Stop Sugar Cravings

I’m often asked how to control a sugar addiction. If you’re craving sugar, its important to balance the blood sugar and prevent it roller-coasting throughout the day. This can be achieved by following a low-GL diet. Foods with a high GL (sugar, white bread, biscuits or stimulant drinks) hit your bloodstream quickly causing your blood sugar to spike. When your blood sugar level increases, insulin is released into the bloodstream to remove the glucose (sugar). Some of this glucose goes to the brain and muscles for use as an energy fuel, but any excess goes to the liver where it gets turned into fat and stored (i.e. fat around the middle). Hence Insulin is known as the fat-storing hormone.

The following steps should help stop those sugar cravings:

• Add protein to every meal (it will help you feel full for longer)
• Never skip breakfast
• Eat little and often (graze not gorge!)
• Introduce healthy snacks (nuts, seeds, fruit, yoghurt, hummus)
• Reduce or eliminate sugar and refined carbohydrates from your diet
• Don’t eat on the run (no dashboard dining!)
• Change the way you think about food