5 Tips to Tame Your Sugar Cravings
Stop being a slave to sugar to protect your longevity.
If you’re like most Americans, chances are you are consuming way too much sugar. This could be true even if you’re not constantly snacking on sweets, because so many processed foods contain added sugars.
In addition to contributing to health problems like obesity and diabetes, excessive sugar consumption can potentially take years off your life. How? By causing the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in your body. AGEs can trigger chronic inflammation, which is associated with many chronic diseases related to aging, such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s.
The good news is, you don’t have to go cold turkey on sugar to be healthy. But you do need to curb your sugar consumption. This can be difficult because the human body is hard-wired to crave sugar—it’s the first taste infants prefer, probably because eating sugar triggers the release of serotonin and endorphins.
The following 5 tips will help you control sugar cravings so sugar doesn’t control you.
Pair Sugary & Healthy Foods: When you have a sugar craving, the last thing you want to do is binge on that sugary food. Instead, you can start with a 100 to 150 calorie portion of the treat, and then fill up with a healthy snack to satisfy your hunger. For example, try following a handful of chocolate chips with some nuts, or pairing a piece of chocolate with a banana.
Savor the Sugar: When you do eat sugar, try to pick a small portion of a decadent food rather than a big, cheap snack. For example, ditch the king-size candy bars in favor of a single square of dark chocolate. Take small bites, eat slowly, and really savor the experience.
Chew Sugar-Free Gum: When a sugar craving hits and you’ve already had your sweet treat for the day, try chewing a piece of sugar-free gum instead. Research has shown that chewing gum can reduce food cravings in general.
Eat Regularly: When you’re hungry, you’re more likely to choose sugary, fatty foods. These foods do provide quick energy, but of course they are unhealthy. Eating smaller, more frequent meals can help prevent you from having sugar cravings inspired by hunger pangs. Try to have a small meal or snack every 3 to 5 hours.
Get Quality Sleep: Sleep deprivation really messes up the balance of the hormones that normally signal hunger and fullness. So, if you don’t get enough quality sleep, you’ll not only wake up hungry, you’ll continue to feel hungry even after you’re actually full. Worse still, sleep deprived individuals tend to make very poor nutritional choices, preferring sugary, fatty foods to healthy options. At Renew Youth™, we have several different treatment options that can help you achieve quality sleep, from hormone replacement therapy to relieve insomnia, night sweats, and anxiety to melatonin spray to help reset your circadian rhythms.
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