Sugar: Kill The Cravings
Did you know a half cup serving of pasta sauce can have as many as 12 grams of sugar? That’s the same as the sugar in a chocolate chip cookie. Sugar is hidden in so many of the foods we innocently eat that it’s no wonder it’s so hard to kick the habit. And no wonder so many of us watch our A1C numbers creep up. We can’t eliminate all sugar, so we need to learn how to control the cravings. Here are our PWM Tips do it:
Stop rewarding yourself with sweets.
That may be harder than it sounds, because we were trained as children to expect something sugary in exchange for being good. Did you behave yourself at the doctor? Here’s a lollipop. Did you clean your room? Here’s a cookie. If our brains are trained to expect a sweet for being good, then we have to offer something even better to switch off that expectation. So what motivates you? Would you rather have a cookie or a hot bath? Would you rather dig into a $5 sundae or dive into a $5 Kindle mystery? Jot down a few doable rewards that light up your brain with pleasure and reach for that list instead of the sugar when you’re looking for a reward.
Choose a healthy sweet instead.
You can wean your brain away from its cravings for super sugary foods by choosing healthier options such as fresh fruit or PWM’s selection of high protein snacks. Fruits have the fiber and nutrients you need to feel satisfied so they don’t typically entice you to reach for another sweet the way the cookie jar can. But be careful because the glucose in fruit is still a sugar and should be limited as part of a balanced diet rich in vegetables and protein. Did we mention our PWM snacks are packed with protein? Just thought it was worth mentioning again.
Stay strong.
Sure, we know that’s easy to say and much harder to do, but we promise that passing over the sweets for the crunchy veggies gets easier every time you do it. And eventually the sugar won’t even sound good to you because your brain has been rewired to crave something healthier, at least until the candy dish catches your eye and you decide just one piece can’t hurt. Then one piece becomes two and two becomes a handful, and the next thing you know you’re back in the addiction. Was the candy worth it? No. So stay strong.
If it’s in the house, toss it out.
Maybe someone brought you a birthday cake or the grandkids came so you stocked up on more fudge bars than they could eat. If it’s there, you’ll likely eat it—so don’t let it be there. Throwing it out may sound wasteful but, honestly, will eating a big slice of chocolate cake do anything to help starving children? It looks better in the trash can than it will on your hips. If you still feel wasteful, remind yourself how much money you’ll save on medical bills by avoiding the heart disease and diabetes too much sugar can cause.
Avoid hidden sugars .
Just like the pasta sauce mentioned at the top of this article, prepared foods often contain way more sugar than you would think. Check the labels on yogurt, granola, instant oatmeal, salad dressing, or just about any food in a box or a can. Do your shopping on the perimeter of the grocery store where the whole foods are kept and cook them yourselves so you can control what’s added.
Make sure you get what your body needs .
Often sugar is a substitution for what we really need: more sleep, more hydration, more nutrients, more exercise and a whole lot less stress. So keep a water bottle filled, take a walk, and get to bed a little earlier. And check out our PWM Pro-Balance to ensure you have the calcium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus you need to keep your sugar in balance and kill the sugar cravings before they begin.