No special occasion is complete without the sugary goodness of your favorite dessert. Yet, when the day is over, you’re likely to feel riddled with guilt, regret and a lack of self-control.
For many of us, sweets are our kryptonite and the root of a constant internal struggle. We either fight our way through our sweet cravings or live with the helpless feeling of caving in.
Why Are Sweets So Hard to Resist?
There are few reasons that sweets make us feel powerless. The first is the way we assign “morality” to food. By labeling sweets as bad we create a scarcity mindset.
We keep them out of our house and avoid them as much as we can. So, when you do see that pile of cookies at a work potluck, your brain kicks into scarcity overdrive. After all, the forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest!
Our relationship with food is also based on environmental cues. If you’re used to indulging your sweet cravings at social gatherings, you brain links the two together. The next time you’re out with friends, your brain goes on auto-pilot. You find yourself driving down the sugar high highway. Even if you’re not actually craving sweets.
Moreover, hunger has a lot of control over our behaviors with food. When the body feels deprived of energy, it looks for the fastest energy source it can find – sugar.
After all, sugar is a form of a starchy carbohydrate which is the primary source for energy. If you’ve been skipping meals, your body craves sugars because it needs to bring its blood sugar levels up.
The Mindful Way To Deal With Sweet Cravings
You can bypass the guilt and actually learn to enjoy sweets by focusing on mindful eating. Here are the top 5 tips for restoring your relationship with sugar (courtesy of nutritionstripped.com):
1. Start With Eating Balanced Foundational Five Meals
Eating in a balanced way helps curtail your hunger. When your blood sugar levels are normal, your mind will feel less compelled to binge on sugars.
2. Ask Yourself Which Sweets You Really Enjoy
Focusing on the sweets you enjoy allows you to savor the experience. And, being mindful around sweets allows you to turn away the desserts you don’t actually enjoy.
3. Try Plating The Sweets You’d Like to Eat
It’s hard to resist finishing off a jar full of cookies. Plating your food allows you to pause and reflect on which sweets and how much you actually want to eat.
4. Be Present So You Can Fully Enjoy the Sweets You Eat
Be mindful and slow down when eating sweets to allow yourself to enjoy the flavors and textures. Eating fast or while distracted leaves us always craving more.
5. Don’t Label Sweets as Bad
It’s ok to eat the foods you enjoy. Mindful eating means eating for both nutrition and enjoyment. By removing the guilt around sweets, you’ll be able to feel more in control and avoid overeating.
It’s easy to develop a bad relationship with sweets built on guilt and impulsive eating. But, you can curtail your sweet cravings by understanding what triggers your behaviors. By practicing the mindful eating tips above, you can get back to enjoying sweets and start enjoying a more balanced life every day.