The 3 Best Ways to Beat Sugar Cravings
By Woman's Day Staff
With the amount of sugar found in common foods, it's hard to avoid the sweetener. Make it easier on yourself (and your waistline) with this easy-to-follow advice. Click through to find out how to nip those pesky cravings in the bud.
Related: See 50 surprising foods under 100 calories.
The physician says…read labels Don't blame brownies for your sweet tooth. As much as half the sugar you consume comes from savory sources such as pasta sauce, salad dressing, condiments, crackers and bread. These stealth sugars are dangerous because they condition your taste buds to expect sweetness. The more sugar you eat, the more you want-and that's when you reach for the brownie. Excess sugar in your diet can lead to a host of health problems, from heart disease to diabetes. So shop smart: Compare labels at the supermarket and choose brands that contain fewer grams of sugar per serving, or substitute a different food entirely. Try using hot sauce instead of ketchup, and oil and vinegar instead of bottled dressing. Dialing down your daily exposure to sugar is the first step toward lessening your cravings.
DAVID L. KATZ, MD, director, Yale University Prevention Research Center, and author, Disease-Proof
Related: Explore the 6 best foods for sensitive stomachs.
The nutritionist says…eat a better breakfast Starting your day with a muffin or sweet cereal sets up a perilous pattern: Blood sugar levels rise quickly, providing a quick burst of energy, then fall a few hours later, creating a hankering for something sweet. Break the cycle by eating a balanced breakfast that contains a combination of fiber and protein, such as scrambled eggs and whole-grain toast or plain Greek yogurt with fruit.
BONNIE TAUB-DIX, RD, New York City nutrition expert and author, Read It Before You Eat It
Related: Discover the best peanut butter brands.
The psychologist says…walk away If you just can't stop thinking about the leftover birthday cake sitting in your fridge, slip on your sneakers and take a 10-minute stroll around the neighborhood-or even just move into the next room. Most cravings are transient, meaning they will go away after a few minutes. So taking a break or changing your environment can mean that by the time you return to whatever it was you were doing when the initial cake craving struck, you will likely have forgotten about your need to snack on something sweet.
SHERRY PAGOTO, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor of medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School
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