Craving Sugar

AbrilMendozaMontenegro
AbrilMendozaMontenegro Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition

How can we avoid food cravings, especially sugar?

Replies

  • Princesschic
    Princesschic Posts: 3 Member

    I allow myself to have one low calorie sweet snack daily. This way I don’t feel deprived and I rarely ever get cravings because I know it’s always there.

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,616 Member
    edited April 8

    Most food that is available is designed to be overconsumed with sugar a central player of that scenario which bears out in the general health of most western populations. Common sense would dictate that we should probably reduce those foods and consume more of a whole food diet and I suggest one that focuses on quality protein, which imo would be of the animal type.

    Cravings are mostly hormonal responses based on what the majority of someones diet consists of and reducing UPF consumption and processed foods in general with a focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods can help maintain hormonal balance and overall health in the general sense and reduce cravings.

  • mendozar74
    mendozar74 Posts: 13 Member

    i switched to Zero soda and started having stronger cravings. I read that the fruitcose corn syrups can cause cravings. I switched to all natural soda which helped my cravings.

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,607 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10936452/craving-sugar

    By not eating it in the first place.

    Some people have a strong reaction to sugar. If I don't start, it's a lot easier. Treat foods like cookies, donuts etc. have to be for very Special Days, not after every meal.

  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,589 Member

    I echo @cmriverside 's comments: Eating sweets causes cravings for sweets. The more you eat them, the more you crave them. While not technically addictive, sweets are certainly habit forming.

    I've made some personal rules, which are basically to avoid all free sweets or carbs at work. I almost never eat the free candy, donuts, cookies, muffins, or bagels, which are constantly offered, mostly because they are cheap. When I organize a meeting with food, I bring in a basket of fruit, the one thing not offered by our corporate caterer! It always dissappears.

    I try to eat two pieces of whole fruit a day. One at lunch and another in the late afternoon. A whole orange is a very satisfying snack. I sometimes will eat an oz of lightly salted nuts (high calorie, but very low glycemic index) as an afternoon snack, particularly if I'm headed to the gym.

    I also often eat a piece of dark chocolate after dinner (~60kcals).

  • TracyL963
    TracyL963 Posts: 139 Member

    The chocolate (above) - I keep individually wrapped dark chocolate squares in the freezer. These are a treat after dinner, provided I'm within my calories. Milk chocolate is not something that I control well, but dark chocolate still gives me my chocolate "fix."

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 36,245 Member

    Not true for everyone, but for me, making it a point to eat several servings of whole fruit daily greatly reduced my cravings for less nutrient-dense higher-calorie sweets like baked goods and candy.

    Also, if sleep quality or quantity is sub-par, improving that can help. Cravings are energy-seeking behavior by the body: Sweets are quick energy.

    For the same reasons, sometimes stress reduction or better non-food stress management can be helpful in reducing cravings.

    On the flip side, of course a big calorie deficit - trying to lose weight aggressively fast - can worsen cravings. So can overdoing exercise.

    Some people do best eliminating sugar-y foods, or at least severely limiting them. Other people find that putting foods off limits increases those foods' appeal. In the latter case, if the person can eat the food in moderation within calorie goal, it may be a better solution to eat some of the craved thing sometimes, within reason.

    As with so many aspects of managing one's body weight, I think this may require some personal experimentation. If possible, I'd suggest continuing an experiment for a week or two: There's often an adaptation period where our bodies "expect" the old habits, and crave to follow those familiar paths. Persisting through that adaptation - which does take a dose of willpower - can reveal that the change will work OK in the longer term.

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