How to keep sugar cravings at bay

Everyone needs a little bit of sugar. Unfortunately, as we all know too well, too much sugar can lead to health issues.  Added to this, if you’re looking to cut down, cravings are less a hassle and more a personal hell. They are like your body’s way of sabotaging every New Year’s resolution you’ve ever made. So here are some tips to help fight your way through cravings, to help you make it to the other side unscathed and unharmed. Here’s how to keep sugar cravings at bay

Eating healthier

The best way to combat sugar cravings is to give in to them. Really! But hold your horses. There is a catch. We mean that the sugar in fruit will equally help satisfy your cravings as the sugar in chocolate. When you’re next so sugar deprived you feel as though you might die, eat a banana, an apple, or make a smoothie. The motivating part is that the more you eat natural sugars, the less you want processed sugars, so the whole ordeal gets easier.

Just eating healthier in general will help you to wave goodbye to cravings, as switching to dark chocolate will make eating Cadbury’s feel like you’re forcing tablespoons of sugar down.

Distract yourself

Meditating is a great way to take your mind off the cravings. If you’re focussing on your breathing and clearing your mind, you’re not pondering when you can next eat. The idle mind is a yearning one. Meditation also reduces stress, which can cause cravings, anyway.

Do anything that will distract yourself. Try a crossword, read that book you’ve been meaning to, or concentrate more fully on work. Maybe you’ll be impressed with what you can achieve.

Chew gum

There has been anecdotal evidence to suggest that chewing and hunger are linked. This was corroborated in 2009, when an American medical study found that chewing gum three times hourly reduced the quantity of sugary snacks eaten by 60 calories over a day. It all adds up. The participants also felt less sleepy, and sugar-free gum is good for your teeth.

That’s a lot of gum choices out there, so as you don’t mind mint it could be worth a try.

Eat regularly

A little obviously, hunger causes specific food cravings. Most people have skipped a meal or two trying to lose weight and kick the sugar addiction at some point in their lives. But ironically, the more meals you skip, the more nutrients you’re missing. And the more nutrients you’re missing, the lower your blood sugar will dive. Your body’s way to combat this? It wants sugar, right now.

Basically, eating three meals a day at set times means you’re much less likely to crave sugar. Make those meals healthy and you’re sailing.

Stay hydrated

Water solves everything, right? Well kinda. In this case, it actually does. If you’re dehydrated your body sends you all kinds of messages – chapped lips, headache, feeling sluggish. It also makes you hungry, especially for sugar.