Avoid Processed Foods.
Did you know that sugar and processed foods are as addictive as heroin or cocaine? In a 2013 study from Connecticut College, researchers confirmed that Oreos could be as addictive as cocaine, after observing how the popular cookie affected lab rats’ behavior and brains. Eating sugar artificially stimulates a region of your brain called the nucleus accumbens to produce dopamine, the pleasure neurotransmitter. Soon, dopamine levels drop, and we start to feel “flat”… or a bit “down.” We crave this pleasant, feel-good feeling again, so sugar leads to addiction.
Boost Your Serotonin.
Serotonin, a.k.a. the “happiness hormone,” can be raised through diet, exercise, and the right sleep schedule. When you have plenty of serotonin, you are less likely to have cravings for sweets.
Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth Naturally.
The all-natural sweetener Xylitol is naturally occurring in many of the fruits and vegetables we eat on a daily basis. Once extracted and processed it yields a white, crystalline granule that can be used in any recipe that calls for sugar. It’s good for your teeth, stabilizes insulin and hormone levels, promotes good health and has none of the negative side effects of white sugar or artificial sweeteners. It contains only 2.4 calories per gram and is slowly absorbed as a complex carbohydrate. Xylitol looks like sugar, tastes like sugar, and is the same sweetness as sugar – making it the ideal natural sugar replacement.
Drink Plenty of Water.
You may sometimes think that your body is asking for sugar, when in fact it’s dehydrated and really craving water! Try adding lemon to your water. We also suggest a warm cup of green tea, sweetened with Xylitol with your meals. This way, your sweet taste is satisfied, and you won’t want a dessert.
Keep Your Blood Sugar Stable.
Eat several small, healthy meals throughout your day instead of three large portions to avoid dips in blood sugar. (Ideally, eat your animal protein meals between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.) Your evening meal could be a preferred gluten-free grain-like seeds (quinoa, millet, buckwheat, or amaranth). If you do this, your body will produce more serotonin, you’ll feel happier, and you’ll sleep much better at night. Remember, a fermented vegan protein can also help to stabilize blood sugar levels.
Have Plenty of Greens.
Loaded with nutrition, green drinks help boost your energy and reduce cravings for sugar and processed foods.
Eat More Sea Vegetables.
Rich in vitamins and minerals, seaweed or sea vegetables make for a healthy snack! Sea vegetables have a high mineral content while eating anything with sugar immediately depletes minerals from your body.
Meditate.
Meditation can help ward off cravings by helping reduce stress. In 2015, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital named Sara Lazar discovered that meditation not only has the power to reduce stress, but it can change the brain – by increasing gray matter in the auditory and sensory cortex. Stress creates the hormone cortisol, which increases your blood sugar. This is a vicious cycle that damages your adrenals and creates sugar cravings. Adding a short meditation before meals can help you relax during meals, which means better digestion and absorption of nutrients.
You don’t have to be addicted to sugar.
In fact, you don’t even need to crave sugar, and if you follow these tips, you will find that your taste buds start to change. You can begin to enjoy the naturally sweet taste in foods.
And the good news is, when you do want a sweet taste, healthy alternatives like Xylitol, to satisfy that sweet tooth. With a few small changes to your daily habits, you can free yourself from sugar cravings and embrace a way of eating that is naturally energizing, anti-aging, and rejuvenating.