My Six Secrets For Combating Sugar Cravings

Sugar cravings. Chances are you’ve dealt with these before. We all deal with sugar cravings from time to time. Even the healthiest eaters will see a food that strikes their fancy and feel the need to go have some. Whether they act on this craving is another story, however.

The hard thing, though, is that sugar cravings can completely derail your progress if you aren’t careful. If you do indulge when cravings hit, you’re going to be left taking in more calories than you should, putting your body at risk for diabetes. Then the weight will come on faster and faster, which is clearly not an ideal scenario.

This is why having a game plan for dealing with those sugar cravings is so essential. When you do, you can put them behind you and keep yourself on track to seeing good results. While giving in on occasion can be fine if you really want to, you must avoid doing so on a regular basis.

Think the 90/10 rule. That means 90% of the time you should be eating healthy and keeping your diet on track. Then, 10% of the time you can indulge in foods that you crave. If you do this, you should be taking good care of your body and doing your part to prevent diabetes from happening if you currently don’t suffer, and being sure to manage your diabetes if you do.

So, all this said, let me share with you my six secrets for dealing with sugar cravings head on. While not every single one of these will work, chances are good that one or two will do the trick perfectly.

1. Drink a tall glass of water

It’s very easy to mistake thirst for hunger, and this can lead us to experience food cravings when we shouldn’t be eating at all. To combat this, simply have a large glass of water whenever you feel the urge, then wait 10 minutes. See if that doesn’t take the edge off that craving.

Nine times out of ten, it will.

2. Have a few berries

Sometimes the best way to satisfy your craving is to actually have something sweet. In this case, you can practice damage control with a few berries. Berries not only give you that sweet taste, but they are very low in calories and sugar. A few berries will only net you around 10-20 calories and a gram or two of sugar.

More importantly, they pack in some dietary fiber and antioxidants, which will help boost your health. It’s the smart way to keep your diet in check.

3. Go out for a brisk walk

Exercise is another great strategy to combat those food cravings when they strike. Consider getting out for a brisk walk. When the craving hits, go out and take 10 minutes to quickly walk around the block.

Focus on getting in some fresh air as you do. When you arrive back, see if you still have that craving. There’s a very good chance it’ll now be gone.

4. Pop a stick of sugar-free gum

Another way to combat that sweet tooth is to pop a stick of sugar-free peppermint gum. The minty flavor will not only be sweet but also help turn you away from putting other food into your mouth because the two tastes don’t combine all that well.

Rinsing with mouthwash can also be an effective strategy if you don’t happen to have gum nearby.

5. Re-evaluate your calorie intake

Sometimes sugar cravings are brought on by simply not taking in enough total calories. Take the time to re-evaluate how much you are eating. Is it an appropriate level for your target weight-loss goals? If you are on a very low-calorie diet, this could be part of your problem.

Consider bumping your intake up by 100-200 calories. While this may mean slightly slower weight loss, it could make a big difference in how you feel overall as you go about your weight-loss journey.

Faster is not always better.

6. Take some deep breaths

Finally, focus on taking a few deep breaths in and out. Many of us crave sugar when we are very stressed, so some deep breathing can be an excellent way to help calm this stress and ease the cravings that result from it.

Breathe in and out slowly ten times. Then see if you still have that craving. Hopefully, that will help you do away with it.

So, try any one of these next time you are having that urge to eat sugar. The more often you do this, the better able you’ll be to combat those cravings head on.