Once more you’ve made the resolution to “be good” and stay away from sugar. You wake up in the morning, have a black coffee with no sugar — or with Splenda. At noon you have a “healthy” lunch of salad with fat-free dressing, and when the sugar and caffeine cravings come around 4pm, somehow you manage not to “give in.”
By dinner time you’re obviously starving, not to mention overwhelmed, tired, and depressed. However, you’re still focused on “being good,” so you have a “sensible” dinner that doesn’t really satisfy your appetite. One hour later, you find yourself in front of the TV, scraping the bottom of a Haagen Dazs pint and feeling completely defeated… you’ve done it again, and since you already gave in… “I’m just gonna kill that box of Oreos, so they’re not around tomorrow.”
Sound familiar?
This is what I call the all-day-denial/all-night-indulgence syndrome. After a week or so of trying to “be good,” you finally give up and let yourself go crazy with sugar — all day long — thinking that you really want to be healthy, but you just can’t. “I don’t have the willpower.”
Lowering your sugar intake is not an all-or-nothing process. It’s a learning experience that gives you the opportunity to tune in to your body and start to listen to it. Think of how long it has taken you to get where you are. Would you be kind to yourself and address the sugar issue in a gradual, realistic way?
Instead of being in denial mode until you run out of energy, focus on giving your body what it needs: nourishing and satisfying meals, enough R&R, movement, clean water… These simple tips can help you along the way:
- Complement your meals with foods that are naturally sweet.
It will help curb your sugar cravings. I love to sprinkle dried fruit on everything. From breakfast porridge with apricots to sauteed kale with raisins and salad with dried cranberries. I also love sweet vegetables like carrots, onions, beets and sweet potatoes. Slow-cooking methods like baking or roasting increases the sweetness in them. I also have at least one piece of fruit — apple, pear, or whatever is in season — a day.
- Don’t use artificial sweeteners.
Aside from the proven health-detrimental side effects, artificial sweeteners increase your sugar cravings, never solving them. This happens because insulin — the sugar-regulating hormone — is released into the bloodstream triggered by the sweet flavor in your mouth, not by the sugar itself. It’s like you’re telling your body “sugar is on the way,” and your body responds “ok, I better get ready for it,” but the promised sugar is never delivered. Your body is left hanging, waiting for it, hence creating more cravings.
- Choose the best quality that you can find and afford.
If you really need to go for something sweet, then you may as well do it right. Instead of gobbling up a Snickers bar in front of your computer, take a break and go for a fresh-baked brownie. Better yet, share with a friend! Get the best quality chocolate you can afford and really enjoy it. Bake a fruit pie and top it off with fresh whipped cream. Make having dessert a unique, cheerful occasion.
Follow these simple strategies and your nighttime sugar cravings will start to melt away. I guarantee it :).
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