Having a sweet tooth is nothing sweet. And it doesn’t begin in your mouth. Sugar addiction is driven by hormones and neurotransmitters in the brain that drive sugar and carb cravings. Feeding those cravings can be detrimental to your overall health.
Here are 8 ways to kick your sugar cravings:
- Eat a whole foods diet. Make sure you give your body enough fat and protein, whole food carbohydrates like vegetables, nuts, seeds and beans.
- Begin your day with a nutritious meal. Include protein in your breakfast, like eggs, a protein shake or nut butters to steady your blood sugar levels. Have a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar at least 30 minutes before your meal to balance your blood sugar. Also have some protein with a snack every 3-4 hours. Stop eating at least 3 hours before bedtime.
- Eliminate sugar from your diet immediately. Ditch the refined sugars, fruit juices, sodas and artificial sweeteners.
- Get rid of the stress. Stress can trigger emotional eating. Try yoga, meditation or deep breathing to deal with stress.
- Exercise when you crave sweets. Movement not only reduces stress but it also boosts feel-good hormones.
- Check your diet for allergies.
- Get adequate rest. Lack of sleep can increase sugar cravings.
- Include vitamin D and omega-3s in your diet that can reduce spikes in sugar and insulin.
Check out a few sugar substitutes.
