more!
5. Plan In The Sweet Stuff
You don't have to go cold turkey on what you love. In fact if you do you are more likely to reach out for it (we always want what we can't have right?!) Plan in some of what you love but do it mindfully and with intention. If you follow steps 1 - 4 you won't want to over indulge anyway.
Applying an all or nothing mentality with sugar cravings will very rarely work long time. Yes - to a certain extent you need to ‘retrain’ your taste buds to appreciate different goods again, but that doesn’t mean you can never have chocolate or sweets again (trust me - I’ve tried this approach and it doesn’t work!).
Instead do totally the opposite of what you think you should - eat MORE! But more whole foods, more regularly, and in your main meals, and opt for a little more savourily over sweet and you will be able to break the sugar cravings overtime.