If you’ve ever found yourself desperately eating a cookie, chocolate bar or soda, then you are not alone. As sugar cravings are common habits and may be impossible to resist its want in certain situations. Whether your body create craving of sugar in mid-afternoon or late at night, that strong want for eating sweet is not just about hunger, but it is a mix of body needs, habits and emotions. And you can also stop the sugar cravings naturally with positive actions and own willpower to choose healthy diet and better lifestyle habits. By understanding the root cause behind sweat cravings and with the help of simple lifestyle changes, you can reduce the sugar and food cravings over time.
Let’s know more about the 10 proven ways to stop sugar cravings naturally and take back control of your health.
1. Eat More Protein and Healthy Fats
Sugar cravings is also a part of our hunger, as in need of energy our body create feelings to fulfil the energy, by eating more fat and protein can help you to lower and eventually stop the major triggers of sugar cravings, which generally causes by unstable blood sugar levels. When your blood sugar goes down, your body looks for a quick energy food, and usually in the form of sugar. Therefore, eating protein and healthy fats regularly is so important to mitigate the sugar eating habits.
Protein slowdowns our digestion process, and makes your hunger free for a longer period, it also helps to stabilizes your blood sugar level to healthier one. Healthy fatty food including avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil and fatty fish provides more energy and reduces hunger and food cravings.
Ways to improve your protein and fat intake: Start your day by eating egg and avocado toast, a protein smoothie of Greek yogurt and nuts. For snacks you can have bunch of almonds, boiled eggs or hummus with veggies.
2. Better hydration to health
Not drinking enough water may also triggers hunger and cravings for energy food such as sugar? When your body gets dehydrated it sends signals to your brain to eat something for energy which may including food or sugar. The key is to drink enough water to keep yourself well hydrated and fulfil your huger. Drinking enough water also helps to reduce toxic elements form our body and keep better body fluid level. Dinking enough water helps to keep our gut healthy with improved metabolism and allows better body fluid circulation.
3. Taking a good sleep
Out sleep pays an important role in betterment of our body processes. Lack of better sleep also improve the hunger hormones in our body which may also leads to food and sugar cravings.
Inadequate sleep effects on our brain functioning and make it harder to manage the daily routine efficiently.
Tips for better sleep: it is important to take 7 to 9 hours routinely. More screen time during night should be avoided for interrupted and peaceful sleep experience.
4. Balanced diet
A well balanced diet rich with fiber, carbs, healthy protein and nutrition helps in better body energy generation. Combination of well-balanced diet and healthy routine helps to keep your blood sugar and body energy steady, and prevents from hunger and sugar like food cravings.
Processed food are high in sugar, salt and preservatives and, low in nutrition. Therefore, it is better to avoid the packaged and processed food from your diet. always read the food packet labels to find out their healthiness. It is best to have homely food made with fresh fruits and vegies, lentils, legumes, grains and healthy oil and dairy products.
Healthy balanced meal ideas: for healthy meal you can have grilled chicken with quinoa, roasted veggies sprinkled with olive oil or can also try bowl of puffed or cooked grains added with brown rice, beans, vegies and dressing of tahini.
5. Cinnamon a healthy spice:
Cinnamon is not just a herb, as it provides amazing benefits including reducing body cholesterol level, regulate blood sugar level and improve body insulin production. Taking Cinnamon powder daily along with water help to reduce the craving of sugar.
Cinnamon usage options: Sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon powder on oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies or even coffee. You can also try cinnamon tea at afternoon to reduce sugar cravings.
6. Manage Stress Naturally
Anxiety and stress is one of the biggest trigger to damage the emotions. And such emotional damage can lead to emotional eating including sugar and food cravings. Upon having mental stress our body releases cortisol hormone which increase our appetite and increases comfort food hunger including sweat and sugar food and drinks.
It is important for everyone to learn effective stress management techniques,
Self-learning of stress management is very beneficial to reduce anxiety issues, as stress elimination can reduce the cravings of sugar and processed foods.
Natural stress relievers:
- Go for a 10-minute of walk
- Practice deep breathing or meditation regularly
- Refine your thoughts towards positive one
- Listen to calming music or a podcast
- Try Gym, workout, yoga or stretching on daily basis
- go for a routine sports, walk or gym to relieve stress and improve health
Even a few minutes a day of workout can help your body to reset your body functions and make you stress free.
7. Do not skip meals and especially breakfast
Skipping meals, especially breakfast can cause your blood sugar to drop on low level, which leads further to create a strong sugar cravings later in the day. Many people who skip meals end up in overeating foods and sugary drinks in the afternoon or evening to cover the body needs.
Plan ahead: Eat small portioned and balanced meals for every 3 to 4 hours to keep your metabolism and blood sugar level steady. Include fiber, protein and fat with every meal.
Breakfast tip: For night snacking oats with chia seeds, almond butter and berries can be the great option to fulfil your hunger and body energy wants.
8. Try Natural Sweeteners in Small Portion
Sometimes you just need a little sweetness in your food, therefore, Instead of going cold turkey, try swapping refined sugar with natural alternatives that will will reduce in spike of your blood sugar level.
Better desert and sweat choices include:
- Stevia or monk fruit (zero-calorie natural sweeteners)
- Raw honey (in small portion 1 to 2 tablespoon)
- Maple syrup
- Coconut sugar
Remember, these sugar alternatives are ok to be used in small portion in your diet. The goal should be to satisfy your taste buds and not to overload them with sugar alternatives.
9. Read Nutrition Labels Carefully
Sugar is hidden in many packed food products. As many packaged foods and even so called healthy food serves sugar under the label of fructose corn syrup, cane juice, dextrose and, maltodextrin. Even regular ketchup, salad dressings and crackers also contains lots of sugar and salt.
habit yourself of reading ingredient lists and nutrition labels of every packed foods before purchasing. And go with the products having 5 grams or less sugar and salt per serving, also avoid food which are filled with sugar as top on its ingredient list such as sugary candy, energy drinks, carbonated drinks etc. as unknowingly they fill you with extra sugar and un-helthy fats.
10. Practice Mindful Eating
Many of us eat on autopilot when we take our meal by watching a tv or with scrolling down in our phones. This habits makes our brain stuck and it leads to over eating and emotional snacking. This can leads to increase more body fat sugar and cholestrol which is not at all healthy.
Mindful eating helps in informed and wise ways, check on below, if you want to go with mindful eating:
- Am I actually hungry?
- Am I bored, stressed, or emotional?
- Will this food nourish me, or just give a quick fix?
Mindful eating practice: Go with eating one meal at a day and avoid distractions such as phone TV etc. while eating. Focus on properly tasting, smelling and feeling the food to reach to a satisfied and mindful eating.
Final Thoughts: Take It One Step at a Time
Overcoming sugar cravings naturally is a journey, and not any immediate fix. Keep your goal not to completely eliminate sweetness from your diet but, but to limit it and break the cycle of sweat cravings. Sugar make you engage with its habitual, but its up to you to turn yourself towards healthy eating. By following the above strategies, you will gradually experience the reduction in sugar and food cravings, improvement in your body energy, improved mood and better physique.
Start small, Choose one or two of the tips given above tips and implement them in a week span. As your body needs time to adjusts, but eventually it will help you further in naturally eliminating the sugar and food craving and will make you more healthy and energy filled.
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