5 Easy Ways To Curb Your Crazy Sugar Cravings

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The holidays might have come to an end, but our sugar cravings are still raging on like it’s Christmas Eve. And honestly, what else do we expect after devouring sweet treat after sweet treat for an entire month? Our bodies need some time to adjust to following our normal (read: healthier) diets again.

So while you’re in recalibration mode, use these five easy tricks to make your sugar craving avoidance a lot less painful.

1. Make a snack heavy on the healthy fat.

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This one might sound a little crazy, but give us a minute. Ingesting a solid dose of healthy fats immediately triggers your feelings of fullness, which means that itch to down all of the sugar in sight will easily fade away. Plus, opting for a high-fat snack will keep your energy levels stable and happy, unlike a sugary treat that will result in a not-so-fun crash sooner rather than later. (This is why fat bombs are such a success for the keto community.)

2. Reach for a richer flavor.

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It’s okay to treat a sugar craving with a little sugar — just make sure you reach for an option that’s both high in quality and rich in flavor. For example, instead of grabbing a handful of white chocolate peppermint bark, reach for a reasonably sized piece of decadent dark chocolate. The bold flavor profile will soothe your taste buds and kick your serotonin levels up a notch without overindulging.

3. Nosh on a sweet piece of fresh fruit.

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Not all sugars are created equal. While it’s important to keep an eye on your sugar intake, there should be no guilt in snacking on a piece of fresh fruit. It’s full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and hydration, all of which the body needs — especially when you’re feeling out of sorts. So if you really need a sugar hit, grab some mango slices, an apricot or a small banana and let Mother Nature work her magic. (Just watch out for dried fruit since it makes portion control notoriously difficult.)

4. Keep your mealtime in check.

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Even if you’re trying to ditch a couple of holiday pounds, avoid skipping or postponing meals because that deprivation will only make your sugar craving exponentially worse. If anything, lean into your standard mealtimes and build some additional healthy snack breaks into your day so your body never reaches the desperate point of needing sweet fuel to push on. Your body typically begs you for sugar when you’re already in the middle of an energy crash.

5. Get moving (and stay hydrated).

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If all else fails, do the exact opposite of sitting and eating —  stand up, go for a walk and bring your water bottle along for the ride. Exercise is amazing at boosting feel-good serotonin levels in the brain, which is ultimately the chemical fix sugar is supposed to provide. Plus, staying hydrated consistently helps keeps cravings at bay since the body tends to react like it’s hungry when, in reality, it’s just dehydrated.