Cravings for carbohydrate foods, especially sweets, are a serious problem for all dieters who strive for healthy eating.
Many people believe that they cannot live without sweets and refuse to change their eating habits before they even start.
They blame themselves for lack of willpower, but in fact, behind the craving for sweets are biochemical processes occurring in our body. If we manage to balance them, the craving for sweets will normalize.
Eat more protein, especially at breakfast.
Numerous studies have shown that eating protein in the morning leads to reduced cravings for sweet foods throughout the day.
Conversely, carbohydrates at breakfast often cause uncontrollable cravings for even more carbohydrates.
Eat cheese, eggs, bacon, yogurt and avoid fruits and pasta.
Avoid overeating
The craving for sweets is based on the level of sugar and insulin in the blood. They depend on many factors, but mainly on the frequency of food intake and the type of food.
Skipping a meal can lead to a strong desire to eat something quickly, which is most often something sweet.
Exercise is also essential to maintaining stable insulin levels.
A sedentary lifestyle leads to insulin resistance, which in turn provokes cravings for carbohydrates.
Include healthy fats in your menu
Many people who want to lose weight are afraid of fats and avoid them. However, this is completely unfounded.
Fats are healthy and fill us up, reducing cravings for carbohydrate foods and unnecessary snacks between meals.
Both animal fats (butter, cream, meat) and some vegetable fats, such as olive oil, avocado, and nuts, are beneficial.
Keep an eye on the water level
Very often, when we think we are hungry, we are actually just thirsty.
Dehydration causes an imbalance in sodium levels in the body, which can cause intense food cravings, fainting, trembling, and dizziness.
Replace your favorite sugary foods with healthy alternatives
You don't have to give up sweets completely, just choose products without sugar or with a minimum of it and eat them infrequently.
Try, for example:
- strained yogurt with fruit instead of ice cream;
- dark chocolate with at least 80% cocoa content instead of milk chocolate;
- sweets made from raw nuts and honey without added sugar;
- banana pancakes;
- sesame tahini, natural cocoa and honey instead of liquid chocolate.
Increase your physical activity
As we have already said, exercise and sports are the most important tools in the fight against insulin resistance, diabetes and excess weight.
If you consume a lot of calories and don't burn them, you risk gaining weight in addition to a host of health problems.
After a workout or a long walk, your cells become more sensitive to insulin, which means carbohydrates are better absorbed and your blood sugar levels stay stable, even if you eat something sweet. Regular exercise also causes you to crave nutritious foods rich in protein and fat, and reduces your cravings for empty calories.
