How To Reduce Sugar Cravings

There are many sugar alternatives available in supermarkets and health food shops, often promoted as healthy options. However, even if derived from natural sources, they are often highly processed, and many have a significant effect on your blood sugar. Or make your own date syrup by boiling up dates with water, then blending. Alternatively, use a little raw honey. If you are going to use honey, look for a natural, unprocessed, organic one if possible and only use a little. Dried fruit, such as dates, raisins and dried apricots, can sweeten cakes and biscuits, instead of sugar. However, even if you use healthier alternatives to sugar, overeating sweet foods is not going to help your weight or health. Firstly, it’s really important to balance your blood sugar levels. When they become out of balance, this can cause cravings. Remember, if you go too long without food, your blood sugar can drop, causing cravings for something sweet to push it back up again. Including some protein with each meal and snack helps stabilise your blood sugar, stopping it from rising too high, too quickly. This can ultimately cause your blood sugar to drop, which can trigger sugar cravings.

Look Back When It's Over

It is helpful to reduce meat and dairy, as the fats they contain don’t support blood sugar balance. This can cause you to crave sugar. Some people are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than others. They can also reduce the desire for chocolate. If you make a big batch and keep it in the freezer, it’s always handy. When the sugar cravings hit, it may help to have a small pot of natural yogurt or a glass of skimmed milk. Although they do not taste sweet, they contain lactose, a sugar naturally found in milk products, which may help. One of my clients, Zoe, found cottage cheese with carrot and cucumber sticks worked for her. Then wait ten minutes before eating anything else. This may reduce your cravings and the amount of sugar you consume. The scent of some essential oils may help reduce sugar and chocolate cravings.3 More research is needed in this area, but smelling a fresh scent may help.

Lost For Words

You may need to experiment to find out if this works for you and which oils work best. Dietary interventions might not work the first time, but the more you persist, the more likely you are to succeed. It’s all very well saying avoid, or at least significantly limit, sugar. It’s not always that easy! For many people, when you want sugar, you want sugar! But try some of the proven suggestions below to help reduce your sugar intake. If you are going to eat sugary foods, don’t eat them while simultaneously working at the computer, on the go or while distracted. That way, you are less likely to overeat. It can also reduce the feeling that you are doing something ‘bad’, which can in turn trigger you to give up and consume more sugar. Sometimes we want sweet food because it’s a habit. Get out of the habit! If you feel you need a dessert after eating, try a date, a prune or a dried apricot. Or a few slices of banana with a couple of chopped dates and sunflower seeds. Alternatively, try chewing fennel seeds. Or make your own ice cream with frozen bananas.

Once Is Enough

Peel and slice ripe bananas and freeze in a glass container. If you want it chocolatey, add a little cacao or cocoa powder. Optionally, sprinkle chopped nuts on top to add protein. Or make your own chia jam. To reduce sugar at breakfast, look for cereals with no added sugar or make your own granola and add dried fruit and unsweetened coconut flakes. Whilst naturally sweet foods are a much better option than sugar, just have them in moderation. Eating too much sweet food, even naturally sweet food, may make you want even more of it. Chocolate chia pudding is a good option when you really want something unhealthy. It’s sweet, and the texture makes you feel it should be bad for you, even though it’s not! Instead of chocolate mousse or a creamy chocolate dessert, make a cocoa/avocado mousse. If you crave chocolate, try two squares of dark chocolate. Don’t do this if you can’t stop at two pieces! Dark chocolate, with a higher percentage of cacao solids, typically has less sugar than milk chocolate, but check the nutrition label. Including protein helps stabilise your blood sugar, which is helpful if this is contributing to your sweet tooth. Try mixing a small handful of almonds or hazelnuts with half a handful of dark chocolate chips and a few raisins. Or melt a dark chocolate or cacao button on a teaspoon of nut butter. Alternatively, melt it onto an oatcake or rice cake and sprinkle with sesame seeds. If you dip strawberries into melted dark chocolate, you have only a small amount of sugar, but you get the chocolate with the sweetness of the strawberries. I just want to mention one thing, tailored to your gut bacteria. If you use probiotic drinks, chose one without sugar. Your next step is to become aware of the sources of sugar in your diet and to reduce the amount you are consuming. If you buy any food with a label, check the ingredients. Sugar can be hidden under many names, and the packaging often makes the product look far healthier than it is! Reduce your portion size? Which ones might work for you? If you have sugar cravings, are you already taking the steps to balance your blood sugar levels? If not, which ones do you need to work on? What are you going to try when you next crave sugar? Do you have the food you need in the house? For many people, starting to reduce sugar is hard, especially while your body is out of balance and making you crave it. As you bring your body into balance, it gets easier. This is really very important.