10 November 2010
How to Handle an INTENSE Sugar Craving
We’ve already talked about how to deal with a sugar craving, but if you’re REALLY hankering for the sweet stuff? Well, Gwenyth has some advice for that, too (thanks again to reader Allegra for sending me the GOOP article!).
As my sugar ban rages on (rages? More like whimpers, really), I may have to put some of these into effect. None of these tips are mind-blowing, but they ARE good reminders.
- Take L-Glutamine, 1000-2000mg, every couple of hours as necessary. It often relieves sugar cravings as the brain uses it for fuel. [Ed. note: I can’t vouch for this one, and I’m generally skeptical of supplements. But I’ve heard of L-Glutamine working to fight sugar cravings before, so I thought I’d include it. Just please do your homework before you try it!]
- Take a “breathing break”. Find a quiet spot, get comfortable and sit for a few minutes and focus on your breath. After a few minutes of this, the craving will pass.
- Distract yourself. Go for a walk, if possible, in nature. Cravings usually last for 10-20 minutes maximum. If you can distract yourself with something else, it often passes. The more you do this, the easier it gets and the cravings get easier to deal with.
- Drink lots of water. Sometimes drinking water or seltzer water can help with the sugar cravings. Also sometimes what we perceive as a food craving is really thirst.
- Have a piece of fruit. If you give in to your cravings, have a piece of fruit, it should satisfy a sweet craving and is much healthier.
But my favorite tip is my own:
- Crave sugar, feed fat. Fat is the sugar craving-stopper, seriously. If you want sugar, try having something high-fat and lower sugar, like berries and heavy cream or super dark chocolate. It works, I swear!
On a completely unrelated note, I start a new job tomorrow (it’s super exciting, and I promise to share more details when I can!) so my blogging might get a little sparse. But you guys can handle it, I’m sure.
