After a long night out, do you rely on Dunkin to wake you up? Or, maybe before your morning class you devour three servings of some rainbow colored cereal? To beat the 3 pm slump, do you buy a candy bar to sustain you for a while? Since we’re all college students here, chances are that you answered “yes” to all of the above. There’s a reason why you keep craving sugary foods, and that’s because you’ve formed a habit. Before you develop your habit even further, here are a few ways that you can control your sweet tooth.
Eat regularly, but most importantly, eat breakfast. Most people who are sugar addicts skip the most important meal of the day. Instead of relying on that caramel Frappuccino to wake you up, make sure you eat a protein filled breakfast to prevent your blood sugar from dropping later in the day. Once your blood sugar starts to drop, you start craving more sugary foods, which is exactly why you should eat every three to five hours.
It’s also important to not go cold turkey and cut sugar out of your life completely. Your body is used to some sugar, so make sure you give in a little. Or, you can be creative and combine your favorite foods with something healthier. If you love peanut butter, try eating some bananas and apples dipped in peanut butter instead of fixing your craving with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
The easiest and fastest way to control your sweet tooth is choosing fruit over sugar, always. If you’re a little hungry before dinner but can’t wait, eat some strawberries or a banana instead of a candy bar. If you really can’t get that pumpkin spice donut out of your head, then apt for chewing gum to tide you over instead.