If you’re trying to lose weight or just eat a healthier diet, knowing which foods can curb sugar cravings can help. With this extra bit of knowledge, you have more power and control for faster weight loss and better health. Therefore, here are some of the best foods that curve sugar cravings to assist you in your efforts.
The next time that you are starving and craving sugar, especially at the workplace and tempted to make a dash to a vending machine to satisfy that urge, try bringing along a package of sunflower seeds. This is a better choice than a candy bar or chips to satisfy hunger. The reason it is worthy of your attention is because of how sunflower seeds can trigger the brain to produce the happy feeling hormone of serotonin because it is jammed with enough protein and healthy plant compounds with trytophan (more than 50 milligrams) among its phytosterols to produce that reaction.
In regard to the amount of calories, you can eat about one-fourth cup of dry roasted, shelled sunflower seeds for about 186 calories. If you go with the hulled variety, then you can safely eat about one-half cup for about 70 calories.
It is when you munch on the salted, variety roasted in oil that the calorie count goes way up. Then again, you can always roast your own. Use about one cup dry, roasted shelled sunflower seeds, one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, two teaspoons of chili powder, one teaspoon of turmeric, one half teaspoons of coriander, one teaspoon of lemon juice, and one half teaspoons of salt. Spread this mixture on a baking sheet and transfer to a 325-degree oven for about a half hour.
Fruit is another of these foods that can curb sugar cravings with its natural sugar due to its plant compounds and fiber. Munching on a apple or some fresh berries can provide that sense of sweetness that you’re longing for while energizing your body through its simple sugars better than one from complex carbohydrates starches.
Chia seeds are also another of these foods that can help curb sugar cravings with how its soluble fiber and omega-3 fatty acids work breaking down in your digestive track. The reason you may want to start adding chia seeds to smoothies, yoghurt, pudding, over fruit, salad, etc. is because they swell up in your gut to produce that full feeling to stop hunger. Try grounding them up in your blender, a food processor or just your coffee grinder like I do.
Fresh vegetables like carrots can really help that snacking urge and stop sugar cravings. First of all, carrots in particular have that natural sweetness with six grams of simple carbohydrates and plenty of fiber with hardly any calories. It also gives you 73% of your daily vitamin A besides a healthy dose of vitamin K. You can eat practically as many as you like at a mere 25 calories each without worrying that you overindulging either.
Fermented foods such as pickles or sauerkraut can be a great aid when trying to fend off that craving for sugar. The reason centers around how the opposite sour taste can trigger a different response to sugar in the mouth. How this type of foods’ good bacteria is digested to influence hormones to satisfy that hunger is also noteworthy to fend off sugar cravings.
Foods That Can Trigger Sugar Cravings
Watching your calorie intake may have you switching from using sugar to artificial sweeteners. You save on calories, but the chemicals substituted can also cause the body to want something even sweeter. As a result, you end up gaining more weight. Some studies also have found artificial sweeteners can be addictive.
Sugar cravings don’t necessarily have to be bad. They just need to be controlled because those cravings control you to harm your health and weight. The information presented can help put you in the right direction.
