Welcome to Wellness Wednesday where in-house nutrition coach, Coach Diana Leigh, answers YOUR questions about health.
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Let’s jump into it!
Q: How do I control my sweet tooth cravings?
A: There’s a few ways we can approach cravings and the concept of why we struggle with them so much. One of these can potentially be applicable to you.
Low Carb, High Cravings
Many of my clients who express struggling with sweet tooth cravings are actually under-eating in carbs. Carbs are digested as glucose in the body – aka sugar. When your body isn’t getting enough of something, it does find a way to tell you but unfortunately many people don’t know how to listen and respond to their cues. Make sure you’re eating enough whole, minimally-processed, nutrient rich carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruit, vegetables, beans and legumes to fuel your body and you may notice your sweet tooth cravings drop.
Sugar Addiction
Sugar does in fact have addictive properties. When we eat sugar, we get a hit of dopamine – the hormone that makes us feel happy – similarly to how the body might respond to a drug. This hit of dopamine is short-lived, leaving our brains wanting more of it. The more we provide short-lived hits of dopamine through sugar, the more our body begins to crave that sugar and we develop a habit. In this case, pull off of sugary foods and beverages for a week or two to reset your body, focus on consuming mostly whole foods and then consume sugary foods and beverages on a less regular basis to avoid developing a habit.
Restriction Leads to Binging
If you’re the type of person who keeps all sugar away from you in fear that you’ll lose control when you see it, you might be working against yourself. When we restrict food, it actually makes us want it more. Imagine it this way: Don’t think of a pink elephant. What are you now thinking of? A pink elephant. When you tell yourself, “You can’t have [X],” you actually end up craving it more. This can also go the same if you’re over-restricting food in effort to diet. When you’re hungry, you tend to make poor decisions and as a result you may end up reaching for sweets and treats to curb the hunger instead of something healthier.
In summary, focus on a minimally-processed, whole food diet that keeps you feeling satiated and energized, and you may find that your cravings will decrease and having sweets in moderation is more doable!
Coach Diana Leigh is a Precision Nutrition certified coach who uses habit-based coaching to help her clients get stronger and feel amazing in their bodies without the restriction and overwhelm of dieting. For more helpful tips, follow her on Instagram @coachdianaleigh.