7 Amazing Ways to Curb Your Sweet Tooth ...

Kati

7 Amazing Ways to Curb Your Sweet Tooth ...
7 Amazing Ways to Curb Your Sweet Tooth ...

Knowing how to curb your sweet tooth can be of vital importance. While enjoying a sweet treat once in a while is totally fine, if your cravings get out of control, you can find yourself stuck on a rollercoaster of sugar highs and lows, complete with plenty of irritability and anxiety. Scientists have found that humans crave sweet flavors from birth, and that the taste of sweet items releases endorphins which calm and relax us, leading to a natural high. That’s why most people crave sweet treats after a hard day, or to pick themselves up when they are feeling low. The American Heart Association recommends sugar intake is limited to 9 teaspoons per day for men, 6 for women, but the average consumption is closer to a whopping 22 teaspoons per day. Wow. So how do you curb your sweet tooth if your cravings have already kicked in? Try this.

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1. Live a Little…

Live a Little… A little bit of what you want does you good. As long as you have self-control and can limit yourself, let yourself have whatever it is that you are craving. A small cookie or a fun-size candy bar should be enough to curb your sweet tooth without creating a huge sugar spike, which would be followed by a severe crash. If you get to taste sweet items, you’ll lose that ‘on a diet’ denied feeling, and be a lot happier, making you much more likely to stick to the low-sugar plan. Just try to stick to a 150-calorie limit, to keep yourself on track.

2. Mix and Match…

Eating combination foods can thwart the sugar highs and lows, which have become a trademark of sugar addiction. Consume something sugary and sweet, but eat it with something more complex, which will be digested slower. Dipping a banana in chocolate sauce, mixing almonds with chocolate chips or eating apple dipped in peanut butter are all great ways to create combination foods.

3. Cut It out…

Cut It out… If your willpower isn’t great, and you won’t be able to stop yourself, it might be time to go cold turkey. Cut sugar out entirely. The first 48 to 72 hours are usually the hardest, because your cravings will be strong. You’ll be tempted by EVERYTHING. Remove anything sugary from your house to avoid temptation and keep yourself on the right track. After a few days, you’ll find that your cravings diminish, and maybe even disappear entirely.

4. Chew Gum…

Chew Gum… Chewing gum is brilliant for taking your mind off cravings. It keeps your mouth busy, and distracts your stomach. Research has proven that chewing gum can reduce cravings of all varieties, so try carrying some around, and using a strip whenever the craving hits. Remember to choose a sugar-free gum!

5. Choose Better Snacks…

Choose Better Snacks… Rather than buying multipacks of your favorite chocolate snacks, choose healthier foods instead. Nuts, seeds and dried fruits will give you a sweet taste combined with fiber and nutrients, and you can keep them handy at your desk or in your handbag. Reach for them when you get puckish, and you’ll be less likely to buy chocolate to snack on, instead.

6. Get up and Go…

Get up and Go… Distract yourself from a sugar craving by getting active whenever it hits. Go for a fast walk around the block, take a speedy walk to a distant bathroom, change your scenery. Doing something active will distract the brain and give you something else to focus on, which should help you lose the craving without giving in.

7. Eat Regularly…

Eat Regularly… If you don’t eat on a regular basis, you’ll find it really difficult to curb your sweet tooth. When you get hungry, sugary and fatty foods will seem even more tempting, and it’s much harder to resist them. Avoid this by eating every three to five hours, which will keep blood sugar levels stable and help to avoid irrational behavior and sugar crashes. Eating regularly doesn’t have to mean eating more, either – save some breakfast to eat a few hours later, for example, so you consume the same amount but over a longer period.

The final great way to curb your sweet tooth? Pick something amazing when you give in. Don’t go for a massive box of something just because you can – choose something small but luxurious and decadent, and enjoy every bite. You’ll train your stomach to be happy with smaller portions. Have you found a great way to curb your sweet tooth? I’d love to know how you’re getting on!

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