Craving: “A powerful desire for something”
We all know that the more we eat something, the more we crave it. And the more we deny that craving, the stronger the desire can be!
With Easter just going by and most of us consuming our annual intake of chocolate in just 2 days…I thought some practical tips on how to reduce those sweet cravings and get you back on the wagon might be in order!
Next time that 3pm sugar-hit or Easter egg withdrawal comes along, try one of these anti-sugar tactics…
1. Eat a protein rich lunch
Sugar cravings often come after large meal (i.e. lunch) which contains carbohydrates (e.g. sandwich), that send your blood sugar levels up (from the glucose). What goes up, must come down…so when our blood sugars start dropping, what do we crave to bring them back up again? S U G A R
Instead of feeding our body more sugar to continue this up + down cycle, we need to feed it protein. Protein has the opposite effect on our blood sugar levels, it stabilises them. So if you include some lean protein in your lunch, then you avoid getting that post-meal sweet craving. Lean protein sources include: egg, chicken, leg ham, fish, legumes or tofu.
2. Limit Caffeine + Alcohol
Caffeine from coffee, tea and energy drinks; and sugars in alcohol; all have the same effects on your blood sugar levels as sugar does. By limiting these in your diet, you will reduce the highs and lows, and therefore less cravings for the sweet stuff.
It might even be a good idea to do a quick 3-5 day detox off coffee and alcohol, just to allow your body to regulate again and reduce those cravings after Easter!
3. Cinnamon
My absolute favourite spice, cinnamon, is also a natural blood sugar stabiliser! I often prescribe cinnamon for clients with Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and/or Obesity.
Try adding ground cinnamon to your morning muesli, smoothie, oats or yoghurt. You can even add some to a glass of milk or dairy-free milk and warm it up for a yummy drink which will kick any sugar craving.
4. Increase facto-fermented foods
Our gut bacteria have a lot to answer for when it comes to cravings. We have both beneficial and bad bacteria and yeasts in our guts. When these become unbalanced and there is an overgrowth of bad bacteria or yeast (i.e. candida), we often experience more sugar cravings. This is because those bad bacteria actually feed off sugar!!
So to help balance out the bacteria in our gut and reduce the sugar cravings we need to feed the good bacteria more. They love fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, kefir, Greek yoghurt and miso soup.
You can also help by taking a daily probiotic, recommended by a health professional.
5. Magnesium
Did you know that the cacao plant which chocolate is made from is one of the richest natural sources of magnesium!! I love that fact! So sometimes I find clients who are specifically craving chocolate, are also lacking magnesium.
Magnesium is amazing for so many things; energy, sleep, stress, leg cramps. And it’s unfortunately depleted really easily through strenuous exercise, sweating, stress, medications like the OCP, caffeine and alcohol.
I recommend taking a high quality magnesium powder or tablet daily. You can also use raw cacao in your diet for natural magnesium; add it to your smoothies or try my Salted Chocolate Bliss Balls.
Sugar addiction is real people.
And sometimes it can be a sign or symptom of something deeper going on inside the body, i.e. candida.
If this is something you’re struggling with you’re ready to combat it, then we might be a good fit!
I love helping my clients gain their power back over food and also improve their health. Contact me to find out more or book your appointment online here!
