When people are trying to create new eating habits, one of the most common roadblocks they encounter is food cravings, specifically sugar cravings.
That hankering for something sweet at the end of a meal or as an afternoon pick-me-up can be so overwhelming, it can potentially derail all your good intentions. But if you understand why they arise, you can be better equipped to beat these sugar cravings.
After much research with myself and my clients I have found the three most common reasons for sugar cravings are:
1. Habit.
If you reach for a chocolate bar every day at 3 p.m., your body gets used to it. It’s muscle memory. It becomes a habit and gets ingrained in your brain. Most of the time, if you really tune in and get super honest with yourself, you’ll discover you don’t actually really even feel like one at all, it’s just a habit and your Mean Girl trying to sabotage you.
If this sounds like you, make sure you’re aware of your eating patterns and consciously tune in and listen to your body – that’s the key to busting out of habit. And remember, breaking a habit takes commitment and practice – you can’t just do it once and expect to be perfect. You have to work on it every time it pops up. Twenty-one days is often quoted as the length of time it takes to properly break an old habit (or cement a new one) so give it a go for that long and see how you feel. I think you’ll find yourself pleasantly surprised.
2. Boredom.
How often have you craved sugar when – if you were totally honest with yourself – you were just bored? When we’ve got nothing to do, it’s oh-so-easy to walk into the kitchen, open the pantry, and grab a box of biscuits… because why the heck not?!
In these instances, you’re usually not even hungry, and most likely just filling an emotional void. Sitting with your feelings is far more constructive than random fridge-surfing or pantry-prowling. Use the powerful “heal your relationship with food” technique I previously mentioned to combat boredom eating.
3. Dehydration.
Lots of cravings are the result of being dehydrated. Next time you feel a hankering for sugar, try having a massive glass of water first, then reassess your cravings. You’ll be surprised how often they simply disappear. Reaching for sugary snacks is never a good option. It’s your Mean Girl’s way of looking for comfort and love, but like drugs or alcohol, the euphoria quickly melts away and the side effects are terrible.
As I have mentioned many times before, when it comes to food, it’s super important to tune in with your body. Real cravings are your body speaking to you loud and clear, so make sure you listen up and use them as an opportunity to dive deeper within yourself and not suppress your emotions.
You can read more about how to beat sugar cravings and live a fabulously healthy life in my new book, Mastering your Mean Girl.
We originally published this article in January 2016. We updated it in August 2016.
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