Let's face it: most of us have a sweet tooth. For some it's an occasional desire for an ice cream cone. Then for others it's more like an uncontrollable urge to totally immerse ourselves in a bag of candy and never look back.
Overcoming sugar cravings is not an easy task. I know this, not because I've never had a problem with sugar, but because sugar and I have had a love-hate relationship in the past. I hated to love it, but still I indulged in it every chance I could get. Then I'd feel terrible and wish I could swear off sugar forever. And you can probably guess that never happened.
But today sugar and I have a healthier relationship. Not perfect - I still eat too much at times - but something more within the realm of a healthy normal. How did I do this? Here's some tips that worked for me:
Eat plenty of fat and protein. There’s no use in trying to quit sugar before you’re eating enough real food, you’ll just get more cravings. Real proteins like meat, eggs and dairy combined with healthy fats like butter and coconut oil make for a healthy body that won't crave sugar to compensate for missing nutrients.
Eat enough food. Not taking in enough calories can make your body crave sugar when all you need is real food. In today’s world of dieting this one is all too common. The only time my sugar cravings go away is when I’m allowing myself to eat what my body needs.
Eat carbs. This goes against some popular advice, but it works for me. I lowered carbs for two months and after 4-6 weeks I started experiencing massive cravings for sugar (and caffeine, too). I started eating a moderate amount of carbs again (about 150 g/day) and my sugar cravings disappeared within a couple days. Weird, but true.
Stop doing so much cardio. I know too many people - myself included - who got nothing from 90 minutes on the elliptical except the desire to devour a whole carton of ice cream in one sitting. So, lay off the excessive cardio and do some more efficient exercise instead.
Try some stevia. I don’t use stevia exclusively, but I use it so I can reduce the amount of sweetener I would typically use. A small amount of raw honey and mostly stevia makes a great smoothie. And in beverages like coffee, I can replace sugar completely with stevia and it still tastes great.Give yourself time. A lot of it. I knew my body was craving sugar because it needed to heal, and healing takes time. I started eating real food and stopped doing so much cardio, but it still took a few months before I felt more in control of my sugar cravings.
Are you and sugar friends? Or enemies? What has been your experience with sugar cravings?
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