How to crush those sugar cravings

Who doesn’t love sweets?  Always fun to enjoy some desserts like cookies, cake, candy.  But Americans eat way too much sugar, not just in desserts but in so many foods.  And it is the added sugar in foods that we need to cut back on, not the natural sugar found in fruits or even real cow’s milk.  What are some ways that we can cut back on all that added sugar and those cravings for sweets?

Psychologists have studied how sugar affects our brains and body weight as noted in the Frontiers in Psychiatry.  The article notes that “studies have linked sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) to an increase in body weight in children and adults”.  What are sugar-sweetened beverages?  Think sugar-sweetened sodas like Coke, Mountain Dew, Sprite, sports drinks like Gatorade, Powerade, sweet tea, sweetened coffee drinks like Frappuccino, energy drinks like Red Bull and Monster and fruit drinks like lemonade or fruit punch.  These beverages not only contain a lot of added sugar but provide a lot of calories and few, if any, nutrients.  Why might these beverages be linked to weight gain?  As noted in Young Men’s Health:

When you have a sugar-sweetened drink, you likely do not feel full afterwards compared to how you would feel from eating food that has the same amount of calories.  The non-filling calories from these beverages can cause a person to consistently consume more calories than their body needs for energy, which over time can lead to a body weight increases beyond what is normally expected.  


What are some ways to cut back on foods high in added sugar including those problematic sugar-sweetened beverages?  Eat This, Not That! has some suggestions. 

  • Eat a complete breakfast of real foods.  Skip the sweet rolls and those grab and go muffins at Fast Food places.  Focus on whole grain cereals (all General Mills cereals are whole grain), whole grain toast, bagels, or English muffins, fresh fruit and high-quality protein like eggs or yogurt.  How does eating breakfast help fight off those sugar cravings?  Because it will help prevent sugar lows later in the morning.  Skip breakfast and around 10 or 11 AM you may be at the vending machine buying a candy bar or some other snack loaded with added sugar.
  • Snacks – no need to skip snacks but opt for some healthy choices like peanut butter on whole wheat toast, hummus and carrots, yogurt and some fruit, a cheese stick and fruit.  These will fight off the hunger and don’t contain a lot of added sugar.  Eating foods with some protein and fiber will help fill you up and stave off those hunger pains.
A great snack for kids.

  • Don’t get too hungry.  Remember to eat meals and snacks throughout the day.  If you get too hungry, you may be more tempted to eat something that will immediately boost your blood sugar level like a donut, sweet roll, candy bar.  Skipping meals isn’t healthy especially when it leads to eating foods loaded with added sugar and few nutrients.  Dietitian Amy Goodson says, Eating more often and balancing that meal or snack with carbs and protein can prevent you from blood sugar drops and ultimately help you avoid those sugar cravings.
  • Snack on some naturally sweet fruit like watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe.
  • Eat some foods high in magnesium – sugar cravings may mean your body is low in magnesium.  Dietitian, Lauren Manaker, says, One side effect of having magnesium deficiency is experiencing sugar cravings.  And being low in magnesium can lead to feeling more tired.  (See Feeling tired?  Maybe you need more magnesium.)  NIH provides a list of many foods high in magnesium including: 
  • Nuts:  almonds, cashews, peanuts and peanut butter
  • Seeds:  Pumpkin and chia
  • Vegetables:  spinach, potatoes, edamame, kidney beans
  • Fruit- banana, raisins
  • Whole grains:  oatmeal, whole wheat bread, shredded wheat
  • Dairy – cow’s milk, yogurt made from cow’s milk
  • Exercise and go outside:  to improve your mood and boost those feel good, serotonin, instead of grabbing a food loaded with added sugar, take time for some exercise.  Manaker recommends, Exercise and exposure to sunlight can elicit happy feelings too, and it may possible help cut your sugar craving for good. 

This week before reaching for that sugar-sweetened beverage or that sugary snack, try some of the above ideas and see how you can keep those sugar cravings under control.


 Sources:  Frontiers in Psychiatry , sugar-sweetened beverages , Young Men’s Health , Eat This, Not That! , Eat This, Not That! , Dietitian , Feeling tired?  Maybe you need more magnesium , NIH , recommends  Image Sources:  Healthy butterfly snack , Sugary Drinks , Exercise

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How does coffee and tea affect blood sugar?

Image
Who doesn’t love some morning coffee?   Or, on cold days, a nice hot cup of tea.   Does drinking coffee or tea affect one’s blood glucose levels?    Should healthy adults be concerned about coffee or tea and blood glucose levels?   The Mayo Clinic says that for healthy adults, caffeine will probably have no noticeable effects on their blood sugar or blood glucose levels.   Studies have found that up to 400 milligrams of caffeine is safe for most of us.   A cup of coffee has about 120-180 milligrams of caffeine and most adults drink about 2 cups of coffee a day.   FDA says healthy adults can consume up to 400 mg of caffeine a day which equates to about 4-5 cups of coffee a day, or 10 cans of soda , or 2 “energy shot” drinks.   (See:   Caffeine – good or bad for your health? )     Can drinking coffee or tea reduce chances of getting type 2 diabetes? Some studies have found that coffee, tea, and other drinks with caffeine can lead to weight loss and a lower body mass index (BMI
Read more

Are there drinks that will help lower your blood pressure?

Image
According to the University of Southern California , almost half of Americans over the age of 20 have high blood pressure.   This means an astounding 122 million Americans.   Unfortunately, as you get older it is more likely to have blood pressure increase.   Many people don’t even know they have high blood pressure or hypertension.   The American Heart Association notes at first there are “no obvious symptoms to indicate something is wrong, but HBP can lead to heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.”    A relative was asking what they could do diet wise to help lower their blood pressure.   We had already discussed the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).   (See:   Best Diets for Healthy Eating in 2024 .) and physical activity.    Diet wise, they were cutting back on sodium and increasing potassium foods but were wondering if there were anything else like any drinks that could help lower blood pressure?   The Cleveland Clinic talked to cardiologist , Luke Laffin,
Read more

How to eat for better sleep

Image
Having trouble sleeping?   Are there foods you can eat that would help you sleep?   My husband sent me an interesting article, 8 Eating Habits That Actually Improve Your Sleep . According to CDC , “about 1 in 3 adults in the United States reported not getting enough rest or sleep every day.”   A lot of Americans have problems sleeping, about 50-70 million Americans.   You probably heard that drinking warm milk before bed helps one sleep?   Is this true?   What eating habits really do help you get to sleep and stay asleep? Sleep and hunger Did you know that getting a good night’s sleep affects hunger hormones in your body?   A good night’s sleep can lead to less snacking the next day as it keeps hunger at bay.   A professor of nutrition at Columbia University, Marie-Pierre St-Onge, says, “If you eat better, you sleep better and be more refreshed.   And that helps you make better decision for your diet.”      Some tips to eating habits for better sleep:         Focus on tryptopha
Read more