All's well that ends "sweet". Sweetness is desired in all the aspects of life - in relationships and in end-results of efforts. We even wish "sweet dreams" to ourselves and to our loved ones before going to bed. And in reality, the dreams of sweets haunt us in the daytime. Carrying the title of "sweet tooth", we seem to justify this title with every single effort. What, if we can't get chocolate bars or ice-cream scoops at home? Jam is there in the refrigerator and our index finger is always ready. And the tip of the tongue is ready to lurk out like a lustful snake. What more is needed?
Why Do We Crave for Sugary Foods?
- Sweets just taste good.
- Carbohydrates stimulate the release of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin and sugar is a carbohydrate.
- The taste of sugar also releases endorphins that calm and relax us and offer a natural "high".
- The human brain relates sweets to rewards and treats.
- The consumption of refined foods and that of salty snacks like finger chips or French fries is found to be associated with an instant craving for a sugary drink.
- In cases where sugar levels are not stable and there is a constant rise and fall in the blood sugar level, people tend to crave for sugary foods.
- When you starve or consume fewer calories than usual, then your sugar cravings increase.
The Ways to Fight Sugar Cravings
- Enjoy Your Favorites in Small Pieces: Have a small piece of whatever you crave for. Enjoying a little of what you love will help to drive away the feeling of deprivation from your mind.
- Mix the Wrong With the Right: Mix a little of what you crave for with something healthy. For example, if you crave for chocolate, make some chocolate sauce at home without adding fat or corn flour to it and dip an apple or strawberry or any other available fruit or nuts like almond in it. This way, you will avail the benefit of the fruit while still satisfying your craving.
- Train Your Taste Buds: Our taste buds are the main culprit behind all cravings and training them can take you a long way on the road of health. Each time you crave for sweet, try to brush your teeth. Brushing gives you an instant freshness and kills the craving for at least a few hours. Meanwhile, you can divert your mind and forget about the craving altogether.
- Chew on Sugar-free Gum: If you are one of those regular cravers, who give in to their tongue very easily, then you can keep some sugar-free gum handy. This will satisfy your craving without supplying too many calories.
- Chew on Taste Changing Foods: Flavored spices like cardamom (elaichi) and fennel (saunf) have a dominating taste and they can well suppress any craving for sweet.
- Use Fruits as Substitutes: Fruits are not only sweet to taste, but also provide us with fiber and other essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals. If you are aiming at weight loss, keep citrus fruits handy.
- Use Dry Fruits as Substitutes: Raisins (kishmish), fig (anjeer) and black currant (munakka) can help you satisfy your cravings.
- Shift Your Attention: If sweets are in your mind and you will like to have sugary foods in your mouth, then shift your attention and get busy with something that interests you. But don't take up a boring task at hand or you'll crave even more.
- Smell Something Strong: Strong smells like that of coffee can help you get rid of your craving, but beware of fruity and sweet odors since they create an opposite effect.
- Eat at Regular Intervals: As mentioned earlier, starving provokes cravings and if you keep your food intake regular and eat at an interval of 2 to 3 hours, then there will be no time allowance for your cravings.
You cannot escape sugar cravings if you don't want to do so. It's all in your mind. Your taste buds are just the medium to follow your brain's orders. Tame your brain and you'll be on your way to cut down on sugar intake. But who does want to do that? Life is short and it needs to get sweeter and sweeter as time passes by. Think, even Gods cannot avoid its appeal. They also want sweets as bribes for fulfilling your wishes.
