Want to eat healthy but just can’t beat those sugar cravings? Try following recommendations by Melissa King, wellness and lifestyle coach. (Photos.com)
There are a number of reasons that we might have an occasional or chronic issue with sugar cravings. A few of them are:
1. Physiological imbalance: Sometimes our sweet cravings come from a physical need for something sweet. If we have eaten a meal that was salty or high in protein, we may feel a need to balance it out. That can be a reason why we often want dessert after dinner. One way of handling a physiological reaction is to begin incorporating sweet vegetables into our meals. We might add sweet potato, sweet corn, sweet onion, or cooked carrots to our plate. If our craving truly is physiological, incorporating these sweet flavors from healthy sources should correct the problem.
2. Thirst: Oftentimes we crave sweet when we are thirsty. Funny, huh? If you don’t believe me try it. Whenever you crave something sweet, have a glass of water first and see what happens to your craving. Do this even when you are craving fruit. (Not that fruit is bad, but we often crave fruit when we really need water).
3. Need for Nutrients: Sometimes our body elicits cravings when it wants a specific nutrient. In this case, try to pay close attention to what it is your body is craving and then try to find the food in its purest form. In other words, if you are craving strawberry ice cream, have some strawberries; if you are craving pasta, maybe try something that is a whole grain instead - like oatmeal or quinoa. This way your body will truly get the nutrient it’s asking for.
4. Habit: If we have always sat down to watch our favorite show with a pint of ice cream, or Coke and a bag of chips, something will feel like its missing when we don’t have those things. Oftentimes, the remedy for this is simply changing the habit. Recognize what you are doing, then choose not to do it for long enough, and the need for ice cream, soda, or chips with T.V. will eventually pass. If you want to make it easier, find something else to fill the missing element. Buy some tasty herbal teas to make, paint your nails, invite someone to join you for the show or movie, etc.
5. Emotional Need: This is a huge reason that many of us crave sweets. Sweets have meaning to us. They remind us of fun times, easy times, intimate moments, times when we felt connected to others. Oftentimes when we go for something sweet, we are unconsciously (and sometimes consciously) trying to recreate that moment or the feelings we had in that moment.
Sweets can be therapeutic. They make us happy. We can have instant, easy access to them, and we can eat as much as we want of any number of varieties. It’s cheap compared to other therapies and we don’t have to be vulnerable or bother anyone else to enjoy it.
This is the hardest attachment to sweets to break. But there are little things you can do to help:
A. Journal. Last week one of the members in my self-challenge said, “I’ve decided to write my feelings instead of eat them.” What an excellent statement. We can learn so much about ourselves when we do this.
B. Find another "therapy." Some "therapies" take more work than others. Figure out what really brings you pleasure, and start making time to do it more often. Take a hot bath, perhaps add candles and aromatherapy; read a good book; journal; paint your nails; play with make-up; write a fictional autobiographical story that helps you put your experience into characters that don’t exist in real life; explore the great variety of herbal teas in your grocery store (there is actually one called Gingerbread by Celestial Seasonings and it has zero calories), or call a good friend. What other ideas do you have?
Sitting with our pain, instead of eating to distract ourselves, often helps us to heal. When we distract ourselves, we never allow ourselves to go through whatever stages of emotion and problem solving we need to go through. It will be uncomfortable at first, but wade through it and get to the other end. Get counseling if it deeply affects you.
When you don't allow yourself to medicate with sweets, you might be surprised by what feelings and thoughts surface.
Melissa King is a life and wellness coach in New York City. Visit her Web site at myheartdances.com If you benefit from these articles, let her know at melissa@myheartdances.com
