Sugar cravings will foil even the tastiest diet plan. So what’s a person to do? Examine closely our why for wants and order the brain to stop begging for sweets?
Oh yes, this strategy works to an extent. Being aware of the foods you’re eating is the first step to shedding unwanted body fat. But can you really fight your brain? More precisely, fight your emotional brain? I say: No! I like sugar…
Often we are over-eating for reasons other than hunger.
Growing up in a big European city, I especially remember the bakery on my street. The scent of sweet choices, from Bavarian cream tortes and cherry topped cake and warm apple torte with whipped cream, filled its store. Also it wasn’t too far from the Italian Bistro serving the grandest of all banana splits. Memories, memories…
All those flavored memories don’t just disappear. Each is recorded and tagged with emotional connotations (happy or sad face) into the brain’s long term memory and pinged from the limbic system when prompted. You experience this whenever you grab for that Hershey bar or ice-cream cone while mourning a lover. In this particular instance, all you probably can think of is finishing every morsel of it, while knowing better.
To fight sugar cravings, you’d have to challenge the area of the brain called the limbic system, located within the visceral brain. Through it, you’re likely to react upon your feelings. Simply put, if you feel stressed, depressed, or are just in the mood to celebrate, this guy will try to appease your senses to make you – or keep you – happy. Food, especially the sugary kind, is most often its first choice and good reason for over-eating.
Here is a strategy that works for me:
Instead of fighting your brain, engage your reflective brain (frontal and prefrontal lobes). Devote as much thought to your snacking habits as to your meal plans. Think about the sweets you crave and stock your fridge with healthy alternatives that you will enjoy.
You can start your healthy snacking by keeping plain no-fat yogurt and frozen fruit in the fridge and freezer to substitute the ice-cream. When you crave sugar, toast a slice of whole grain bread and spread with a teaspoon of organic honey over a thin layer melted margarine or butter. Develop a taste for grapes, strawberries, banana, raisins or other fruit to satisfy your appetite for sweets. Create your own beverages. You could pour yourself a tall glass of fresh clean water and squeeze some lime, lemon, or orange over it. Freeze fresh fruit juices in an ice cube tray and serve water on the rocks. Kids will love it too…
You see, you don’t really have to fight your brain, but instead help it to create new pathways by providing healthier snacking options for it to enjoy..
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Nice Post! This is the best way to approach our need for sweets: healthy alternatives instead of snack deprivation!
I think by replacing sweets w/ fruit especially banana helps to stop the craving. Also, it’s really important to develop habits to drink water everyday. There’s project by Unicef about supplying water to Africa. The more you drink, the more they can receive donation from Volvic. It can be another motivation for you to keep drinking water, so check it out. http://drink1give10.com