Struggling with sugar cravings? Here are a few tips on what you can do to help.
Sugar Cravings
I know many of you out there struggle with sugar cravings. I hear it all the time with people. It’s not easy and I totally get it.
If you want to get off sugar completely, it’s not going to be easy. This doesn’t just include refined sugars, but you should really cut back on processed carbohydrates all together. Rice, potatoes, pastas, and breads all turn into sugar. If you continue eating a lot of these you’re going to continue to crave sweets.
When you do finally decide to ‘quit sugar’ there are two ways to go about it. You can either go cold turkey, which is not for everyone. However, if you’re a strong willed type of person and you really think you can do it that way, then go cold turkey. It will take about three to five days to go through the sugar withdrawal, including cravings. But then they will go away.
Another thing you could do is ‘crowd out’ your cravings as I call it. This can be done gradually by reducing your sugar intake and reducing your carbohydrate intake and at the same incorporating better ways of eating. Start eating a lot of vegetables, especially salad greens and green vegetables in general. They are very high in Potassium, which is very important for sugar cravings. The more Potassium you get the less you’re going to crave sugar. Bananas have Potassium, but they don’t have as much as eating a whole bunch of greens. So you’re better off eating more greens and less bananas to get the most Potassium into your body.
Make sure you’re getting enough protein, whether that’s animal protein or vegetarian protein with each meal. Don’t skip meals and eat regularly throughout the day. Most people are okay on three meals, some people need snacks, but if you skip meals you’re not going to be able to avoid giving into the cravings. Eating regularly keeps your blood sugar stable.
Eating low sugar fruits, like berries and apples, sweet vegetables; carrots, onions, parsnips, and beets and other root vegetables. These fruits and vegetables have a sweet taste, so they will also satisfy your craving for sugar.
There are a couple of supplements that will help or if you’re deficient in certain vitamins or nutrients, that might make your cravings worse.
As far as artificial sweeteners go, you should avoid those as well. Artificial sweeteners can make you continue to have sugar cravings. The best sweetener to use that has zero calories is Stevia. Stevia is a natural sweetener, it will not cause cravings and it’s definitely not bad for you in any way.
Good luck and let me know in the comments below if you’ve tried any of these things and if they worked for you.