1: Eat a real meal containing protein, healthy fat and fiber…even if it doesn’t sound good!
Spicy foods such as cayenne, Siratcha sauce, garlic and chili blunt sugar cravings creating an intense heat in your digestive tract and sidetracks the craving- try it! (See my curried chicken healing soup recipe)
Cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar levels so put cinnamon on everything; oats, apples, in your tea, or anywhere else you can add cinnamon, do it!
2: Take a hot shower for 10 min.
This will create a feeling of well-being (kind of like after sitting in the sauna) and you will most likely forget about your craving. A 20 minute Epsom salt bath works as well. Take 2 cups Epsom salt and a 7-10 drops of peppermint essential oil in a hot bath will help calm the senses and relax the mind taking it off sugar and shift to self care and detoxing the body. Epsom salt soaks are great for sore muscles and also relax the muscles to promote deep sleep and replenishing magnesium levels in the body (sufficient magnesium in the body also helps assist in reducing body fat).
I recommend at least 2x per week if not more for best results.
3: Go for a walk to distance yourself from the craving…get moving…period!
This will get the blood flowing and oxygen levels rise which will then increase your levels of serotonin, creating a feeling of well being from MOVEMENT instead of sugar. Sugar cravings stem from being tired and in a low energy slump or mood. Just a brisk walk can put you in a good mood and increase energy- choose the walk, if you can outside preferably to avoid giving into temptation!
But if you are like me and just can not control yourself at all around such foods, then you should try to avoid them as much as possible.
Giving in to a craving will just feed the addiction. So don’t just ‘take one bite’ if you know you can’t handle that and know you will be returning back for more. Just say NO to sugar.
If you manage to resist (and you CAN) the cravings will get weaker over time and eventually disappear. It takes time,
I personally haven’t touched sugar or gluten over 5 months and I never get cravings anymore. I’ve lost 30 pounds without any major effort and I haven’t felt better in my entire life.
Here are a few more sugar busting tips:
Have a glass of water – Some people say that cravings can be caused by dehydration.
Eat a fruit – Having a piece of fruit may help satisfy sugar cravings for some people. Bananas, apples, oranges work great.
Avoid artificial sweeteners – If you feel that artificial sweeteners trigger cravings for you, then you might want to avoid them.
Eat more protein – Protein is great for satiety, may help with cravings as well.
Talk to a friend – Call/go meet someone who understands what you’re going through. Explain that you’re going through a craving and ask for a few words of encouragement.
Sleep well – Getting proper, refreshing sleep is important for overall health and can help prevent cravings. Sufficient sleep (7-8hrs) keeps the cortisol levels balanced and will keep the sugar cravings at bay for the whole day.
Avoid excess stress – Same as with sleep, avoiding stress can help prevent cravings and keep cortisol levels balanced.
High levels of Cortisol makes fat storage hormone rise and promotes belly fat.
Avoid certain triggers – Try to avoid specific activities or places that give you cravings, such as walking past the pastry shop on the way home from work for example.
Take a multivitamin – This will help prevent any deficiencies and give your body the nutrients it needs so your body does not try to fulfill the lack in unhealthy ways.
Read your list – It can be very helpful to carry with you a list of the reasons you want to eat healthy, because it can be hard to remember such things when you get a craving.
Don’t starve yourself – Try to prevent yourself from becoming too hungry between meals.
The good news is the longer sugar is out of your system the less you will crave. Ideally, what you want to do is be in a place where your sugar fix comes from a fresh piece of fruit.
The first 5 days is the hardest but it does get easier! Stay accountable to someone else when the times get tough and have a plan to get back on track when you fall off.
Email me at mera@meraswarriors.com if you need support to starting a sugar cleanse plan today!
Mera's Warriors 