My sweet sweet craving. I had my fair share of sugar addiction. When I was carrying 145 lbs on my tiny 5′ 3 frame, I had an insatiable sweet tooth. This use to be a secret I hid from everyone. I would never admit that everyday around 3 or 4 pm, I would binge on any candy I can find around the house, and that some nights I ate chocolate in my bed. I had no control over my sugar cravings.
I often needed to have something sugary to make everything feel okay again. The sad part is, it wasn’t okay. My sugar cravings often left me feeling fat, guilty and the spontaneous acne attacks was just the cherry on top…
Whenever I got asked this question: how I can stop my sugar addiction? I felt a tug at my heart strings. This is why I want to share some tips and inspirations that helped with my sugar cravings. Hope these tips can inspire you to develop your own healthy sweet tooth.
My first step towards beating sugar craving is to understand it and whole-heartedly accept it. Yes, as hideous as cravings can be, they are signals from the body. Feeling blue or feeling stressed-out? Sugar craving has been linked to high-stress levels in life. As for other types of cravings I have talked about, we want that seemingly bad food because our body is trying to shield us from pain and protect us from danger.
What is sugar craving?
When I talk about sugar with my clients, I’m not only talking about candies and chocolates.
“high sugar foods also includes white bread, white rice, pasta, pretzels, cookies, cakes, sugary beverages, fruit juices”
The above list of foods are examples of simple carbohydrates, which can be quickly utilized for energy, creating to sharp peaks and deep valleys in blood sugar level and leading to cravings and other health issues.
Why sugar gets you hooked?
There are two ways sugar creates the sensation of bliss and joy:
-High sugar/carbohydrate foods drives up the production of the happy hormone, serotonin, which is generated by our own body to make us feel content and happy.
-The actual sweetness causes our taste buds to send signals to the pleasure centre of our brain. It has been proven when the signal hits the “sweet spot” on the brain, it unloads a large amount what I call the “happy molecules” (opioids and dopamine) into our body, creating the same effect as those created by sex and other restricted substances. In my opinion, we can’t blame our body for seeking what makes it feel good, especially life can get stressful often.
We can’t talk about sugar craving without touch base on chocolate, but it can be a whole different ball game. It has been arguably established that chocolate is the food with the greatest impact on mood. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post for my tips on how to satisfy your chocolate craving.
5 Tips for a Healthier Sweet Tooth:
Sugar craving has been linked to the need for emotional security and comfort. I often find success with reducing sugar craving by focusing on practices of self-love:
Tip 1: Taking a soothing bath with epson salt. The bath supply our body with relaxing magnesium through our skin and relaxes the senses by dilating blood vessels and releasing muscle tension.
Tip 2: Make time for yourself every day. Choose an activity that makes you feel fully relaxed, even if it’s just for 10 minutes. Whether it’s listening to some relaxing music before bed, or taking a brisk walk, remember to consistently take the time to put your needs first at least once a day.
After we get to know our sweet tooth, it’s time to find out how to address sugar craving with some of my favourite foods:
Tip 3: Incorporate dark leafy greens into your diet. These are my favorite dark leafy greens are: kale, spinach, collards and broccoli. These greens are high in tryptophan, which can be converted to the happy hormone serotonin.
Tip 4: Adds beets and beans. Studies have suggested that sugar craving has been linked to lack of folate and B vitamins. Beets is rich in folate and B6 and beans are packed with protein and B vitamins.
Tip 5: Sweeten up with these sugar-free sweet herb. Stevia, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger have a natural sweet taste. Introduce these new flavours to your taste buds will make the brain start associate these healthy sweet alternatives with happiness and contentment.
Delicious Recipes to Bust Sugar Craving: