It's no secret that sugar is all around us, and not just in the obvious culprits like candy, cookies, cake and ice cream—nowadays sugar is hiding—lurking in salad dressings, canned soup, peanut butter, pickles, ketchup, crackers, and many other food products that would surprise you.
Here are some sugar-craving busters that you can find in your kitchen today.
Nuts the Energy Snack
Your body uses food as its primary source of energy, when you constantly crave sugar your body is asking you for a quick source of energy. A simple way to stop your sugar craving is to snack on protein-rich foods throughout the day. If you give your body a better source of energy it will not ask for the quick sugar fix.
This power food stops the lust for sugar in its tracks, nutritious nuts fill you up and since they pack protein your body gets that energy that it seeks from sugar, yet low-fat nuts give you a much healthier energy source and it will sustain you a longer time throughout the day.
Naturally-Sweet Fruit
The natural sweetness of fresh fruit will not only satisfy your sweet tooth, but whole fruit also contains fiber—the fiber will slow down the absorption of sugar in your body and help keep your blood sugar from rising too quickly—which can actually lead to even more sugar cravings.
Water is a Sugar-Craving Cure
Often, your body's need for water is interpreted as a desire for sugar. Water is your body's principal chemical component, making up, on average, 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water. Drink 8 (8-ounce) glasses of water per day, with no flavorings or sweeteners added. Drinking water brings you ultra-healthy hydration which replenishes your body systems to function optimally and energizes you which all together is a craving-cure for sugar.
Beans Bring Protein
A great way to defeat your food craving for a sweet is to increase the amount of protein you consume, so it's time to get into the bean scene: wholesome beans can be cooked and enjoyed in myriad ways, and dishes that contain beans stave off the hankering for sugar and replace it with a healthier alternative. For the big benefits of beans choose navy beans, lima beans, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, garbanzos, black beans, and the legumes peas and lentils. Among the most nutritious foods available, beans are protein-rich, typically low in fat, cholesterol-free, high in potassium, iron and magnesium.
Apple-Cider Vinegar Helps Digestion
Drink this and watch your sugar obsession disappear: Add 3 teaspoons of pure, raw, organic apple-cider vinegar to a 5-ounce glass of filtered water. Apple-cider vinegar is very effective in detoxicating various organs in the body together with the blood stream, and it promotes digestion by keeping your stomach acid in its correct proportion therefore, helping to digest proteins and fats. Good digestion is essential and that feeling of purification that this mini-recipe gives, makes the desire for sugar fall at the wayside.
Mara Rogers - Mara Rogers is an award-winning freelance food, travel and lifestyle writer in digital and print, as well as professionally media-trained ...
