Sugar cravings: how do you get your mind off strong cravings for junk food?

I have artificial sweeteners like Stevia drops in my house on the occasion I want something sweet (former T2 diabetic in remission here).

I also strongly recommend Duhigg's book on Habit to come to terms with your cravings and what drives them.

Different things work for different people- for some, cutting it out entirely is the way to go. For me personally, I've found a way to moderate that works for me. I avoid sweets (other than fruit) during the day because I know I'm going to want more sweet things at night. But I buy individually packaged lower-cal sweets that I can have after dinner, such as 100-cal dark chocolate squares, Skinny Cow ice cream, or trail mix with chocolate chips or M&Ms in it. Having something like that "in stock" at home gives me a little something to look forward to and satisfies my sweet tooth, and the fact they're individually packaged helps me not over-eat.


There are also desserts you can make that don't have added sugar but are sweet. Some of my favorites are:

* Pineapple whip (ridiculously close to the Dole whip at Disneyland)- I cut fresh pineapple into cubes and freeze them. (Canned pineapple would probably be fine too, but I find pre-frozen fruit to not be very sweet). I blend that with a can of full-fat coconut milk. It's kind of like a pineapple sorbet- perfect for hot days!

* Chia pudding. I've found some recipes are better than others when it comes to the ratio between the chia seeds and the coconut milk (I'm guessing other kinds of milk would be okay too but I haven't tried it). Basically it's a base of coconut milk and chia seeds, and you can add whatever you want for flavor. A tiny bit of sweetener goes a long way (if I use any at all, I only use a teaspoon for the entire recipe), but if you blend in banana or other fruit, the sweetener isn't necessary. One of my favorite recipes involves a tiny splash of vanilla extract, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Or peanut butter and cocoa powder. Or peanut butter and banana. Or even just vanilla, and then berries on top.

* Slice bananas into medallions. Top each with a teaspoon of peanut butter. Freeze.

* Make a little mound of peanut butter (maybe 1 tablespoon). Make a little indent on top and fill with jam, honey, or whatever else you like paired with peanut butter. Freeze.

(I use all-natural peanut butter in order to limit my added sugar)

Moxie42 wrote: »

Different things work for different people- for some, cutting it out entirely is the way to go. For me personally, I've found a way to moderate that works for me. I avoid sweets (other than fruit) during the day because I know I'm going to want more sweet things at night. But I buy individually packaged lower-cal sweets that I can have after dinner, such as 100-cal dark chocolate squares, Skinny Cow ice cream, or trail mix with chocolate chips or M&Ms in it. Having something like that "in stock" at home gives me a little something to look forward to and satisfies my sweet tooth, and the fact they're individually packaged helps me not over-eat.


There are also desserts you can make that don't have added sugar but are sweet. Some of my favorites are:

* Pineapple whip (ridiculously close to the Dole whip at Disneyland)- I cut fresh pineapple into cubes and freeze them. (Canned pineapple would probably be fine too, but I find pre-frozen fruit to not be very sweet). I blend that with a can of full-fat coconut milk. It's kind of like a pineapple sorbet- perfect for hot days!

* Chia pudding. I've found some recipes are better than others when it comes to the ratio between the chia seeds and the coconut milk (I'm guessing other kinds of milk would be okay too but I haven't tried it). Basically it's a base of coconut milk and chia seeds, and you can add whatever you want for flavor. A tiny bit of sweetener goes a long way (if I use any at all, I only use a teaspoon for the entire recipe), but if you blend in banana or other fruit, the sweetener isn't necessary. One of my favorite recipes involves a tiny splash of vanilla extract, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Or peanut butter and cocoa powder. Or peanut butter and banana. Or even just vanilla, and then berries on top.

* Slice bananas into medallions. Top each with a teaspoon of peanut butter. Freeze.

* Make a little mound of peanut butter (maybe 1 tablespoon). Make a little indent on top and fill with jam, honey, or whatever else you like paired with peanut butter. Freeze.

(I use all-natural peanut butter in order to limit my added sugar)

Great recipes! It sounds like you might enjoy my mamey fruit ice cream. If you can find mamey sapote fruit, it's amazing! I blend with ice and unsweetened vanilla almond milk, add cinnamon. It tastes like pumpkin pie!

I try to drink a dessert tea or if that doesn't work brush my teeth. Food doesn't taste good then.