Got A Ravenous Sweet Tooth? These Foods Actually Tame Wild Sugar Cravings…
Cookies, cakes, ice cream and everything else that’s mouth wateringly sweet can be tauntingly tempting, but remember, you are a strong, sexy and vibrant woman who knows all too well that nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels. To tame those wild sugar cravings once and for all, try these super foods:
- Load up on fiber to feel fuller for longer and keep your digestive system clean! Enjoy more organic fruits + veggies in your daily diet by munching on some raw veggie sticks with your favorite dips, nibbling on fresh fruit slices with creamy nut or seed butter, and by juicing or blending any excess produce you have on hand. I like to use low-sugar, antioxidant-rich berries with a light dusting of ground cinnamon and some crushed raw pecans to make a nutritious dessert.
- Ensure you are getting ample protein and beneficial fats for blood sugar control and satiety. Protein comes in 2 forms: animal sources and plant sources. When purchasing animal sources, quality is essential. Opt for “grass-fed” or “pasture-raised” meat, poultry and eggs, and “wild, sustainably caught” seafood. Plant sources include “organic” legumes (beans, peas and lentils), whole grains such as quinoa, as well as nuts and seeds, especially hemp seeds (*both quinoa and hemp seeds are “complete proteins”, with all 9 essential amino acids). Beneficial fats are found naturally in nutrient dense whole foods such as luscious olive oil, creamy avocadoes, fatty fish like salmon, eggs, grass-fed meat, coconut products, and again nuts and seeds.
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Sometimes we think we are hungry for sugary or carb heavy foods, when we are really just lacking sufficient water intake. I make sure I drink a talk glass of water with freshly squeezed lemon upon waking, and continue to sip on water through out the day between meals to stay hydrated. Adding the lemon with its acidic taste helps to reduce your desire for something sweet.
- Embrace sweet root vegetables, they are loaded with nutrients including important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and are a fabulous source of low glycemic carbohydrates that provide longer lasting energy. Try any mix of beets, carrots, turnips, parsnips, yams, sweet potatoes, and / or winter squash. To enhance their natural flavor, I like to bake mine in coconut oil, which makes them taste like candy (sea salt is essential, and a light dusting of ground cinnamon is optional).
- Go crazy for raw cacao, a food boasting antioxidants to combat cell damaging free radicals, iron to ward off fatigue, and magnesium to loosen up and better manage stress. Cacao makes us feel good, hitting the pleasure center in our brain like eating something sweet would, without the sugar content. You can mix pure cacao powder into your smoothies, sprinkle raw cacao nibs on your chia pudding or steel cut oats, or delight in 1-2 squares of organic dark chocolate (ideally 80%+) as a guilt-free dessert.
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