Blog 258
What Sugar Cravings?
Controlling our sugar cravings can be so tough to break! Sugar is so sweet and pleasing that it does an extreme addiction to our brains! Help!
How do we break this addiction? It’s not easy! I can tell you though that after at least 2-3 weeks with no added or additional sugar to my diet, I did kick the habit.
My body simply just got used to not having that sweet, that I no longer craved it!
Easy, Peasy, Simple, right? No. It was not easy, and it took my body a good two to three weeks to break the habit, but I did it!
I licked the spoon, and I liked it no more!
Note: The American Heart Association recommends these limits: for women, no more than 25g of added sugar per day, and for men, a maximum of 36g daily.
Here are some helpful tips on how you can break up with your sugar addiction:
· Listen to your body - Just because you have a craving for something sweet, that doesn’t mean you have to eat sugar. Do you have a headache? Are you stressed out? Are you bored? Do you need an energy boost? Or do you really want a sweet treat? If that’s what you need, go ahead, be mindful and enjoy every bite. (But please don’t eat the whole bag of something)!
· Keep a log – recognize when you have these cravings and write it all down. Keeping a log will help you realize when you crave sugar, and how you can avoid a full-sugar meltdown because you will recognize your emotions at the time and avoid the need to indulge.
· Cut back on certain foods – If you are a soda or juice drinker, or if you add sugar to your coffee or tea. Try first cutting back on the amount of soda or juice you drink. (Hopefully, you can cut these out of your diet altogether!) If you can’t drink your coffee or tea without sugar, try a sugar substitute! I use monk fruit sweetener – no calories and it doesn’t raise your glycemic index – especially important for diabetics! Try something new!
· Balance your meals - Make sure every meal you eat contains protein, veggies and/or other healthy carbs, and healthy fats. This will keep you full and stabilize your blood sugar.
· Don’t keep sugary sweets in the house – Out of sight out of mind! I know, I know – you aren’t the only member living in your household and your family may want their sweets, but that doesn’t mean you have to see them all the time, right? Tell your peeps to keep them out of your sight! Out of sight, out of mind.
· Find some low-sugar, low-calorie new recipes – there are so many great recipes out there! Especially for diabetics! Research, learn, and make them for yourself when you have that sweet craving!
Soon enough your cravings will be gone – and you will be free from satisfying that sweet tooth with sugar!
Sugar cravings? What sugar cravings?