Everyone has cravings ranging from burgers to cheese, chocolate, and candy. Some people are better at controlling the urge to give into cravings than others. If you have an intense sweeth tooth and struggle with resisting sugar, there’s a scientific reason why. In recent years, studies have been conducted on the effects of sugar on your brain and the reality of sugar addiction. When you eat sugar, it releases feel-good chemicals in your brain. Eventually, your brain will seek for that release again. However, don’t worry if you’re having trouble with sugar cravings because there are things you can do to reduce them.
Give Up One Sugary Item At A Time
It’s not easy to go cold turkey and stop eating all things sweet right away. To truly stop giving into sugar cravings, you need to slowly let your body get used to not having sugar pumped into it each time a craving hits. Start by giving up chocolate, then maybe candy. Eventually, you can stay away from the most processed sugars available.
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Find Healthy Snacks
The first thing to do when trying to kick a sugar craving is to find something to eat that’s sweet but doesn’t carry the negative effects of fake sugar. For example, if you’re craving candy (whether sweet or sour), try eating clementines, frozen grapes, or frozen raspberries. These fruits will give you that taste you’re craving without being unhealthy. Another good option would be to eat protein rich foods as they’ve been shown to help reduce cravings. If you get frequent sugar cravings, it’s handy to carry around small but healthy snacks (like nuts) that you can eat when a craving pops up.
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Stay Hydrated
If you really want to get rid of your sugar cravings, it’s important to stay hydrated, rested, and healthy. It’s pretty common to crave something sweet when you’re dehydrated, but don’t be fooled. Your body probably only wants water (not sweets), so drink a glass of water beforehand to make sure you aren’t simply thirsty.
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Sleeping and Stress
Sleeping better and reducing stress will also reduce your sugar cravings. If you struggle with sleeping, you can try meditating, or asking your doctor about taking melatonin. Remember that if you binge eat sugar, it will end up affecting your stress levels and sleeping habits.
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Physical Activity
You can always do some physical exercise to help reduce your cravings. Taking a walk or going to the gym releases endorphins in your brain which will help turn off your sugar cravings.
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Of course, those steps are easier said than done. But, if you really try to reduce your sugar intake, it will have positive impacts on your health down the line. Just take it one step at a time and soon enough, your sugar cravings won’t feel as urgent.