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6 Natural Ways to Stop Sugar Cravings

By Diane Hanson

While having a sweet tooth is rather harmless, giving in to constant sugar cravings may be a recipe for trouble in the long run. Eating a diet high in sugar can cause weight gain, which in turn contributes directly to a variety of health problems such as tooth decay, diabetes, stroke and atherosclerosis.

Use these simple yet effective strategies to help you control sweet cravings and free yourself from sugar addiction naturally.

How to Curb Sugar Cravings Naturally

1. Consume nutrient-dense foods. Cravings for sweet stuff may occur in response to a nutritional deficiency. If you're eating more healthy foods, cravings for unhealthy snacks will diminish considerably.

2. Wait for about 20 minutes before having a dessert. If after-meal sweet cravings often strike, it may indicate that you've gone too long without food. Low blood sugar, or otherwise called hypoglycemia can trigger strong cravings for sweets. A 20 minute period allows your body to process the meal and raise blood sugar. Hence, suppressing that sweet craving.

3. Have a small amount of your dessert first. If low blood sugar is the cause of your sweet cravings, taking a few bites of sweets before your meal can start stabilizing blood sugar imbalance quickly and maintain it at a normal level.

4. Cutting out sugar "cold turkey" may not work for everyone. Instead of giving up desserts completely, eat more natural sugars and avoid processed foods. Fresh fruits such as strawberries and grapes, or sweet potatoes with a little low fat yogurt are healthier options that will help to satisfy your sweet craving without adding too many excess calories.

Portion control is an important factor if you want to get rid of sweet cravings. If you've trouble controlling portion sizes, try pre-portion your sweets into single serving sandwich bags.

5. If the above methods don't work for you, consider using a psychology/needle-less acupuncture (acupressure) tool known as EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) to help you beat sugar cravings easily and quickly. Download the free manual online and simply follow the instructions.

Alternatively, go to a qualified EFT therapist to help you overcome your sugar addiction and/or any underlying emotional issues that you may have which may be the cause of your craving for sweets and sugary treats.

6. Last but not least, be patient and don't expect too much too soon. Some people will take longer than others to break the sugar craving habit so don't give up and keep trying until you've eliminated your sweet cravings.

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