If you have been following the current trend a bit, or reading / seeing my posts on a regular basis, you must know it by now: Sugar should be your enemy. Stop avoiding the good fats, stop choosing the “low-fat” versions, stop counting calories. Start eating organic REAL WHOLE foods, free your mind from all misleading beliefs from the mainstream commercials, and see what happens. Whether you are looking to lose weight or to just start feeling better, healthier, this is a no-brainer.
Unfortunately, sugar is highly addictive. And industrials know it very well. The more they add some in their processed foods, the more you will like it and ask for more. Some people keep this sweet taste addiction but choose artificial sweeteners instead, thinking that at least, it is not sugar they are having, and they are decreasing their calories amount. Sorry but no sorry…. This might be even worse for you. The toxicity levels, the hormonal disturbance it can create, are just some consequences of these bad choices.
So how can we do then? How can we stop ingesting these harmful and toxic chemicals, that we are so addicted to? How can we avoid them, when they are actually in most of the foods around us?
This might sound quite overwhelming for the many sweet/sugar-addicts out there! But don’t worry. There are a few things you can start doing NOW and that will help you on your way to a better health and more happiness.
These are my TOP 5 tips to overcome these sugar cravings, based on my own experience, with myself and with some clients I have been coaching.
1. Replace sugar/starchy foods with beneficial fats and proteins
Keep in mind and repeat to yourself: “Good fats flush out the bad fats in my body”. And start appreciating these foods for what they really are: an amazing nutrient-dense and healthy source of nutrition for your body AND MIND. You can not overindulge in healthy fats: they are too satiating… Have you ever seen someone eating a whole 250g slab of butter? Quite rare, isn’t it? But a whole 250g jar of chocolate spread, that is easy, right? Healthy fats help your body stabilize itself. They help your body counterbalance the effects of other foods on your insulin, they help your body absorb and metabolize foods better, they help your body digest better and they help your body produce hormones in a healthy balanced way.
So yes, think of:
- wild caught Alaskan salmon (beware of fish as most of them are highly contaminated nowadays unfortunately….)
- sardines or anchovies (avoid the canned versions, where aluminium often leaks)
- avocados
- organic grass-fed raw butter or ghee
- grass-fed or wild meat and organ meat, free-range poultry
- extra-virgin cold pressed olive oil
- olives
- organic and pre-soaked nuts and seeds (no peanuts here…)
Beware of the "bad" fats, basically the ones that are in most of the processed foods! Trans-fats and hydrogenated fats are similar to plastic... So reald the labels and stick to all whole natural foods.
By adding more of good fats in your daily consumption, you will quickly see how you won’t need as much sugars or starches anymore. Just start from your breakfast on, and always have some fats in any snacks or meals you eat. You will soon start feeling the difference.
2. Drink more quality water
Many chronic health problems could be relieved if people understood how crucial it is to drink GOOD water. Tap water, unfortunately, is often still polluted with harmful waste of all kinds of medication (contraceptive pill, cholesterol statins, other drugs and commonly taken medications…), but also fluoride and other residues that are not worth your health. Choose a good quality mineral water, with the dry residue amount above 300mg/L. Add a pinch of pink Himalayan Salt to your bottle. How much you should be drinking in Liter? At least your bodyweight (in kg) * 0.033. Start from the morning on, and all day through. Avoid drinking during your meals, as it dilutes the gastric juices, therefore disturbing your digestion process. Some days you might need to drink more, depending on how much you are sweating, moving, or even your stress levels in general. Whenever you feel like grabbing some sweet fruits or treats, just have some water instead and feel what happens.
Another tip to enjoy the benefits of hydration to the best: have a sip and keep it in your mouth, swishing it around for a few seconds. Basically, in general, think of “drinking your food” and “eating your water”. Another life changing habit…!
3. You got it: take time to chew your food
Too many people don’t take time to mindfully enjoy their meals. Most of us have a quick breakfast (if breakfast at all), then a quick sandwich at lunch in front of the computer, and a better diner but stressed with household and/or family problems, therefore not taking time to truly appreciate their food. Well this impacts the whole digestive system, the way your food is absorbed and utilized. So be more thoughtful during your next meal! Be grateful for the great food you are going to eat and take time to appreciate each mouthful with time. You will feel more satiated and won’t rush to sweet foods as much after the first meal.
4. Sleep better
It is scientifically proven: the less you sleep, the more your body will look for quick energy fixes. And yes, you get it: sugar foods, sweet foods will be the first foods you will be attracted to. When you feel fatigued, whether it is because you are too stressed or because you are not sleeping enough, take a step back, apply all other points and start with healthy fatty foods first. Then, if you feel like a sweet taste at the end of your meal, go for very dark raw cacao bite. This is full of nutrients that will help you get over your sweet craving and that will help your body feel better. A good tip also would be to add Ceylan cinnamon to your foods, as this stabilizes your blood sugar levels and helps decrease your sweet cravings.
The best sleep pattern is the one that respects your natural circadian rhythm: go to bed by 10.30pm, avoid all laptops/smartphones/screens/EMFs disturbances at least 1-2 hours before bed time. Dim the lights to help your body get ready for the night, to decrease your cortisol levels and increase your sleeping hormones (melatonin). Having some TART CHERRY JUICE one hour before sleeping might help you on this. Epsom Salt baths are also a good way to relax at the end of the day and to nurture yourself. Make it a priority, and you will soon feel the benefits.
5. Self-love and deep belly breathing
Sugar cravings and addiction to sweet foods is more a symptom than a root cause of a problem. Many people use sweet foods as comfort foods. It helps them manage their daily stress better. On a deeper way, it may help them feel better with themselves because it replaces some deeper more serious void inside. We all need love, in form of self-love first, but feeling loved as well. And sometimes, sweet foods do the job.
For some other people, overindulging in sweet foods may also be a way of keeping distance with deeper hurtful feelings. You overindulge, you feel numb inside because physically you are feeling bad. So the emotional pain seems less important, or at least is more bearable.
Both situations are quite common, and often get worse if the person feels guilty acting that way. The feelings of guilt and shame can increase the state of despair the person is in. And so goes the downward spiral, over and over. You feel bad, afraid, you lack self-love and/or love, so you eat sweet foods to heal that wound, and then you feel guilty and ashamed of it, and eat more of it to forget about those terrible feelings, etc etc…
Realizing this and being aware of the triggers and different situations that lead you there is a first very important step toward healing. I truly believe that taking time to meditate, to re-connect with your inner self, to repeat empowering self-love affirmations to yourself every day, and to do deep belly breathing whenever you feel at the edge or overwhelmed, can help you feel better with yourself and can help you make better decisions for yourself, without having to self-sabotage. Start with 5 minutes reconnection a day, and start stopping all negative self-talks. You are worth much more than that.
CONCLUSION
Sweet cravings are a symptom, not a cause, of something going on with you. Whether the root cause is emotional or physical, just keep in mind that everything is related. Your mind, your emotions influence the way your body physically works. By starting making these few changes in your life, you will quickly see how big of a difference that makes. Don’t underestimate any small step towards a healthier lifestyle. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
In Health and Happiness,
Stephanie