sugar

[Chav_a143]

anyone have tips on how to control sugar cravings? I get them bad and its hard for me to go without added sugar. I eat a lot of fruit which helps and I switched my peanut butter and syrup over to organic so there is no added sugar which helps but still some days I get intense temptations that make me just want to eat a bunch of bad food with tons of added sugar.

[mdr1000]

Is it just refined sugar you want to give up?

Banana pancakes are a good weaner if you want to give it up completely. (refined sugar that is)

They're just one mashed banana to one beaten egg (multiply at will) fried in a decent non-stick pan. I use coconut oil for the flavour. Butter's good if you're not vegan and rapeseed oils ok-ish in desperate times. You can layer them with 75/85% cocoa chocolate which is quite low sugar. (or maple syrup or honey for more natural sugars with a few benefits - though they're still sugar!...or natural yoghurt with crushed pistachios, rose water and pomegranates - I'm on one now...)

Google 'paleo sweets and puddings'

You can give up cold turkey but its hard like giving up cigarettes ( I've done both although they both vary from person to person) Also, Allen Carr the 'easy way to quit smoking' guy has a book for quitting sugar. There's an audio of it on youtube.

Some people sniff vanilla extract.

That's all the most effective tips I have, good luck

[lovelyhealth]

have you tried sugar free jelly i use asda sugar free jelly crystal satchets they are lovely and jelly is good for you i bought small individual moulds so you can have a few in the fridge i have them after my evening meal thats when i want something sweet and they are sweet i also break tinned fruit up and add them to the jelly fruit in its own juice........

[MeemeeLdN in reply to lovelyhealth]

Hello

Jelly are wonderful

Also dark chocolate 70% to 90% if you can handle it

Real cocoa nibs from whole foods

And alternative sugar from Holland and Barrett xylitol and you don’t need much to feel the taste of sugar in your food

[TheAwfulToad]

A few ideas:

1) Sugar cravings, oddly enough, are usually driven by eating sugar. It's this vicious cycle that results in people getting fatter and diabetic - your body just keeps asking for more and more of the stuff. The basic solution, then, is to just stop eating sugar or things that are rapidly metabolised to sugar: so as well as the obvious things such as granulated sugar, syrups, fizzy drinks, etc., you need to stop eating refined starches such as white bread, white rice, and pasta. If you've spent a lifetime eating these things you'll feel like crap for about a week. You'll go through withdrawal symptoms like a crack addict. And then you'll just wake up one day feeling absolutely on top of the world, and the cravings will just fade away.

2) If you're following the government-standard diet, you're probably not eating nearly enough fat. Have a look at the thread by the lady who just re-discovered butter and full-fat yoghurt. If you're not ready to just go cold turkey on sugars and starches, try re-introducing things like that and see if it makes a difference to your appetite.

3) You may simply not be eating enough: if your diet is low-calorie and starch-based, then your body is just crying out for nutrition. It thinks you're going to die. Try eating more. By "more" I mean more meat and vegetables, which add bulk, fat and protein without adding things that make you fat.

4) +1 to the xylitol idea (and sugar-free jelly and dark chocs). Some people will tell you that artificial sweeteners are, like, bad, mmmkay ... which no doubt they are, but the point is you only use them for a couple of weeks while you wean yourself off real sugar. You'll then be able to reduce the sweeteners too. Worked for me, anyway: I've heard it doesn't necessarily work for everyone. If you can cope with just stopping the sugar, it's probably the best way.

[Zest]

Welcome to the Healthy eating forum, Chav_a143 , I haven't really got any suggestions to add to those you've already had, except to say that over time the taste buds do adjust, and hopefully you will have less cravings for sugary foods as you get used to having less sugar.

Good luck, and hope it all goes really well.

Zest

[Hidden]

Hi alex143, agreed to you. its really hard to control such kind of desire. Eating sugar can raise several complications. i have found an article with title "Is It Possible to Remain Healthy Without Quitting Sugar?" you can go through it. it may be helpful.

[Giomama]

Hey everyone this is one of hardest things staying away from sugar especially since I suffer from dry mouth and have little taste do to my cancer treatments.. Sugar seems to be the one thing that has some taste for me I have gained 25 pounds in 4 weeks that's not good.. Also I'm a picky eater to so any suggestions would be appreciated