July 31, 2017: Fighting your sugar cravings is one of the toughest parts of a fit and healthy well-being. Any one who has tried a sugar-free diet knows the truth to that statement. Like a drug, the first few days feel good only to result in heightened urge after days.
Sugar and carbs are not suitable for the human body in large frequent consumptions. At the same time, it is tough. But with these seven steps to fight your sugar cravings, the dependency on willpower will reduce.
The most straightforward solution. Getting rid of sugar from your kitchen and your sugar intake is bound to reduce. Stop stocking up on sugar and high carb food. It is only logical that you will crave less, or more broadly, will have lesser options to feed your urge. Rather than storing snacks that are unhealthy, store more of fruits and green vegetables to serve as snacks. It is important that these healthy snacks are openly kept. To fight the hunger and sugar cravings, it will automatically become easier to grab a healthy snack than going till the market and having junk. Stock your house with healthy food.
Just like sugar, carbs lead to glucose spike and ultimate crash. Hence, there is more craving for sugar later. Bread, Bagels, Pasta and other carbs are highly refined. They act like sugar in the body. It is the high-quality fats that give lasting energy to the human body. Having a high-fat quality meal is sure to keep you full for longer hours and curb any sugar cravings. The body adapts to a high-fat and low carb diet in a couple of weeks.
Desserts spelled opposite is desserts. It is true in the real world. More stress leads to heightened sugar cravings. People who are overstressed in life have sugar cravings far more often. Stressors such as minimal sleep and long working hours make sugar cravings hard to fight. Biologically, when we are stressed the body releases Cortisol as a response. Cortisol increases our urge for comfortable and "stress-relieving" food. More importantly, the regulation of blood sugar is disturbed when consumption of sugar and stress are combined. Interestingly, body movement is one of the easiest ways to eliminate stress. It is suggested that body must be in action. Exercising, walking, yoga boosts energy in the body and reduces the dependency on sugar.
Sugar Cravings can be satisfied by natural sweeteners to an extent. Several natural spices add sweetness to the food. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves are natural sweeteners. Stevia, also a natural sweetener, is 300 times sweeter than sugar. However, Stevia has zero calories and does not affect the blood sugar level.
Bad sugar should be replaced by natural sweeteners such as Nutmeg, Cinnamon. Wikimedia
The labels on our food deserve more attention and closer inspection. We cannot leave it to guesswork to know if a product will have sugar as an ingredient. Further, different quantity is another aspect. It is important to know the grams of sugar added to the product.
Water gives numerous benefits to the human body. In the case of controlling sugar cravings, water does wonder. Sometimes, it is the thirst that we perceive as a food craving. Drinking water satisfies that thirst and the sugar craving is curbed. Of course, soda and sugar-filled drinks are not recommended. Substitute these with coffee, tea, and fresh juices.
There are other steps that help curb the sweet tooth urge. Deficiencies in the diet can be satisfied with daily consumption of multivitamin. Small adjustments like avoiding the route where your favorite dessert shop may be located. It is best to avoid the consumption of processed foods and also artificial sweeteners. All these are triggers. Lastly, keeping a track of your days without sugar is motivational. It is a reminder of what the fight is all about.
– by Saksham Narula of NewsGram. Twitter: @Saksham2394