Tips for Curbing Your Sugar Cravings
Sweet or salty?
If you couldn’t already tell from my countless pictures of food, especially on In My Element’s Instagram page, I have a MAJOR sweet tooth. Believe me, if I could have some sort of dessert with every meal, I probably would…unfortunately, that’s not the best thing for me to be doing.
In my opinion, everything in life should be enjoyed in moderation, especially as it relates to the food that we choose to eat. I think that, when it comes to healthy eating, our first instinct is to say that we’ll just cut certain foods or categories of food out of our diet…go completely cold turkey…Don’t get me wrong, it can definitely be done, but it’s not the most desirable approach for curbing our “unhealthy” cravings, at least I don’t think so.
…So, if we don’t want to cut the sweets out of our diets completely, but we also know that they shouldn’t be consumed on a consistent basis, now what?
I’m the FURTHEST thing from a health expert, but over the past year and a half, I’ve focused significantly more so on my health and fitness, and in “playing around” with food, I’ve been able to find effective ways for keeping my sweet tooth in check…
A Piece of Dark Chocolate A Day…
What’s that saying again…A piece of dark chocolate a day keeps the doctor away? Okay, I know that’s not the right one, but I’ve found that having a piece of dark chocolate every day has really helped me in limiting the amount of dessert I want to consume. It may be small, but just this little tasting of sugar that I have with my lunch every day keeps my sweet tooth satisfied until my next dose of dark chocolate the following day. Not to mention, there are health benefits associated with consuming a small portion of dark chocolate each day—increasing circulation, improving cognition, and enhancing the appearance of your skin, just to name a few.
Choose Fruit.
Yes, there’s sugar in fruit…but it’s natural, so it’s much better for you than food with added sugars or sweeteners. Incorporating more fruit into my diet has been a game changer. Whether it be in the form of smoothies or smoothie bowls (a favorite of mine), a topping on my morning bowl of oatmeal, or as a stand-alone snack throughout the day, the natural sweetness of fruit gives me just the sugar fix that I may need on any given day.
Dessert, but Healthier.
I love having “dessert” ~almost~ every night after dinner. There’s something about that small treat after your main meal that makes it so the day feels complete, or close to it. Dessert to me, however, doesn’t always mean something unhealthy—actually, more often than not, I find myself choosing from “better-for-you” alternatives, whether that be something store-bought, or a serving of one of my latest, healthy-ingredient, dessert experiments.
My go-to dessert has become a Yasso Bar…they honestly taste just like ice cream, but they’re actually frozen greek yogurt, not to mention only ~100 calories per bar.
Give In.
As I said before, I truly believe that all food is best enjoyed in moderation. With that, if you’re in the mood for one of your favorite sweets or desserts, have it…and enjoy it. There’s nothing wrong with indulging in your cravings every once in a while—on special occasions, during vacation, while you’re out with family or friends, and yes, even on a random day or night that you just really want something. If anything, doing so will help keep you on track with your health and fitness goals even more…knowing that you’re fully in control of your diet, and, when you want to treat yourself, you can and you will.
