Tips for lowering your sugar cravings
If you are like me, the months leading up to the holidays are a difficult time to try to keep the sugar cravings to a minimum. There is so much candy around from mid October through New Years. There seems to be candy at every store or business you enter. You can’t go to a store without seeing a mountain of candy on sale and don’t get me started about the holiday parties. Just last week, I had four events to attend Thursday through Sunday and there were tempting sweets at every event I sent to. So how do we crave those sweet tooth cravings, especially around the holidays? In this article I will discuss several tips from experts as well as things I’ve tried myself that have helped curb my sugar cravings in the past.
The first tip that I can recommend is to start an exercise program before the holidays get here, so you can either have a head start on your New Years resolutions or combat the dreaded holiday weight gain and suffering in January to try to lose the weight. A modest exercise program will naturally make you drink more water, which is doctor recommended tip #1. I threw the exercise thing in there because I have tried the early workout program and it has helped tremendously. I also drink a lot more water when I exercise than when I don’t.
Tip #2 is stay away from processed foods. The sugar used in processed foods is very addicting, causing you to consume more and overeat. According to bodyecology.com “Eating sugar artificially stimulates a region of your brain called the nucleus accumbens to produce dopamine, the pleasure neurotransmitter. Soon, dopamine levels drop, and we start to feel “flat”… or a bit “down.” We crave this pleasant, feel-good feeling again — so sugar leads to addiction.”
Tip #3 Find your favorite 3 fruits and stock the refrigerator with those fruits. Fruits provide a natural sugar and many fruits are sweet in flavor, so they will not only satisfy your sugar cravings, but will fill your belly, allowing you to stop eating or stop cheating with unhealthy snacks between meals.
You might be thinking, great advice, drink water, exercise and stay away from processed foods, but what about when I go to a party? How to I control my sweet tooth or sugar cravings then? The first rule of thumb when going to a party is to start with a bottle of water. It will cut the calories instead of reaching for any other beverage and will fill your body with something in your tummy, allowing you to eat less when it comes time to meal time. At almost every party I go to, there is a salad, veggie or fruit plate, be sure to start filling your plate with these products, leaving very little room for the main course and even less room in your tummy for the sweets at the end. Honestly, most of the time eating sweets or over eating sweets in all mental, so don’t deny yourself or starve yourself. finish the meal with a small piece of your favorite dessert and if there is any fruit left over, have more fruit for dessert than cake and you’ll be glad you did.
Remember, oral health is a good indicator of your overall health and vice versa. Your overall health is related to your oral heath, so take care of both and you’ll be looking good and feeling good around the holidays. We hope you enjoyed these tips for lowering your sugar cravings.
