3 Ways to Beat Sweet Tooth Cravings
Debra Zellner, a psychologist at Montclair State University in New Jersey, offered three tips on how to avoid developing specific, intense cravings for sweet foods. (The tips are based on research in animals and humans and in addiction in general, she says.)
1. Don't habitually eat your favorite sweet at the same time of day, in the same mood, or in the same place. If you like Krispy Kremes, don't have one every morning with your coffee; don't confine your Ben & Jerry's sessions to your couch when you're upset. This only sets up a series of cues that will bring on a craving whenever you're in that situation.
2. It may sound paradoxical, but don't eat your favorite treat when you're hungry. Research shows that we're more likely to crave a food when we come to associate it with fulfilling hunger. So if you can't get enough Double Stufs, occasionally have a couple after a meal rather than using them as a 4:30 p.m. dinner-can't-come-soon-enough snack.
3. Don't make the object of your desire taboo. Forbidding yourself to have Nutella at all, or allowing it only on very special occasions, may make you more likely to binge when presented with an opportunity. "The worst thing you can do is say, 'There's a food we shouldn't eat,' " said Zellner. "Have them every now and then, and enjoy what you're eating."
What do you crave, and what do you do to beat your cravings?
Tags: diet and nutrition | sugar | addiction
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dsddsds
I do wish everyone luck especially since I have been known to drink Log Cabin maple syrup when I ran out of Hershey's. I would marry a Hershey bar and I always hoped that if I were killed in a bad car wreck, that the person behind me would have a chocolate bar to put into my mouth as the last taste I would have on my way out. Probably I will get killed by a potato chip truck. All we can do is try.....
GLAD I FOUND THIS SITE
I do wish everyone luck especially since I have been known to drink Log Cabin maple syrup when I ran out of Hershey's. I would marry a Hershey bar and I always hoped that if I were killed in a bad car wreck, that the person behind me would have a chocolate bar to put into my mouth as the last taste I would have on my way out. Probably I will get killed by a potato chip truck. All we can do is try.....
My favorite strategies
If I'm craving something sweet, I try eating some protein first. This usually fills me up and I don't want anything else to eat, sweet or otherwise, for quite some time and usually by then the craving has passed. Another good trick is to eat a snack-size dill pickle; something about pickles really does kill sweet cravings.
Another trick I use for avoiding 'fat traps' is this; if I'm craving pizza, I'll melt some low-fat mozzarella on a few Triscuits or other whole-grain crackers with a little pizza sauce. If it's grilled cheese I'm craving, I'll melt some American cheese on a few Ritz crackers. If it's a quesadilla, I'll melt a little pepper jack on whatever crackers I have handy and add some salsa. If I do this I'm less likely to eat something cheese- and grease- laden for lunch or dinner.
I agree about not making anything a 'forbidden food'. That just makes you want it more and be more likely to binge on it. If I'm craving chocolate, I have a bite of the best-quality dark chocolate I can find. The more intense the flavor, the less it takes to satisfy my taste for it. If only cheese will do, I splurge on a small serving of my favorite imported fresh mozzarella and eat it with a few slices of tomato or fruit.
Being half-Italian and half-Welsh, I come from a long line of radiantly healthy carb-eaters (pasta and potatoes!), so I don't agree that carbs are evil. I try to avoid simple carbs, however. My husband and I have always eaten a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits, but now we only buy brown rice, whole-grain bread, and whole-grain pasta, all of which we prefer to the more heavily processed versions. They actually have texture and flavor on their own, plus they make you feel fuller longer. Not that we never eat less-than-perfect food, but when the bulk of your diet is healthful, you can indulge once in a while and still stay healthy.
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