March 2, 2022
Simple Tips for Handling Sugar Cravings
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How to curb sugar cravings? Lowering your sugar intake is among the best things you can do for your health. It can lower your cholesterol, help you lose weight, give you clearer skin, help manage Type 2 diabetes, and give you more energy. But cutting back on sugar can be tough, especially in the beginning. When you first cut back your sugar intake, it may seem like your sugar cravings are all you think about. Breaking a sugar habit is hard through willpower alone. Here are some tips to help curb cravings. Learn simple tips to beat sugar cravings. Finally, stop those sugar cravings.
Don’t Keep Temptations in the House
Keeping sugary foods around the house makes breaking a sugar habit harder. Nobody has unlimited willpower; you can only say no to that chocolate bar so many times before you give in to temptation. It’s easier to say no to sweets once at the grocery store than to say no to sweets fifteen times at home. By removing the temptation from your home, you reduce the amount of willpower you must exercise daily and set yourself up for success.
Eat More Fruit
Fruit is great for satisfying your sugar cravings without eating processed sugar. Although fruit contains natural sugar, it also has plenty of fiber, which helps control your blood sugar levels. However, the natural sugar fruit contains does add up, so it’s best to limit your fruit intake to 2-3 servings per day. Add in sweeter vegetables like sweet potatoes.
Don’t Deprive Yourself Completely
Going cold turkey on sugar works for a few people, but for many, it leads to a sugar binge. To avoid this binge, allow yourself to have a few portion-controlled treats each week. The key to stopping at just one sweet treat is to focus on quality over quantity. Instead of buying giant bags of cheap sweets, have a slice of cake from a bakery or a bar of your favorite chocolate. If you’re seeking to completely cut out processed sugar, reduce your sugar intake gradually.
Get Some Exercise
When you exercise, it reduces your stress levels. This is important when cutting back on sugar, because high stress-levels may lead you to reach for sugary foods. The exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous to have a positive effect. Even a brisk walk can help reduce your stress levels and keep you on track.
Learn to Distinguish Cravings from Hunger
It can be hard to curb sugar cravings when you aren’t fueling your body properly. When you have a craving, you may feel like you are starving, but this isn’t always the case. You may be seeking a specific food because you’re stressed, bored, or upset, rather than because you are starving. To determine whether you are truly hungry or simply having a craving, ask yourself if you would eat something like eggs, carrots, or an apple, or if you only want sugary foods. If you only want sugary foods, find something to take your mind off of eating until you are truly hungry.
Christa is a media dietitian and nutrition consultant in the New York City area. She works with various brands and has been featured in dozens of outlets such as Women’s Health, EatingWell, and Peoples Magazine as a nutrition expert. Being a fact checker for EatingWell Magazine and a Medical Reviewer for Nourish, she brings her extensive experience within the field to provide compassionate, inclusive care using science for intimate and personalized messaging.
Christa brings warm laughter, joy, and medical expertise to any conversation allowing for honest science-based discussions with authenticity at their core.
In her private practice, she works with men and women suffering from emotional traumas that cause binge eating disorders exacerbating their type 2 diabetes, PCOS and insulin resistance.
