Shocking fact, isn’t it? It seems to us that a donut with white chocolate icing is simply a reward for a well-worked week, or something that can improve your mood right now … And, of course, this donut will do its sweet “job” absolutely disinterestedly … This is what most thinks people. At least, until they start to fussily drive the notorious phrase “How to reduce / defeat cravings for sweets and starchy foods?”
The hard truth of this lusciously sweet story is that people are slowly killing themselves by consuming tons of sugar without realizing it. A person who is accustomed at best to snacks like a small gingerbread, and at worst to eating purchased sugar rolls filled with jam (or chocolate paste) in tandem with a can of soda, at the moment of a gastronomic rush, absolutely does not realize what is in his daily the diet on an ongoing basis is prescribed at least 500 kcal. Keep in mind that if this continues, you will have to seriously and for a long time deal with the question of how to get rid of cravings for sweets. For more information on sugar consumption statistics, see the video presentation by CreditSuisse.
According to one of my favorite (and not only) nutritionists, Dr. Hyman, addiction to sweets and starchy foods is as much of an emotional eating disorder as it might seem at first glance. It’s a biological disorder. It is controlled by hormones and neurotransmitters, which are fueled by the notorious sugar and carbohydrates. The result is uncontrolled sugar consumption, overeating, and a whole host of health problems. Not surprisingly, overcoming cravings for sweets and starchy foods is not an easy task. Nevertheless, it is doable too.
Unfortunately, today, cookies, muffins, soft sodas, and commercial sauces are part of the daily diet of many people. In one study, researchers from Harvard found an interesting pattern: It turns out that a high-sugar milkshake not only dramatically increases blood sugar and insulin levels, which provoke sugar cravings, but also causes changes in the brain: the sugar from the drink turns on the centers responsible for addiction.
To get rid of sugar cravings and break the cycle of carbohydrate addiction that damages our health, you need to arm yourself with a clear sugar detox plan that will take only 10 days and 10 steps to successfully implement. a new life, which, undoubtedly, will soon please you with obvious positive results.
1. Make the decision to start detoxification
Yes Yes exactly. Not just – “I ought to eat fewer muffins from a nearby confectionery”, but “I will take on my health, I can fight on equal terms with cravings for sweets!”
2. Abruptly give up sweets
There is no single way to deal with true physiological addiction other than complete rejection. Avoid sweets, all forms of sugar, all flour products, and all artificial sweeteners – they only increase cravings and slow down the metabolism, which leads to the accumulation of fat. Also, cut out anything that contains trans fats, or hydrogenated fats, and monosodium glutamate. To do this, you should avoid any processed foods for 10 days. And for a complete detoxification – give up all types of cereals for 10 days. Believe me, this “sacrifice” will help relieve cravings for sweets.
3. Don’t drink calories
Any form of liquid sugar calories is worse than solid foods with sugar or flour. Imagine sugary drinks all carry sugar straight to your liver. However, you do not feel full, so during the day you eat more and more, and you want more and more sugar and carbohydrates. Sugary drinks (which include all soda, juices (excluding green vegetable juice), sports drinks, sweetened teas or coffee) are the largest source of sugar calories in the Western diet. Half a liter of soda contains 15 teaspoons of sugar! One can of soda a day increases a child’s risk of obesity by 60% and a woman’s risk of type II diabetes by 80%. Stay away from these drinks and it will be much easier to overcome the cravings for sweets.
4. Include more protein in your diet
Eating a protein meal at every meal, especially at breakfast, is the key to balanced blood sugar and insulin levels and lowering sugar cravings. Eat nuts, seeds, eggs, fish. If you have not given up animal products, then choose quality poultry or meat from animals fed plant food and raised without the use of antibiotics and hormones.
5. Consume the right carbohydrates in unlimited quantities
An unlimited amount of non-starchy vegetables only is allowed, such as greens, cabbage (cauliflower, leafy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, etc.), asparagus, green beans, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, dill, eggplant, cucumbers, carrots, peppers, etc. etc. In order to reduce cravings for sweets and starchy foods, only potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and beets should be excluded – and for only 10 days.
6. Fight sugar with fat
The reason for excess weight is not fat, but sugar. Fat induces satiety and is essential to nourish your cells. And it helps balance blood sugar levels. Include healthy fats along with protein in every meal and snack, including nuts and seeds (which also contain protein), olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, and foods with omega-3 fatty acids.
7. Be prepared for emergencies
You need to watch out for situations where your blood sugar drops while you are in a place that is not conducive to healthy eating, such as an airport, an office, or a children’s amusement park (as I found out this weekend). Be sure to plan your meals for 10 days of detox ahead of time and stock up on healthy snacks such as almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, berries, and vegetables to help you stay on track and manage your sugar cravings.
8. Breathe to get out of a stressful situation.
When you’re stressed, your hormones literally go crazy. Cortisol levels rise, leading to hunger, belly and waist fat stores, and can lead to type II diabetes.
Foreign research shows that deep breathing activates a special nerve called the vagus nerve. It changes the course of metabolic processes, interfering with the formation of fat stores and causing fat to be burned. All you need to do to activate the vagus nerve is a few minutes of deep breathing, and this pranayama will come in handy to develop the skill of meditation.
9. Stop the inflammatory process
If the task of fighting off cravings for sweets and starchy foods is something akin to the process of proving Fermat’s theorem for you, pay attention to what is happening inside your body.
Research shows that inflammation can be the cause of blood sugar imbalances, pre-diabetes, and type II diabetes. The most common source of inflammation (other than sugar, flour, and trans fats) is latent human intolerances to certain food constituents.
The most common culprits are gluten (gluten) and dairy products. Avoid gluten and dairy products for ten days. It will not be easy to do this, but after two or three days without them, you will certainly feel a surge of energy, get rid of the heaviness and see that many unhealthy symptoms disappear, just as it becomes easier to suppress the cravings for sweets.
10. Get enough sleep
Lack of sleep triggers cravings for sugar and carbohydrates, since a lack of commonplace rest affects appetite hormones. Certainly not in a positive way.
To identify and study the relationship between sleep and cravings for sweets and starchy foods, scientists conducted a study involving students who spent only 8 hours in bed instead of the recommended 6 hours a day. The experiment showed that such young people have an increase in hunger hormones, a decrease in the level of hormones that suppress appetite, as well as a pronounced craving for sugar and simple carbohydrates. In such a state, not only to act, but even to learn how to reduce the craving for sweets and starchy foods, you simply do not want to.
The takeaway is simple: if you don’t get enough sleep, you don’t have enough energy. If you don’t have enough energy to fill this gap, you are consuming more easily digestible sugar.
Surprisingly true, sleep is the best way to combat overeating. With the help of sleep, you can not only temporarily calm down your tempestuous desire to feast on a charming custard muffin, but also kill cravings for sweets and carbohydrates – and therefore excess weight along with it.
Try to follow these guidelines for ONLY 10 days and you will be happy with the results.
Nagyon jo