The fix: How to combat sugar cravings

The fix: How to combat sugar cravings

So how do you overcome your sweet tooth? Mixing sugary snacks with richer foods can satisfy your cravings while reducing hunger later on. If you want to stop a sugar craving before it happens, try eating small, filling meals and snacks throughout the day. When you suddenly feel hungry, you’re more likely to overindulge in sweets.

When you crave sugar, eating fruit is a healthy way to help you tame the sweet stuff. If that’s not sweet enough for you, try pairing fruit or nuts with chocolate, or drizzling honey over plain Greek yogurt. The extra fiber and protein will keep you fuller for longer without sacrificing sugar. Chewing gum or eating a hard candy can help reduce food cravings.

Problem: Sweets don’t taste so sweet anymore

When you start cutting sugar out of your diet, a funny thing happens: sweet things start to get sweeter. You may have experienced this phenomenon without even realizing it. Think about what happens when you take a sip of orange juice after eating your pastry. This bitter taste is due to your taste buds not being able to taste slightly sweet flavors after tasting very sweet flavors. When you eat, your brain recognizes and ADAPTS to your taste.

After eating something super sweet, your brain expects the same taste, which makes the juice a lot less sweet and even sour. This is also why sweet wines are often paired with desserts. Over time, eating a lot of sugary foods will make your brain constantly think the food is a little less sweet than it really is. One study found that mice on a high-sugar diet for four weeks had a reduced sensitivity to sugar. Fortunately, the researchers found that this effect could be reversed by returning to a normal low-sugar diet.

The solution: Find healthy ways to satisfy your sweet cravings

If you notice that sweets don’t taste as sweet, it may be necessary to readjust your taste buds. Reducing sugar in your diet doesn’t have to be a painful experience. Try replacing sugary snacks with healthier ones. Dark chocolate contains less sugar than milk or white chocolate, but it doesn’t lack flavor. Frozen berries, grapes, mangoes, and pomegranates are sweet enough to curb your appetite without irritating your taste buds.

Medzhuo dates are one of the sweetest fruits, so sweet that they are often used as a sugar substitute in recipes. This is a delicious sweet that is high in fiber and potassium. Pair fresh fruit with yogurt, cheese, nuts or seeds for a nutritious dessert. Baked, baked, or air-fried carrots or sweet potatoes are all non-traditional sweet treats that are nutritious and filling.