One of the best parts of the holiday seasons—besides traveling, enjoying family and friends, and taking time off work– is the food! With so many treats and desserts available, it’s hard not to indulge a little to satisfy your sugar cravings.
There’s nothing wrong with having a decadent dessert every once in a while. However, it’s important to be aware of how many sweets you’re eating.
Consuming too much sugar is bad for your body–no matter how healthy you are.
Consuming too many sweets can easily cause weight gain, abdominal obesity, elevated blood sugar levels, elevated triglycerides, and high blood pressure.
Even worse, eating too much sugar over a long period of time can put you at risk for developing serious diseases like diabetes.
If you have a sweet tooth, it’s important to understand how to manage your sugar cravings so that your health isn’t at risk.
Keep reading to discover the best ways to manage your sugar cravings so you can have a happy and healthy holiday season.
Avoid Processed Foods
Processed foods are loaded with sugars, and when you consume excessive amounts of sugar, you become addicted.
We know this thanks to a study of processed foods, specifically Oreos that was done by Connecticut College.
During this study, researchers confirmed that Oreos could be as addictive as cocaine. And the same is true for chips, cookies, crackers, and other packaged foods.
If processed foods are as addictive as drugs, the best way to curb your cravings is to remove them from your diet completely.
Give it a try and see how your cravings change after a few weeks!
Increase Your Serotonin Levels
Serotonin is your body’s natural happy drug.
It’s a chemical that’s naturally released in your body, and it makes you feel good. And better yet, when it’s released and you’re happy, your cravings for sugary foods should decrease.
You can increase your serotonin levels by doing any of the following things:
- Eat a healthy diet.
- Get at least 8 hours of sleep at night.
- Exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes a day.
Drink Water
When your body needs something, it often communicates its needs through cravings.
Unfortunately, your body may cause you to crave sugar when it’s actually trying to tell you that you’re dehydrated.
To combat sugar cravings, be sure to keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
Drinking water throughout your day will prevent your body from having to ask for it in the form of sugar cravings. The less cravings you have, the less likely you will be to binge on sweets.
Meditate
Sugar cravings are often caused by high stress levels.
This happens because stress often causes poor sleep. When you don’t get enough sleep, your hormone levels become messed up. Unbalanced hormones can easily cause you to crave high-calorie, sugary foods.
Daily meditation allows you to naturally relieve stress so you can avoid restless nights, keep your hormones in check, and avoid sugar cravings.
Tip: If you’re not into meditation, you can also do other activities like jogging, yoga, or playing your favorite sport to relieve stress.
Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth Naturally
From time to time, it’s ok to give into that sugar craving and satisfy your sweet tooth. But when you do, I recommend you do it with natural sweeteners.
Using natural sweeteners is healthier, and when using them, you’re less likely to get addicted to sugar and have cravings.
You can find many recipes online for desserts and treats that use natural sweeteners. I recommend doing a search and adding a few to your recipe box.
While you’re searching, keep an eye out for recipes that include my favorite natural sweeteners: honey, agave nectar, or applesauce.
Taking the steps to care for your body from the inside out is important. While you’re working on managing your sugar cravings, discover how to take care of the outside of your body with all-natural moisturizers.
