How do you STOP the sugar cravings?!
Question: How do you STOP the sugar cravings.?
I have never had sugar cravings my entire life. Of course I liked sugary treats, but they were something I could go without. Now, I am 23 and just moved to NYC a little over a year ago. I can't seem to break the breads/carbs/sugar habit out here. Esp. the sugar habit. Before the sweetest thing in my diet would be half a cup of organic fat free soymilk..and that was only to go with my oats. I literally didn't eat or drink ANYTHING else sweet.
Now it seems like I MUST have at least 2-3 sweet things a day. Even if it's just apple juice etc. However, I know these things are loaded with calories and eventually my blood sugar will drop and I will crave them again. What gives and how can I break the habit.?
I have never even been a rice eater and now I actually CRAVE it. YuckHealth Question & Answer
Now it seems like I MUST have at least 2-3 sweet things a day. Even if it's just apple juice etc. However, I know these things are loaded with calories and eventually my blood sugar will drop and I will crave them again. What gives and how can I break the habit.?
I have never even been a rice eater and now I actually CRAVE it. YuckHealth Question & Answer
Answers:
Sugar addiction... the name makes my stomach turn. It's a vicious cycle, the more you eat, the more you crave, your body seems to really believe you need it. The more you eat the worse you feel. It's horrible I had a bad sugar addiction, my boyfriend did, too, (at different times before we met ). We both came to the same conclusion on our own, you have to stop eating white flour, starchy foods and all sugar. You may have harsh side-effects and actually have to wean yourself off, but it's actually much easier to go 'cold-turkey'. It's hard at first and you may have headaches, feel really drained of energy, etc. but it's REALLY worth it! In a few days you won't crave it anymore, in a few weeks you'll literally wonder why you were ever eating it in the first place. At first, you should also cut out "trigger" foods, things which might make you want sugar, even if they aren't really that sweet, (although your sugar accustomed system might not realize how sweet they are, you've become somewhat immune to sweetness, you can't judge the sweetness anymore).
Don't drink juice, especially juice blends, grape juice and apple juice. There are tricks in processing which refine sugar from juice and add it back, which cannot be detected and the company can still advertise 100% juice, no sugar added. Anything with pear juice is especially suspect, as pear juice has little flavor, high natural sugar content, (fructose) and can be easily masked.
It looks like you are usually a health-conscious person, so I'm sure you probably know to avoid foods and beverages which have anything with the name "ose" in them, glucose, fructose, sucrose, all forms of sugar. It even hides in condiments, (especially ketchup). I'd even avoid sugar-free foods with any sugar substitutes in them, as well as diet soda. Not only are alot of the sugar-substitutes bad for you, when you first quit sugar, even the sweet taste of non-sweeted or sugar-free things can set off your craving.
Drink LOTS of water to flush your system, the sooner you do this, the better you'll feel.
I once read that the chemical structure of sugar was VERY similiar to that of cocaine. I'm not sure if it's true but it sounds very likely... Scary.
Hope you feel better!
Health Question & Answer
Don't drink juice, especially juice blends, grape juice and apple juice. There are tricks in processing which refine sugar from juice and add it back, which cannot be detected and the company can still advertise 100% juice, no sugar added. Anything with pear juice is especially suspect, as pear juice has little flavor, high natural sugar content, (fructose) and can be easily masked.
It looks like you are usually a health-conscious person, so I'm sure you probably know to avoid foods and beverages which have anything with the name "ose" in them, glucose, fructose, sucrose, all forms of sugar. It even hides in condiments, (especially ketchup). I'd even avoid sugar-free foods with any sugar substitutes in them, as well as diet soda. Not only are alot of the sugar-substitutes bad for you, when you first quit sugar, even the sweet taste of non-sweeted or sugar-free things can set off your craving.
Drink LOTS of water to flush your system, the sooner you do this, the better you'll feel.
I once read that the chemical structure of sugar was VERY similiar to that of cocaine. I'm not sure if it's true but it sounds very likely... Scary.
Hope you feel better!
Health Question & Answer
eat sugar.... but know when to stopHealth Question & Answer
I'd like to know the answer to that too. But I have the sugar cravings because of a new medication. That is one of the unfortunate side effects. You could try including some protein with a snack like an apple or banana--maybe a small amount of almonds or a couple slices of low fat cheese. That will keep your blood sugar from falling so quickly. also, you might want to try having sugarless gum on hand, because that way you have something in your mouth, but you're not actually eating. I am going to try to stock up on fruits like grapes and fresh pineapple to snack on when I want something sweet instead of reaching for a chocolate bar or cookies. That way I will be incorporating several servings of fruit toward that 5-10 recommendation by the Canada Food Guide. Good luck.Health Question & Answer