Are you one of the million Canadians suffering from sugar cravings?
Well, you are not alone. To manage daily cravings and blood sugar swings and reduce addiction long-term, add the following top 3 tips to stop sugar cravings to your daily diet!
Check out what I personally do to keep my sugar cravings at bay (find it near the end of this post)
3 Tips to Stop Sugar Cravings
Tip #1: Fiber-rich foods
Choose fiber-rich foods to help keep sugar cravings under control. Dietary fiber has a stabilizing effect on blood sugar levels, slowing the absorption of glucose from foods, which reduces the sharp rise in blood sugar levels.
Avoid: Refined carbs like sugary breakfast cereals, white breads, pasta and rice, and cakes and biscuits, all high in added sugars and low in fiber, will cause sharp spikes and dips in blood sugar levels, resulting in low energy levels and sugar cravings.
Do include: Fiber-rich foods include vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, beans, legumes and small portions of grains (ideally soaked or sprouted for best digestion).
Weight loss tip
Refined carbs lead to being overweight (and staying that way).
Fiber-rich foods help strip the body of extra weight (and keep it off).
Tip #2: Eliminate “Fast” Carbohydrates
Blood sugar spikes get started by eating “fast” carbohydrates.
Avoid: Candy and soft drinks are obvious sources of “fast” carbs. But not so obvious are flour products like white bread, bagels, waffles, pancakes, muffins, donuts, cookies, cakes, crackers, many breakfast cereals and snack chips.We call them “fast” carbs because they have no fiber, protein or fat to slow down digestion. They break down rapidly into sugar, causing a spike. It’s the familiar “sugar rush,” and it comes from white bread almost as fast as from candy.The spike is perceived as a metabolic emergency and our body reacts by clearing the excess sugar as fast as it can. This inevitably drives blood sugar too low. It’s the “sugar crash,” and causes cravings from having too little blood sugar.
The sugar cravings lead to more “fast carb” eating, and the spike and crash cycle happens again and again.
Do include: The healthier `slow`carbs, like vegetables (especially non-starchy fibrous ones), whole fruit (especially berries), nuts and seeds (properly soaked) and, if you are one who does eat grains, choose grains that are properly soaked or sprouted for best digestion.
Weight loss tip
Replace ‘non-starchy fibrous carbs’ for ‘fast’ carbs. Some examples of ‘non-starchy fibrous carbs’ include: asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, celery, cucumber. Serving size: unlimited (enough to feel 80% full and as part of your meal that contains a serving of protein and fat).
Dinner is the time to have your ‘starchy’ carbohydrate. Starchy carbohydrates help to ensure a good night’s sleep (which is why we avoid them at breakfast and lunch). Some examples of ‘starchy’ carbohydrates include: potatoes, yams, pumpkin, carrots, and properly soaked or sprouted beans or grains. Serving size: 1/2 cup cooked.
Go here for your EASY SALMON AND YAM FRIES RECIPE
Tip #3: Protein & Fats
Here is the golden rule when it comes to eliminating sugar cravings for life…..
Eat a serving of protein and fat with each meal. Protein and fats takes longer to digest, which slows release of sugar from carbs and eliminating the “sugar spike & crash”! Fat and protein also keep you satisfied for longer, reducing the urge to eat sugary foods.
Avoid: Eating meals without including a protein and fat.
Do include: Quality protein foods like; pasture raised meats, low mercury fish (i.e. wild salmon), eggs from pasture fed chickens, raw dairy (instead of pasteurized), and nuts and seeds (properly soaked). For healthy fats, choose coconut oil, butter (from grass fed cows), avocados, olives, seeds like flax, chia and hemp, nuts like almonds and cashews, extra virgin olive oil.
Weight loss tip
Need help with your diet? Go here for the Slim, Strong, and Sexy Diet
3 things I DO to KEEP my sugar cravings at bay
- Drink herbal tea sweetened with stevia – I choose either an herbal, peppermint, or ginger blend and sweeten with green leaf stevia (not processed white stevia). I drink about 1 full pot most days between meals.
- Chew xylitol sweetened gum – I choose either cinnamon or peppermint flavor brand of Spry or Pure. I enjoy chewing gum between meals.
- Drink carbonated water. When I am eating out, this is my beverage of choice after dinner. Look for the San Pellegrino brand for it’s balanced mineral content.
NEED TO STOP SUGAR CRAVINGS FAST? Try Gymnema sylvestre
The Indian herb Gymnema sylvestre has been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for 2000 years, most recently for the treatment of diabetes. Loose leaf Gymnema sylvestre can be prepared as a tea and will impair the ability to taste sugar by blocking sweet receptors on the tongue.
A good trick I help my personal clients with, is to have the Gymnema sylvestre capsules on hand. Simply open one up and pop the contents into the mouth.
Stops sugar cravings right in it’s tracks! Always being mind full to fix the sugar craving problem by getting at it’s root cause – which is usually Leptin Resistance.
STILL NEED HELP WITH SUGAR CRAVINGS?
NEWS FLASH: It may not be your diet. You may be Leptin Resistant
Find out what it is and how to fix it here
Take the Leptin Resistant Quiz
At the end of it all, once you have mastered your sugar cravings you will be a step closer to achieving optimal health.
Need help with a more Personalized Diet? Then go here for one on one help