How Can You Curb Your Sugar Cravings?

Overview

A food craving is a deep desire to eat a particular food. If you're used to eating a sweet snack after lunch or dinner, and you suddenly stop eating it, your body may physically crave the sugar. Consuming too much sugar can cause a sudden rise in blood sugar, causing weight gain and putting you at a greater risk for heart disease. Learn to stop your sugar cravings before polishing off an entire carton of ice cream and regretting it later.

Step 1

Eat regular meals. Eating three meals a day at regular times and a healthy snack when you're hungry in between meals will help create consistency. When you're hungry, "sugar cravings get more intense," says dietitian Sheri Barke. Skipping meals or eating late will also cause blood sugar to drop, making a craving for that spike in sugar even more irresistible.

Step 2

Season your food. You may crave something sweet after a particularly bland meal, but after eating a meal that satisfies your taste buds, you may feel more satisfied. Add herbs such as cilantro, pepper, basil or garlic to your food so it will pack more of a punch without leaving you craving dessert.

Step 3

Eat fruit. Fruit contains natural sugar in the form of fructose and has a high water content to curb both sugar cravings and appetite. Try eating a baked apple or frozen banana as an after-dinner snack.

Step 4

Brush your teeth. According to Dr. Mallika Marshall of "The Saturday Early Show," brushing your teeth can help prevent you from eating sugar because it won't taste good when it combines with the flavor of toothpaste.

Step 5

Give in a little. Barke suggests eating a small amount of foods you crave and not to take all sugar out of your diet completely. This way, you can learn to savor sugar in moderation, rather than abstaining until you give up and eat a whole box of cookies.