With Halloween in the rear view, my student guest blogger Leigh is back again with her top 5 tips to help you manage your cravings for sweet foods.  

If you are someone who has had trouble in the past controlling your cravings, you will definitely want to read on and see what Leigh has to say.

5 Tips to Manage Your Sweet Cravings

Hope everyone had a fun-filled Halloween on Monday! Seeing as we just passed the biggest holiday for sweet treats, a post on how to beat those pesky cravings after the Halloween rush seemed like a necessity. 

Many of us experience cravings for sweets for different reasons, and there is nothing inherently wrong with that. All foods can fit into a healthy dietary pattern, but we also have to acknowledge that some foods are better for us than others. 

If you are feeling like your cravings for sweets and treats are overpowering you, give these tips a try: 

1) Eat regular meals throughout the day: Skipping or delaying meals may leave you ravenous, resulting in unruly cravings that often have you reaching for things you probably shouldn’t.  Planning your meals and snacks ahead of time (such as the day before) may help you avoid being in those situations. 

2) Drink more water: Thirst can sometimes be confused with hunger, and people may think they are hungry when in fact more water is what their body needs. Don’t like plain water? Try making your own ‘citrus water’. Add sliced lemons, limes, cucumber, berries and/or grapes to a glass or bottle of cold water and sip away.

3) Include protein, fibre and healthy fats at meals/snacks: This combination of foods is most likely to keep you feeling satiated and help keep your appetite in control.  Brown rice with tuna and avocado is a great example of a meal that includes all three and yoghurt, bananas and almonds are a great example of a snack.

4) Add natural sweetness to your meals:  Lean on fresh or dried fruits and sweet vegetables (such as carrots, sweet potatoes or beets) to lend flavour to your meals. These foods will not only satisfy your taste buds but provide you with a rich array of vitamins and minerals.  

5) Curb cravings with something other than food:  Often times we crave food for reasons other than actual hunger, such as boredom or stress. Fight those forces with activities other than eating such as taking a walk, grabbing a tea or talking to a co-worker.

Thanks Leigh for another helpful article!

Andy De Santis RD MPH