How to Satisfy A Sugar Craving Without Eating (A Lot) of Sugar
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© Copyright 2010 Patrice Walker All rights reserved
You know how it is, you're trying to lose weight or just eat healthier, but it's SO hard to resist those sweets! And the harder you try, the stronger the sugar craving becomes.
Here are a couple of tricks I've used to help me satisfy the craving for sugar without eating sugar ... well ... at least not a lot of sugar.
A Little Fruit Juice Goes a Long Way
After I've eaten even a healthy meal, I often have a "taste" for something sweet. So instead of indulging in a big dessert, I sip about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of fruit juice. My favorite is grape! I've found that if I sip the juice and then wait 5 minutes, I don't feel the need to have pie a la mode after my meal.
The sugar in fruit juice gets into your bloodstream much more quickly than the sugar from a piece of fruit, so be sure to drink only a 1/2 cup of juice or less. All you're trying to do here is satisfy the urge to eat something sweet, and it really doesn't take that much to accomplish this
The Magic of Complex Carbs
Between meals, if you still crave sugar after eating a healthy snack like fruit or nuts, eat half a slice of bread.
The complex carbohydrates in the bread eventually turn into sugar during digestion, so this helps dull the craving enough that I don't add a candy bar to my healthy snack.
And be sure to consume bread made from whole grains instead of enriched flour. It's good for you and will satisfy you more fully than white bread.
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Water, Water Everywhere ...
After eating the bread, drink a little water.
The bread and water expand in my stomach, giving me a nice, satisfied feeling and leaving no room for that pint of vanilla ice cream I was eying.
However, don't drink too much water after you eat the bread. You want there to be enough acid in your stomach to digest it. About 1/2 cup is all you need.
A Bit of Lean Protein Goes a Long Way
Many years ago, when I was explaining my carb cravings to my chiropractor, he suggested that i eat a bit of lean protein in the evening - my favorite time to snack. Back then, I couldn't understand why lean protein would cut my craving for sugar- or carbohydrate-laden junk food. As a result, I didn't take his advice.
Years later, I now understand that lean protein is a lot more satisfying than these high-glycemic-index carbs. That's why the Lays potato chip commercial was so accurate when it said, "I bet you can't just eat one." These empty carbohydrates simply don't satiate you in the way that lean protein does, so you keep stuffing your mouth with them.
Next time you have a sweet craving, pop a few pieces of lean, baked or roasted turkey or chicken into your mouth. If you eat the meat slowly, savoring every morsel, and top it off with a sip or two of fruit juice, you'll find that the sweet craving is either gone or has diminished significantly.
Mind Over Matter
Another trick that works for me is to use my mind to dissipate a craving. Here's how it works.
When I feel the urge to eat something sweet, I'll pause for a moment, take a few deep breaths, then just observe the craving in my body.
A craving is a felt-body experience, and if you take a few moments to just BE with the craving, you'll be able to identify where in the body it is occurring. And as you continue to observe -- without judgement (i.e., it's not good; it's not bad; it simply is) -- this sensation, it will begin to dissipate. And before you know it, the craving will be gone.
You may have to do this throughout the day if your sugar craving is strong, and it may not always work, but if you practice it regularly, you may be surprised at just how effective it is.
As always, consult your health care provider before starting any weight loss program.
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These are such good tips because I certainly have a sweet tooth and have conveniently decided to give in to it. But spending so much time at home writing and sitting here - I do need to at least cut back.
And I guess it is years of conditioning because it just seems that you have to have dessert - no matter how big that plate of food was. Well we can un-condition ourselves. Hmmmm.
Thanks so much. Rated up of course!
Hey BKCreative, thanks for stopping by. I still struggle with the sugar craving and give into it once in a while (like 2 Snickers candy bars!), but the half cup of fruit juice is the most effective trick I've found to date.
My parents used to give us dessert right before bed time when I was growing up (I guess on the theory that we'd be more inclined to go to bed), so that's when the craving often hits me. And yes, no matter how much food I've eaten before hand, I still want that sweet dessert.
I used to think a little sweet every now and then is ok, but sometimes it's like any addiction; as soon as you give in, you go overboard . Oh well, guess we have to just hang in there.
Hi PWalker, I can sure identify with this common craving, although I see myself more as a chocoholic. I agree with your use of a little fruit juice or healthy bread. I've found that adding a little peanut butter to the bread (I also crave peanut butter) helps me feel full longer. Popcorn with a little grated cheese can work wonders too. I suppose I end up eating as many calories as I was trying to avoid with sugar and/or chocolate, but maybe the calories are healthier :). These days "the experts" seem to feel that chocolate, mostly dark, might even have some health benefits. Thanks for the excuse, guys!
Hi Gen-Rev! Yes, those sugar and chocolate cravings can be deadly. I probably need to update this hub to add protein to the list of craving busters. Peanut butter definitely fits the bill. Be careful with popcorn though. That's a high glycemic index carb (sugar goes straight to the blood stream) but the grated cheese (protein) on top is a good addition and will slow down the absorption of sugar. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting :-).
Hi PWalker, it's me again! I hadn't thought about how healthy a carb popcorn could be - thanks for getting me thinking about such things. I've never looked at a glycemic index before, so I did a speck of hunting down a chart. I don't know if all charts give the same readings or have different scales. On the one I saw, popcorn came out in the middle group, with a value of 55. Does that sound right?
Another comment about popcorn. For many years I was into the microwave popcorn (almost forgot how to pop my own).
Then about a year ago I read an article written by a toxicologist about why he won't eat microwave popcorn.
He wrote that there is a chemical in the lining of the bag called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). During microwaving the chemicals vaporize and migrate into the popcorn. This chemical stays in your body for years and accumulates. He said it's linked to infertility in humans, and 3 kinds of cancer in animals. The fact that it accumulates is the worry. Soooo, I began popping my own again and realized it's more fun anyway.
Hey Gen-Rev, thanks so much for the information on the hazards of eating microwave popcorn. I used to eat a lot of it but stopped because I started having an allergic reaction to something in it. Plus the hulls drove me crazy. So I'll keep what you said in mind when I get a craving for it, or at least think about popping my own.
I'm not sure about numbers on the glycemic index. What I do know is that simple carbs like refined wheat (e.g., white breads, pasta) and sugar, as well as popcorn and white potatoes have a higher glycemic index than complex carbs like whole grains, raw sugar (I like stevia), and sweet potatoes, which have a lower glycemic index. So it's good to stick with complex carbs because it takes them longer to break down into simple carbs (sugars) and enter your bloodstream.
You could probably eat popcorn in moderation, especially since you add cheese to it. And popcorn looks a lot better on the glycemic index than white bread, for example. My problem is that I tend to binge on it :-).
Interesting and informative.
Hi mathira, thanks for reading and for your positive feedback.
Thanks for the good info. I have been trying to cut my sugar intake but it's very hard!!
I know what you mean, sagecarter! But these little tricks have helped me to not succumb to carb cravings as often as I used to. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Some lovely little tricks here, yes I have to admit that I am partial to a bit of sugar....or perhaps a lot (If i've just done the supermarket shop!) I find that drinking cups of tea is a good alternative, (provided of course it isn't loaded with 2 spoons of sugar!!
A great hub!
Hey Talisker, I've found that stevia is an excellent substitute for sugar - no carbs whatsoever and it tastes delicious in tea. A little bit goes a long way.
You can find the pure extract in the health food store; the stuff sold in the supermarket has some kind of sweetener added to it because the FDA has labeled stevia a suppplement; so in order to sell it in stores as food, it has to have something added to it. Go figure! I guess I should add stevia to my list of "little tricks." :-)
Thanks for stopping by and commenting and for your positive feedback.
I like the idea of using the lean protein. What helps me too is to chew a stick of gum. Voting this Up and Useful.
Yes, lean protein is a lot more satisfying than carbs so a little goes a long way. On the other hand, chewing gum just makes me hungrier. I guess with all that chewing going on, my stomach is expecting something to land in it :-).
Thanks for reading and commenting AL, and for the positive feedback!
Ah, a topic so close to my heart (or should I say stomach?!).
It's so so hard PWalker281 to resist the seductive call from the cookie jar late at night, but you give some great tips that I have not heard of before and that make sense to me. I will be sure to try these, especially the fruit juice tip.
Watch this space for new poowool5 bikini pix summer 2012 ;) (assuming the fruit juice tip works, that is!)
Voted up and useful, thanks!
I hear you, poowool5. Sugar is indeed a "seductive call" that continues to whisper in my ear. Just be careful with the fruit juice. It can creep up on you, and before you know it, you're drinking 8 ounces instead of 2. I think the best tip is eating some lean protein at night - it really is satisfying. Good luck, and I'm seeing you fashionably slim by summer. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Coolmon2009 Level 4 Commenter 2 years ago
Good information, I will bookmark this one.