Undoubtedly, it isn’t an easy thing – controlling sugar cravings. Sugar isn’t an easy thing to ignore, sugary foods are delicious and it is almost impossible to ignore the love for the taste time and again. The matter of fact is such that sugar is more addictive than marijuana. The more you eat, the more you crave for it.
For those who are trying to lose weight or keep a watch on their weight, it is critical that they watch their craving for sugar. Sugar is perhaps the most consumed food item around the world. Although it has no nutrient value and full of empty calories, sugar is the most desirable and used food item across the globe.
Overeating this sweet treat can lead to a plethora of health problems like diabetes, heart diseases and even cancers. It is why you should immediately put a stop on our sugar cravings now and don’t wait for something obscure to happen in the future.
Noted below are some easy and doable ways to control your sugar cravings:
- Don’t stop completely at one go
Never do it in a hurry. Completely depriving yourself of sweets will only make the urge to have it stronger than before and you will give up to it somehow. The best way forward id to opt for healthier alternatives like having fruits after meals if your craving is for desserts or get some dark chocolates to satisfy the sugar demands. Dark chocolates with almost 70% cocoa are of high quality and apart from satisfying the cravings are also healthy.
- Restrain from buying sweets at the store
As we know that sugar is addictive and the more we see the more we feel the urge to have it. It is a sort of precautionary tactic to control your sweet cravings. Buy less and you will obviously have less. If you store less or nothing at home you would experience much lesser violent cravings, even if you are unable to control and surrender to it at times.
- Fulfill the feel good factor of eating from other sources
After eating sugar or sugary treats you get a feel good feeling, which you need to get from other sources instead of only sugar. This factors varies in individuals, and you need to identify yours. It could be reading books or taking a stroll down the beach side or even exercise or watching sitcoms. Get and do what you like are very likely you will be able to control or substitute the feel good rush that you get from sugar.
- Identify and control the reflex
As said in the earlier topic, sugar makes you feel good. So, whenever you are off you turn to sugar or sugary foods to feel good. It is a reflex action and that’s quite natural in us humans. In order to not make this happen, we need to develop other habits and other things to do to make us feel happy and joyous. Going for a walk or may be calling a friend to chat are some good options in such scenarios. Get notice of something that suits your preference so that you don’t turn to sugar.
- Split your meals
It simply means that instead of having three large meals, make a habit of five or six smaller meals at regular intervals or two to three hours. This way you will supply the body with a constant source of food to digest, and thereby, control sugar cravings and also boosting the body’s metabolism at the same time. It will benefit you in two ways – firstly you will create a balance and secondly you will speed up the rate at which the body processes the foods that we eat and hence reduce the rate at which the energy gets transferred in fat and stored in the body.
Positive encouragement is the right way to keep your health on the correct track. Next time instead of treating yourself with a big piece of creamy chocolate cake get healthy fruit pie to eat. Every starts small and turns big with motivation and belief.
By : Dietitian Sheela Seharawat