6 strategies to beat sugar craving naturally

I have a sweet tooth. Always have.

The first treat/snack I recall eating with great regularity is kalkandu aka rock candy aka sugar. I was a fussy eater and the solution devised by the adults was to put a bit of sugar in everything I ate.

Won’t eat roti? Roll it up with some sugar in it. Won’t eat rice? Mix in some milk and sugar. I am not blaming them at all. I loved it. And being a skinny and hyper-energetic kid, this worked for many, many years.

So this sugar craving is as much a habit and something automatic in me and not actually a craving most of the time. But it still has to be dealt with. While one should eat their favourite foods, one should also look at staying healthy, and chocolate ice-cream for breakfast does not keep me healthy.

Tips to beat sugar cravings naturally

Strategy #1: A 10-minute timer

Most times, the sugar craving comes after a meal. Because you are used to dessert or because you regularly ate some candy after a meal as a kid. Reaching out for that sugary treat is just an immediate feeling you act on before your brain has even processed what’s happening.

Slow down. Let your brain catch up.

I set a 10-minute timer. This is a mental timer but as I write this, I realize I should just set the timer on my phone as well. Just wait out the timer – go do something else.

Most times, what you will find is that your brain will tell you you’re full and the craving will have disappeared by the time the 10 minutes are up. All because you gave yourself a little time.

Strategy #2: Create a hurdle

There’s this piece of research that I read about. This was done in an office setting with cubicles. What these food and behavioural scientists did was put a bowl of candy in 3 different places.

Place 1: Within hand’s reach of where the person working in the cubicle is.

Place 2: About 1-2 feet away. It is still in the cubicle but the person has to stand and walk a step towards it.

Place 3: About 10-20 feet away. Out of the line of sight and a lot more steps to get to it.

Photo by Alyssa Ledesma/Unsplash

What they found was the 3rd scenario (candy 10-20 ft away) resulted in the least amount of candy being consumed! And the first scenario led to a lot of candy consumed.

Candy that was 10 feet away was eaten far lesser than candy on the desk.

When it comes to sugar, out of sight is out of mind.

Strategy #3: Chew sugar-free gum

Sugar-free gum has a small amount (less than 1 gram) of sweetener, so small that you can round it down to zero. It gives your teeth and jaws a good workout (which is good) and gives you that sugar hit as well. This is a win-win!

There are many options and really good flavours available. And as someone who likes to chew gum, this method works best for me. It also works well with Strategy #1 -the 10-min wait. I chew gum during that time and the craving goes away.

Strategy #4: Make the decision in the morning

If you are like me, it is not a question of if but when you will get that sugar craving. Mondays are the worst because I probably had a good treat on Sunday. You would think that means Monday is the easiest day to say no but funnily, that just makes it harder for me.

Every Monday morning I tell myself and I write it down sometimes as well – “I am not eating sugar today”.

And I decide when and what I will eat – Saturday is chocolate ice-cream, an extra scoop because I’ve been good. Gives me something to look forward to. Most times, decision fatigue and tiring of saying No to temptations is what costs us. Get ahead of it and actively decide when you will have your treat. And move on.

Strategy #5: Dark chocolate

Eat a square or two of dark chocolate – say something in the 70% or 80% range.

Photo by Dovile Ramoskaite/Unsplash

The sugar content is low, and it is rich. It will give you the hit of sugar you need with minimal damage.

Pro tip: Don’t bite it. Let it stay in your mouth and dissolve. That way you’ll enjoy it more and it also does at better job at satisfying your craving.

Strategy #6: Sleep

If you find that even with a good, wholesome meal that you are getting cravings, fix your sleep.

Sleep deprivation will increase your sugar cravings – this is scientifically proven. Ignore it at your own peril.

How to beat sugar cravings at night?

Sugar cravings at night can become your biggest problem when trying to lose weight. Here are 5 tips to help you deal with the sugar craving.

Tip 1: Sleep more.

This might sleep obvious, but poor sleep = weight gain. This is just a fact and how the body works. When you do not sleep enough, your body will increase your cravings for food. And relying on willpower will not solve it. So work on good sleep habits.

Tip 2: Fruit is your candy.

Fruit is nature’s candy, but the healthy kind.

Pieces of fruits

Use fruit as your first option whenever you have cravings at night.

Avoid fruit juices and have the whole fruit.

The fruit provides you with more nutrients and the fibre will help you keep fuller for longer too.

Tip 3: Brush your teeth.

Yes, that’s right. Brushing your teeth can be a simple but effective way to fight those cravings. It’s a mental note that you are done with eating for the day.

Tip 4: Try sugar-free gum.

Sugar-free gum has a tiny amount of sweetener. But it will satisfy your sugar craving and by the time you finish chewing it, it’s quite likely that the craving has gone away. It’s a useful zero calorie option to deal with sugar cravings.

Tip 5: Give in, but just a little.

It’s ok once in a while to give in to your temptations and have a sugary treat.

The important thing is to keep the portions small.

Slice of cheese cake

Having a small piece of cake will not set you back much. But having half a tub of ice cream will. So always keep your treats small.

None of these strategies are fool-proof. But they are simply strategies to help buy you time and get out of that immediate reaction where you just pop it in. There’s not one magical fix – it depends on the situation.

This is what we help our users with in the Daily9 coaching programme. We guide them through different strategies until they find the ones that work best for them.

Try these out and be relaxed about it. See what works for you, and when. The key thing is that you can control that craving. That craving does not own you. Knowing when you want to eat that sugar versus letting it take over is the key thing you are going for.

You are the boss of that sugar!

This article was originally published on Arvindashok.com

About the Author

Coach Arvind

Arvind is a qualified Personal Trainer, SFG-certified Kettlebell Instructor and a Nutrition Coach. Arvind knows that there is no one-size-fits all answer and is focused on helping people find the solutions that work for them. He frowns at fad diets as they do more harm than good.