Maybe you’re in an afternoon slump or you just settled into the first minute of calm after a hectic day—at some point during the day, you probably find yourself with an intense craving for SUGAR. You can’t undo a healthy eating streak with one brownie (really, no matter how big it is!), but you can do some damage by eating an entire tray of them!
Your sugar cravings are real, and rather than feeling like you’re failing by having them, own it and acknowledge it. That’s the first place to start. Then accept that you are in control of every choice you make, which means you can choose to satisfy your sweet tooth with a better alternative than a brownie, a bunch of Oreos, or a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.
Check out my tips for taking control of your sugar cravings, and when you really need to feed your sweet tooth, try one of my favorite sweet and a bit healthier treats:
Great for Munchies
Home-popped popcorn. Add a bit of grass-fed butter or an organic oil spray and a bit of sugar or even stevia to sweeten it up.
A portioned out bowl of Skinny Pop Kettle Corn. No microwave bags—the chemicals in those are no bueno!
Great for a Healthy Dessert
Plain organic yogurt topped with berries. Shoot for yogurt with 2% milk fat, but full fat is awesome, just watch the portion size! Keep frozen berries on hand to make this a go-to dessert. Let them sit out for five minutes so they’re still cold and a tiny bit icy. Add some pumpkin seeds for crunch and a nice drizzle of honey!
Great for an Afternoon Blood Sugar Dip
Roasted sweet potato cubes. These are great to make every weekend and just keep on hand. Sugary and nutritious and taste good cold!
Great for a purposeful healthy indulgence
A mini dessert. A cupcake from your favorite local bakery, mini Magnum ice cream bars, or one or two of any of the mini frozen dessert treats at Trader Joes are all great ways to get in some decadence when you want it without going overboard!
An organic option. Newman-Os or a trusted organic brand version of your favorite comfort treat is a much better pantry staple for when the cravings hit. And, while I would also say home baked organic cookies and pastries are even better, it’s hard to have more than one when they’re cooling on your counter!
Indulge in a mindful way to stay in control.
The main take away is this: You are strong, awesome, and capable of making any day amazing. Don’t let your cravings make you feel like you are failing at making healthy choices! You are probably legitimately feeling out of control and those cravings are hard to fight. It’s science and evolution. You’re not failing. With just a few small adjustments, you can get back in control.
Shannon I just love your posts! You offer such great advice. Question for you … how do you feel about “naturally” sweetened drinks like vitamin water zero or sparkling water like la croix and spindrift? Keep writing .. love your stuff! xo
Oh thanks so much, Jen! I’m not a big fan of drinking anything other than water, coffee and booze 😉 BUT I, myself, am an avid consumer of flavored sparkling waters and I do enjoy Spindrfits and Kombuchas on occasion (more for times I’d be inclined to have a cocktail but know I don’t actually want one). So, really, it’s the drinks with actual sugars or sweeteners that I advocate to try to eliminate (Although I’m also a firm believer in not feeling deprived so on a case by case basis, we make exceptions). Vitamin waters have sugar OR sweeteners in them, both of which can increase the sugar cravings and exacerbate the “need” for something sweet. Rather than fighting our cravings, it makes it a whole lot easier to sustain if we can manage them instead. Hopefully that helps answer your question! Feel free to subscribe to my blog for more health and wellness tips for mamas – http://www.besavagewell.com/blog – stay awesome!