Irresistible craving for sweets causes. Products that help against sugar cravings. Mindfulness in every movement

Can't stop thinking about sweets? Do you feel like you are addicted to sugar? Recent research has shown that sugar affects chemicals in the brain to create sugar cravings. Such cravings tend to be much stronger than addictions to other foods, such as those containing fat. One reason for this is that sugar releases feel-good chemicals in the brain, including serotonin and endorphins. These chemicals provide a short burst of energy and generally improve your mood. Factors that trigger sugar cravings may vary from person to person, but they are often associated with the mood and energy boost associated with sweets. However, there are ways to overcome your cravings for sweets, the most effective of which are outlined in our article.

Steps

Identify your triggers

Pay attention to emotional triggers. Cravings for sweets appear due to hunger. Often such cravings are caused by emotions. Think about the last time you had a craving for something sweet. How did you feel then? Perhaps boredom, stress, loneliness, holiday excitement or anxiety? It would be helpful to understand your emotional triggers in order to create the most best plan fight cravings for sweets.

To find your emotional triggers, track your emotions when you crave something sweet. Every time you feel hungry or eat something sweet, write down in your diary what you feel at that time. Be sure to accurately note each emotion you experience.
For example, you want something sweet right after you get a bad grade in an exam. Your cravings may be the result of sadness or disappointment.

Notice cravings due to stress. Sugar cravings can also be caused by stress. Stress produces a substance in the body called cortisol, which is a stress hormone. Cortisol is associated with big amount negative impacts on the body, from weight gain to weight loss immune system. Stress is part of the body's fight or flight response. Often people cope with stress by eating sweets, as it reduces this reaction.
- If you are stressed, try not to eat sweets. Find another outlet, such as exercise or deep breathing.
Recognize when you need a burst of energy. When you are tired, you look for a quick and easy way increase your energy level. Sugar provides a temporary boost of energy, but it doesn't last long. Part of the side effect of sugar is that your energy levels will actually be even lower afterwards since it's not a sustained energy boost. Sugar is one of the substances that the body processes most quickly into fuel or energy.

Identify hormonal cravings. In women, cravings for sweets can be caused by premenstrual syndrome, due to a decrease in endorphin production in the body. Eating sugar increases the concentration of chemicals in the brain that are responsible for good mood. Another positive by-effect consumption of sugar is that it increases the body's production chemical substance, which acts as a pain reliever.

Choose healthier sweets. Sweets don't have to be complicated, super fancy, or a huge dessert. It's best to choose a simple sweet that doesn't contain processed, unnatural ingredients. If you consume simple sweets This also means avoiding processed foods, which are often high in sugar. Try other options, such as fruit or dark chocolate.

Drink more water. One of the most simple ways Cutting back on sweets and reducing cravings means drinking more water. This will help you avoid sugary drinks and will also keep you hydrated and improve your health. Avoid drinks with high content sugar, such as sports drinks, sweets soft drinks and some fruit drinks.
- If you don't like it plain water, try seltzer water with natural additives.
Avoid artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are a bad choice if you want to avoid sweets and reduce your cravings for such foods. Was held comprehensive study the effects of artificial sweeteners on the body and increased risk cancer development. Artificial sweeteners include saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, cyclamate and neotame.

It's stupid to give up sweets! If you have already stepped on this rake a hundred times, then it’s time to stop and reconsider your attitude towards treats. And this will really free you from addiction.

If you constantly eat cookies and cakes, eat them with buns, and snack on chocolates and ice cream, and still can’t stop, then this article is definitely for you!

"Sweet Addiction"- a long-established term. The most curious thing is that most people know quite a lot about sugar, more than about all other food products. Including the reasons for dependence on this scourge.

Therefore, I will not dwell here on the reasons for the craving for sweets and starchy foods. A lot of articles have been written about this, each more stupid than the other. For if there was any sense, then the dependence on sweets would soon disappear. But it only grows from year to year.

Well, really, what kind of advice is this: eat more proteins and vegetables, generously seasoned with vitamins, and especially chromium (chrome, Karl!!!), drink more water, sleep longer than usual - that's all. So what, it works? I highly doubt it.

There are some completely bad tips, such as replacing sweets with dried fruits and marmalades. Don't they have sugar in them? Did you know that dried dates contain 4 times more sugar compared to pure glucose? What about honey? This is generally a medicine that should be taken in strictly dosage and only during colds.

I’d rather tell you my way of getting rid of this craving for sweets. And not even about deliverance, but about reasonable transformation. After all, completely giving up sweets is utter stupidity and complete heresy!

I myself am also a fan of sipping cookies with tea, accompanied by a good TV series, and especially in winter, wrapped in a cozy blanket.

You've probably noticed more than once that the first two cookies are the most delicious. Well, maybe a third one. Maximum four. Fifth it's already underway almost automatically and its taste is almost not felt. In any case, it’s not as pleasing as the first two.

We will not discuss the reason for this effect. The main thing is that it exists. And it is he who will help us cope with the irrepressible craving for sweets and starchy foods.

Essentially, we have to change an established habit. And nothing helps you change a habit more than being clearly aware of what you are doing.

3 steps to get rid of cravings for sweets and starchy foods

1 step. Buy more of your favorite sweets. Yes! You heard right. Buy a lot of them and keep them in a visible place. I consider it utter stupidity to hide sweets from yourself. This way you only stress yourself out even more, and the desire to eat sweets intensifies.

Step 2. When you want something sweet, put a regular portion on your plate, as much as you always eat. If it's a whole pack of cookies, then the path will be a pack. If it's a kilogram, then it's a kilogram. Finish the whole cake - go ahead!

3. step is the most important. Awareness. Start eating sweets. But not as usual, throwing handfuls of tasty treats into your mouth like coal into a firebox, but slowly and consciously.

Feel every cookie, the first piece of cake, or whatever you are trying to do. Especially the first one. Isn’t it true that it really tastes better and feels brighter than all the subsequent ones?

Taste that first cookie as consciously as possible, with all your attention. Feel all the flavors, texture, sweetness, whatever. To do this, do not swallow it immediately, chew it and taste it thoroughly.

Do the same with the second cookie, and the third, and so on.

Perhaps the method will not work the first time, and you will still end up with a whole kilogram of cookies, or even more. But each time you will train your mind and your body to feel and feel better, to be aware of what you eat and how you eat.

That's all! Nothing complicated, right?

However, there are a couple of nuances that should be taken into account.

Firstly, the method will not work if you watch TV or surf the Internet while eating sweets. Either one or the other. I think it's obvious. It is impossible to keep track of all the subtleties of taste and at the same time chat with friends in a chat.

Secondly, try not to drink sweets. No tea, no coffee, or anything else. This way you will definitely eat much more, and most importantly, you will not be able to feel the taste. If you are used to eating sweets with tea, then leave the tea for last. First cookies, then tea.

Thirdly, under no circumstances should you scold yourself or intentionally limit yourself. Like: now I’ll eat 5 cookies, but no more! This will only make the situation worse. Eat as much as you want.

If you learn to clearly understand the process of eating sweets, to feel their full taste, texture, viscosity, sweetness, etc., then you will soon notice that you no longer want to overeat. You will eat as much as you feel good about eating.

The key word here is pleasant.

And finally. Sweets are not always harmful. Today everyone is simply obsessed with the dangers of sweets and starchy foods:

A drug worse than real drugs! Causes type 2 diabetes! White death!! Blah blah blah…

I am begging you! Yes, this is all bullshit! Sweets have always been a reward. Everyone loves him, always and everywhere, from young to old.

And blaming yourself for eating an extra cookie is just ridiculous. There are already few joys in the lives of most people, but here they also discourage them from eating sweets and frighten them with all sorts of passions.

Bodily pleasure is the source of all our pleasant feelings and positive thoughts. Take away bodily pleasure from a person, and he will be filled with frustration, anger and hatred. His thinking will become perverted creative potential will run out. He will develop a self-destructive attitude.
Alexander Lowen— “Pleasure: a creative approach to life”

By the way, thoughts about the dangers of sweets in themselves are much more harmful than the sweet itself. When you eat a cake and think about how harmful it is and that you should stop, then it is your thoughts that cause you more harm than the cake. Think about it!

Moreover, how do you know why your body wanted this particular candy or this particular cookie? You don’t eat just anything. You choose something specific. A specific type of cookie, or a favorite cake, and not just any one.

Maybe your body simply lacks precisely those substances contained in these products? Well, give it to him! And don't fool yourself.

Another thing is to think about what you are doing. Be aware of the process of eating sweets, feel it, finally get pleasure, and don’t throw yourself in with treats on full automatic. The measure will tell you own body. Be aware and everything will be fine.

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It is generally accepted that only girls have a sweet tooth. In fact, cravings for sweet or sour, spicy or a specific product (meat, cakes) do not depend on gender. It depends on the chemical and psychological state body. To get rid of sugar cravings, you need to understand the effect sweet foods have on the body.

Sweet is sugar. Sugar is a fast carbohydrate. Fast carbohydrates instantly charge the body with energy, but the charge does not last long. And the decline that happens exceeds the primary level of charge. Because of this, the body asks for a new and larger dose.

Sweet cravings are an option. What happens after eating dessert:

a sharp jump in energy, a surge of strength (because of this, athletes are recommended to eat a banana before and after training);
promotion brain activity(sweet snacks are very helpful for mental workers);
improved mood.

These changes occur against the background of hormonal processes - the production of dopamine and serotonin (hormones of happiness, pleasure, joy).

By the way, from the point of view of chemical processes, all sweets are equal: both artificial and natural. So replacing candy with honey is healthier, but in terms of energy and hormones it is the same.

Psychological reasons for cravings

Sweets actually help you binge eat. Due to the rapid production of energy in the body, there is a surge of strength, and due to dopamine, mood improves. A person becomes psychologically, intellectually and physically resilient. But the effect of fast carbohydrates ends on average after half an hour. New recharge is required.

Everything would be fine, but fast carbohydrates are very high in calories. Nutritionists will say so. And the psychologist will say that eating stress is not a solution to the problem. Since you have found out that you are fighting stress with the help of sweets, then please find a more rational method to eliminate rather than mask the problem.

Other psychological reasons traction:

in personal life, lack of family;
internal problems, complexes, ;
the bleakness of life;
a void in some area that is filled with sweets.

How to get rid

Both one-time and emergency help sweets are a very good resource. For example, before taking an exam or after a difficult presentation with a report. The craving for sweets in this case is a natural signal from an exhausted body, a request for support and restoration of balance. But if the craving is systematic, then it’s worth thinking about.

First of all, rule out or confirm medical reasons cravings for sweets. The need to increase glucose occurs with osteochondrosis and other diseases that impair blood circulation. In this case, you need the help of a therapist or neurologist.

Check chromium and magnesium levels. The lack of these microelements causes cravings for sweets. Chromium is found in fish and eggs. Magnesium – in beans, green apples. Consult your doctor to prescribe a special vitamin complex.

Eliminate hormonal disorders: problems with the pancreas and thyroid gland. Need help from an endocrinologist.

If physical health okay, then you need to think about the psychological. Let's talk about this in more detail:

Determine your goal for getting rid of cravings. This is without which success will not come. Remind yourself of the goal.
If we're talking about about the habit, for example, drinking tea with a cake with your family or treating yourself to a cake for a successfully completed project at work (we are taught this from childhood), then it is worth fighting bad habit. Replace with a useful ritual. Think about how else you can communicate with your family or how to praise yourself. It is possible that sweets are not a goal, but a means. Determine what you achieve by eating cookies.
Determine what you are eating: loneliness, inadequacy, feelings of anxiety or insecurity, lack of personal life. What void do you fill with sweets?
Trick your brain. A chocolate bar can be divided into strips or into cubes. IN the latter case the brain will say: “We ate not just one strip, but already three whole cubes.” You can also cut candy, etc. Learn to savor the pieces, chew, feel.
The more sweets we eat, the stronger the cravings. Vicious circle. Force yourself to endure the withdrawal period. Restoring balance takes time and willpower. Reduce the amount of sweets and be patient.
Look elsewhere for endorphins. What's in it for you? Decide for yourself. Some people enjoy walking the dog, others enjoy playing the guitar, others enjoy walking with their children, etc.
Play sports. Nordic walking, cycling, step, Pilates, swimming, dancing, simple daily walks - in the modern variety of sports, everyone will find something to their liking. When playing sports, endorphins are also produced, and if you like sports, then there are even more hormones.
Normalize your rest and sleep patterns. Remember that craving for sweets is a need for energy.
Avoid stress and worries. Do not accumulate emotions in yourself so as not to eat them.
Keep an eye on the emotional diversity of life. It is useful when there is more than one source of joy.
Increase. Overcoming difficulties is simple and common, but self-regulation is more useful. By the way, beef, cottage cheese and other foods that contain tryptophan (an anti-stress hormone) reduce stress. Study the information and choose your “medicine”.
Learn to release emotions. While absorbing the positive, do not forget to rationally release the negative: beating a pillow, screaming into the void, breaking dishes in an attraction, etc. Combine business with pleasure. If you like to sing - karaoke (and shouted, released emotions, and received endorphin, let emotions in).
Think and talk less about sweets. While I was writing the article, I wanted to eat some candy. So don’t get hung up on the idea of deliverance, fill your life with interesting and useful activities.
Don't go hungry. Sweets quickly eliminate the feeling of hunger. But in half an hour it will come with renewed vigor. So don't go hungry, don't eat sweets as a full-fledged snack, and don't confuse hunger with thirst. Make it a rule to drink, and only then monitor the sensations. If the feeling of hunger passed, then it was thirst.
Visit a nutritionist and get their perspective on the ins and outs of sugar cravings. Create a diet together.

Afterword

Nutritionists advise combining complex and fast carbohydrates, that is, eating desserts, but always after the main meal, and not instead of it. This scheme will not allow sugar to jump sharply, but energy will be produced gradually. But it will last for a long time, and then there will be no sudden loss of strength.

Consider whether you need to completely get rid of sweets. If you are simply worried about your figure, then learn to monitor your consumption, and not eliminate it completely. During active muscular and mental work, in stressful situations, sweets are a helper, not an enemy. On a weekend, on the contrary, you can eat fewer desserts. Remember that many substances are medicine in small doses and poison in large doses. In general, I would recommend focusing on the situation, getting rid of cravings, but not getting rid of sweets.

Many people love sweets and end up getting overweight and all the ensuing consequences. Often the love for flour and desserts turns into addiction. To prevent this from becoming a problem, you need to know how to overcome cravings for sweets and starchy foods in different ways.

Sweet cravings: reasons for their occurrence

Today the following sources of this problem are known:

Constant stress. Everyone knows that when sugar enters the body, the hormone serotonin is produced, which calms, improves mood and relieves anxiety. Therefore, with frequent increased emotional state sweets are a natural antidepressant;
Lack of microelements. The reason that you constantly crave sugar or crave starchy foods is a lack of chromium in the body. It is this element that regulates carbohydrate metabolism and normalizes blood glucose levels. When chromium levels increase, the desire to eat dessert appears;
Nutritional imbalance. An excess of sweets in the diet also contributes to constant cravings for similar foods. Blood sugar promotes the production of insulin, at which time there is a surge of energy that quickly passes. As a result, the body requires a new dose. An additional need for sweets appears when the time interval between meals is very long;
Hormonal imbalance. Decide this problem only possible with the help of medicine. Most often everything is connected with a malfunction thyroid gland. After all, it is she who produces hormones responsible for regulating metabolism.

How to get rid of cravings for sweets?

Knowing the cause of this problem, you can get acquainted with using the following methods getting rid of it:

When sugar cravings are caused by stress. You can get rid of this by increasing the amount of serotonin by eating foods that contain a lot of tryptophan and amino acids. For example, legumes, grains, cottage cheese, beef, turkey and mushrooms;
To normalize the amount of chromium in the blood, you need to adjust your diet. A lot of the chromium we need is found in fish, seafood, chicken eggs and broccoli;
It is necessary to maintain a balance of carbohydrate intake with food. It is impossible to completely give up desserts, as irritability and decreased performance may occur. You can get rid of sugar cravings by developing a balanced nutrition plan.

10 ways to beat your sweet tooth

In most cases the dream of slim figure ends when your favorite sweets and cookies appear in the house.

Let's look at a few simple tips how to overcome sweet cravings:

We cultivate willpower. To make it easier to give up sweets, there must be motivation. This could be a desire to fit into your favorite jeans, lose a few kilograms before the next event, etc. An additional incentive can be a motivational picture hung in a prominent place; such a reminder is a great way to build willpower;
We remove everything out of sight. In most cases, craving for sweets is a habit that is very difficult to control, so it is better to completely remove them from the house. It takes about 28 days to get rid of this habit;
We prepare food for a snack in advance. In order not to eat anything extra, you need to eat on time and the interval between meals should be the same. For snacks, it is better to choose dried fruits, nuts or drinking yoghurts;
Try to replace all sweets with fruits. These products contain fiber and beneficial glucose and fructose. Main allies: grapefruits, pineapples, apples and plums. Add berries and smoothies to your diet and the need for desserts will disappear;
Try honey therapy. This product not only fights bad habit, but is also good remedy for weight loss. At regular use a drink based on honey can also cleanse the body of waste and toxins;
Nutritionists are confident that protein in any form is nutrient, which can replace sugar. Protein cocktail based on this element, it perfectly extinguishes a raging appetite and prevents you from eating an extra portion of sweets;
Increase the amount of foods that contain tryptophan. These include chicken, veal, seafood, and dairy products. They contain much more tryptophan than most sweets;
Starch and fiber are a ratio that can be a substitute for sweets. Sources of these substances: potatoes, pasta and wholemeal bread. Proper preparation Eating these foods and avoiding fatty sauce will promote weight loss. To obtain the desired effect, it is recommended to supplement everything with fresh fruit;
To avoid overeating, drink more water. Thirst is often confused with a feeling of slight hunger and is wasted with sweets. It is important to remember that it is better to give preference to healthy drinks;
Sweet cravings are often caused by psychological problems. Find a hobby that will take your mind off food. It is better if the new activity is associated with physical activity.

How to overcome sweet cravings: drugs

It has been proven that chromium and sugar are related inverse relationship. Eating a second one washes away useful element, and chromium, in turn, suppresses the craving for sweets. To obtain this substance from foods, it is enough to consume beef liver, seafood, river and sea fish and pearl barley porridge.

Let's also consider several popular drugs:

L-glutamine (glutamine) – drug in a natural way pacifies all tension in the body and thus eliminates hunger;
Tryptophan helps effectively manage food pleasure centers and quickly satisfy hunger. Following a diet with this drug is easier.

Foods that help combat sugar cravings

In order not to completely give up treats, but at the same time not to harm your figure, you can treat yourself to the following healthy products:

Honey. A healthy and tasty treat that contains mineral salts, fruit acids and other substances that give it healing power. It has been proven that honey strengthens the immune system, improves the functioning of all systems and treats diseases;
Bitter dark chocolate. Consists of grated cocoa beans, normalizes blood pressure and even cures colds. It has been proven that such a product reduces the likelihood of the onset of many diseases;
Dried fruits. Dried fruits are good for the heart, cleanse blood vessels and intestines. Each individual dried fruit preserves everything beneficial features fresh product. Thanks to the wide variety, everyone can choose the right fruit for themselves;
Marshmallow. Puree of fruits and berries mixed with sugar and egg white, favorite treat many people. Marshmallows contain phosphorus, proteins, iron and other healthy dietary fiber;
Marmalade, natural ingredients which contains pectin, a natural sorbent, and other substances that remove toxins and have a positive effect on the functioning of organs;
Cane sugar. The overseas product is very healthy, as it contains a complex of minerals, vitamins and plant fibers;
Fruits and berries. The fruits given by nature are rich in enzymes, vitamins, antioxidants and organic acids. Due to essential oils, protein and fiber, the fruits are nutritious and low in calories.

From all of the above, it is clear that it is possible to overcome your sweet tooth. The main thing is to understand that it will take willpower and time. However, as practice shows, everything will work out.

They helped us:

Evgeny Arzamastsev
Dietitian of the Center aesthetic medicine Margarita Koroleva

The World Health Organization estimates that a typical Russian eats about 100 grams of sugar per day. Despite the fact that the human body can more or less painlessly process no more than 50 g sweet additive. And modern Scientific research Excess sugar in the menu is persistently associated with such serious diseases as diabetes, hypertension, strokes and heart attacks, and colon cancer. This list alone is enough to make you forget about soda and buns forever. But there is a nuance.

Stories about the dangers of sugar, alas, cannot force those with a sweet tooth to give up candy. American biologists It has long been proposed to equate sweet poison with alcohol and tobacco and start honestly calling it a drug. Not for the sake of shocking: the mechanism of our brain’s reaction to sugar is not much different from the addictions that develop, say, with each new glass of champagne.

One of many experiments on this topic is indicative. Scientists from Princeton University fed experimental rats sugar daily, gradually increasing the dose. Everyone was happy. But one day, terrible for rodents, people completely excluded sweets from the menu. What do you think? The animals became restless, irritable and aggressive and, if they could, would probably complain about headache and the desire to bite. In general, the poor rats experienced a typical withdrawal in the absence of the coveted dose.

But let's get back to the people. Most of us swallowed our first dose of the sweet drug before we could speak clearly, and for decades maintained the bad attachment by buying “something for tea.” We can't just stop eating sugar, no matter how strong-willed people we are., ask any narcologist. But we can gradually (this is a key condition for success) reduce the amount of sweets in our diet to a minimum or even to zero.

WH experts have formulated several rules for those who intend to one day give up desserts. Get a plan of action.

Get enough sleep. Yes, it's that simple. Human body interprets lack of sleep as stressful situation– and sends out hormones that regulate appetite. One sleepless night enough for you to eat more than 200 extra kilocalories the next day, with priority given to fast carbohydrates, that is, sugar. A well-rested person is less drawn to cakes - proven at Harvard.
Analyze your diet. An irresistible craving for sweets often manifests itself as a symptom of a lack of chromium, zinc or magnesium (or maybe all at once). Only a blood test can definitely determine this, but just in case, check how regularly the products from the list at the end of the article appear on your plate.
Eat protein. This is a way to maintain stable levels of glucose and insulin in the blood and, as a result, crave sweets less. Ideally, protein should be ingested at every meal, but definitely at breakfast. By proteins we mean not only meat and fish, but also nuts, seeds, eggs, and legumes.
Eat small and frequent meals. The thought of snacking on cookies doesn’t even occur to people whose sugar levels don’t jump sharply throughout the day. Try to eat food every 2–2.5 hours (of course, distributing its volume so that by the end of the month it does not resemble a ball) – and you will notice that when you don’t have to worry acute attacks hunger, it is easier to pass past the pastry shops.
Don't keep sweets in sight. If there is a piece of cake waiting in the refrigerator, and gingerbread cookies in the table drawer, the temptation to eat them will defeat any vows. So it's simple: don't buy anything that isn't good for you. And for occasions when you are accustomed to eating sweets (coffee breaks with colleagues, meetings with girlfriends, morning tea), keep healthier alternatives to chocolate and croissants on hand. These can be seasonal fruits and berries, honey, dried fruits.
Move. Regular physical exercise – good way cope with daily stress, which is often to blame for our emotional attachment to chocolate and jam.
Add healthy fats. They are extremely important for the body's hormonal stability and help you feel full longer. Healthy unsaturated fats found in avocados, nuts and seeds, olive oil.
Cook at home. To reduce the amount of sugar entering the body, you will have to limit industrially processed foods as much as possible. Sweeteners are now even added to dumplings and pickles, and the only way Avoid excess – personally regulate the amount of sugar in your food. Here's a simple example: cutlets bought at the grocery store will almost certainly contain syrup or something like that; in a piece of meat that you personally turn into cutlets at home - no.
Stop drinking calories. Any form of liquid sugar is worse than solid food containing it. Sugary drinks deliver the drug straight to your liver without even trying to create the illusion of satiety. Therefore, by drinking lemonade in between, you provoke yourself to eat more and more fast carbohydrates.
Add spices Cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom naturally sweeten foods, help regulate blood sugar and control your addiction.