Having sugar cravings can become a psychological problem that can take will power to break. It's also one of the top reasons for weight gain. It can be a tough habit to break but once you get into a rhythm and learn how to balance out your sugar intake and diet, you will start to notice a healthier you within weeks. Below are a few tips on how you can curb your sugar cravings and intake and at the same time lose a few pounds the healthy way.

1. Improve your diet overall.

Incorporating more proteins and fats will make you feel more fuller and satisfied longer though out the day.

Never skip meals especially breakfast instead have smaller portion meals throughout the day to keep your blood sugar levels stabilized.

Taking a daily multivitamin - Some foods help keep your blood sugar stable, so make sure you are getting them by supplementing your diet properly by adding a multivitamin to it.

Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day, as this can also help curb your sugar cravings.

Visualizing yourself eating and tasting the sweet treat before doing so will ward off the urge to have it right then and there (This one has worked a lot for me).

2. Read labels

By now I'm sure most of you aren't shocked to find out the amount of sugar there is in most of our foods. Staying aware of the sugar content in foods can help you tremendously to curb any sugar cravings. Always read the labels on the foods you buy and make sure the sugar content is suitable to your diet needs.

3 . Replacing sweets with fruits

The sugars found in fruits aren't digested the same as found in your everyday table sugar or sugar in processed foods, this is due to processed sugar containing 50% fructose, which is hard for your liver to process. Fruits are a great source of minerals and fiber, all of which help counteract the bad effects of fructose and glucose being metabolized in the liver. The great thing about eating fruit is that the vitamins contained in them will slow the absorption of the sugar in your body causing you not to get as high off of a sugar rush or even experiencing a bad sugar crash.

4.  Skip the artificial sweeteners

Saccharin or aspartame are artificial sweeteners that have shown not to curb cravings for real sugar intake and also have proven to cause cancer. Unlike their fake claims, artificial sweeteners have not shown any effectiveness in helping with obesity. These chemicals disrupt your hormones, this is a big one to stay away from!

5.  Remove temptations

Go through your refrigerator and or pantry and get rid of the cookies, cakes and high sugar foods you know you shouldn't have if you want to make a change. Make a conscious effort when you go food shopping not to buy sweets and replace them with something healthier.

A great habit to get into after a meal is to go for a walk instead of eating dessert. If you are still craving sweets you can gargle an antiseptic mouthwash this will create a bad aftertaste which will not go well with sweets causing you to lose that craving for sweets very quickly.

If you want to try something more radical that will alter your taste buds, chew on some Gymnema Sylvestre leaves. After an hour anything that is not sweetened will taste a lot better than anything containing sugar.

6.  Get distracted

By distracting yourself and focusing your attention elsewhere will cause you to forget about your cravings. Whether it’s taking a walk, reading your favorite blogs/books or exercising. The simple act of going out with your family or your friends will be enough to help you get distracted, even taking a nap will help you forget about that snack you want. If possible try not to be alone because this can cause you to over analyze and create cravings instead, stay active and motivated, remember slow and steady always wins the race.

sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3139783/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3772345/

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