I am a sucker for sweets and especially chocolate. A chocolate bar is often times my lunch or dinner. What can I do to stop craving sweets? –Paula B.
If your body isn’t well nourished, your brain will ask you to reach for chocolate or other sweets and junk food. Here’s how to manage your problem:
1) To prevent cravings for sweets in general, you need to focus on fueling your body to prevent low blood sugar. Keeping blood sugar up allows your brain to make better food choices. Be sure your breakfast is a sound balanced meal with complex carbohydrates (containing fiber), lean protein and healthy fat. Incorporate a small morning snack if lunch is often delayed.
Getting adequate trace minerals such as magnesium may help curb the urge for chocolate, a known source of this nutrient. Eat more rich magnesium sources such as whole grains (e.g. wheat germ, quinoa), green leafy vegetables, nuts, pumpkin seeds, avocados, beans, soybeans, fish and oysters.
2) To manage cravings you MUST have readily available healthy lunches and ditch the chocolate source. You can’t eat what you don’t have. Follow the adage “out of sight – out of mind.” Make the candy bars unavailable as an option. Instead, create an environment of success by packing your lunch. Store phone numbers of convenient healthy restaurants for call-ahead ordering. Once you’ve eaten a sensible lunch without waiting too long, the cravings for sweets should pass.
– Debbie J., MS, RD
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Replace sweets with fruit. By coming off of the refined sugar, your taste buds will start to perceive fructose as being sweeter thus satisfying those cravings.