For those embarking on the Winter Destress Quest, or anyone that’s holding off on refined sugars, you may be noticing by now… cravings. Specifically, sugar cravings. If you’re in this boat, guess what! You are the captain, and you have the chance to steer this experience in any direction. Aw, yeah! Here are my top tips for leaving sugar cravings in the dust:
Keep Blood Sugar Levels Even
You’re already starting to work on this just by leaving out the refined sugars–good job! Keep it up by emphasizing wholesome fats (nuts, avocados, coconut oil, butter) in your meals and by getting enough protein (eggs, pulled pork, lentils) at each meal. And speaking of meals–keep them consistent! Aim to eat breakfast within an hour of waking up, and allow yourself time during the day for lunch and dinner. It’s so easy in our fast-paced lives to skip meals! When blood sugar is regulated, it’s easier to go longer stretches without meals (which makes intermittant fasting an option for many people!), but until then, keep meals and even some snacks handy while your blood sugar is working on evening out.
Drink Water, Try Salt
Sometimes, people are seriously thirsty and they don’t even know it! Destress Questers have a goal of drinking a minimum of 40 ounces of water each day, but hey, that may not be enough for you, cause… you’re a unique snowflake. Try drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning, and notice if that affects cravings. After that, try drinking a glass of water when you’re having a crazy and notice what happens. After THAT, try adding a pinch of sea salt to your first glass of water in the morning. You may be surprised how this informs your taste for foods the rest of the day.
Eat a Spoonful of Fat
Coconut oil, coconut butter/manna, coconut milk, unsweetened nut butters, half an avocado, all of these are fatty foods that can help the body understand it’s cravings nutrients–not sugars. Give a spoonful a go and notice how it makes you feel. If you still crave something sweet, try adding an apple or banana next time and get in those happy carbohydrates!
Eat Good Bacteria
All of our guts have special friends, those good bacteria, that help us get the job done day in and day out. Give your digestion a boost it may be craving by having a serving of a naturally fermented food like sauerkraut, kimchi, unsweetened kefir or yogurt. For this, I’d hold off on kombucha, since it’s a sugar ferment and sometimes that will just increase the sugar craving.
So those are my four top tips to help smash out those sugar cravings! Eat regular, satisfying meals, drink water, get in those good fats and bring on the probiotics! But I want to hear from you–what works for you when you’re craving the sugar?
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