Are you one of the many people in the world who LOVES sweets and wants to curb sugar cravings? You are not alone! Some people even consider sugar obsession to be an actual addiction. Reducing sugar intake is an important step in any weight loss or health program, simply because it helps you consume fewer calories and maintain better health.

Unfortunately, knowing how important it is still doesn’t make it easy to overcome that sweet tooth, right? Below are a few tips to curb sugar cravings and loosen the grip that sugar has on you:

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Whether or not you can really be “addicted” to sugar like you can to drugs and alcohol is still being debated among experts. However, a secondary definition of addiction describes “the persistent, compulsive use of a substance that is known to be harmful.” That would certainly describe the relationship that many people have with refined cane sugar. They know that ingesting large amounts of sugar isn’t good for them, but they can’t seem to stop themselves from eating it anyway.

If you have done this too and you worry that you might have a sugar addiction, take a look at the following common signs and symptoms:

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When you’re trying to cut back on sugar, the discomfort that ensues can be incredibly difficult to withstand. One of the more frustrating aspects of sugar withdrawal is the constant, persistent cravings that keep nagging at you. Is there anything you can do to minimize these cravings, or do you just have to deal with them until they go away?

Unfortunately there aren’t any “magic pills” that will make sugar cravings vanish instantly, but there ARE things you can do to help make them easier to bear. Below you’ll find three good ways to help reduce cravings for sugar:

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When your emotions cause you to overeat, your life can seem out of control and the pounds continue spiraling upward. You may feel that you simply don’t have the willpower to overcome the problem. Your self-esteem and self-confidence may have eroded to the point where you’re withdrawing from those you love and you don’t feel like going out to have fun.

Sometimes emotional overeating occurs because of certain “triggers” that make you crave certain foods (usually the ones that are loaded with high carbohydrates and sugar) and mindlessly binge on them until you can’t eat another bite. Chronic overeating is an addiction just like the ones we’re used to hearing about — drugs, alcohol and even sex.

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Smart marketing for a product isn’t just about advertising. It’s about creating services or goods that people can’t live without — or that they crave on a continual basis. This is exactly what food manufacturers consider when they create a product for you to eat. Their goal is for you enjoy it and overeat your normal consumption because that’s more money in their pocket.

Fat and sugar and salt are the three main culprits that stimulate your brain to make you eat more. While you think you’re just answering your hunger cues, in reality, your body is being over-stimulated to eat more than your body needs.

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It is never a surprise to find yourself craving for the next meal or snack. Many people do have very healthy appetites all throughout the day. But, do you ever find yourself craving for food that is particularly sweet? Like, chocolate, candies, caramels and the like? Ah yes, a good number of people do enjoy a special appetite for sweets.

Now, don’t feel guilty. For most people, the association of sweets as a reward for a good day’s work has its roots to childhood rearing. Do you remember when your doctor offers you a lollipop in exchange for a well-behaved check-up with him? Or, do you recall your mom giving you an extra slice of cake after you’ve helped her tidy up the house? These little efforts of reward have slowly but steadily laid the foundation of your appetite for sweets during your adult years.

Nevertheless, just like almost everything in the world, there is a scientific explanation to this appetite for sweets. It was discovered by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, constant stress inflicted on lab rats initiated a natural desire to seek pleasing activities like eating sugary foods. To relate this to humans, sweet cravings may be triggered by tensions that consequently result in your body’s release of hormones called epinephrine and cortisol. These hormones create energy in the form of blood sugar. As a result, your body reacts to stress by increasing your appetite for sweets.

Although there is really nothing wrong with an occasional sweet treat, a significant increase in its desire and indulgence will result to unhealthy consequences to your body — like upsurges in blood sugar level that leads to unwelcome mood swings and, more excessively, to type 2 diabetes.

Here are a few suggestions on how to curb that appetite for sweets:

• Eat five to 6 times a day to keep your blood sugar level. Eating smaller meals, more frequently will not only help keep cravings at bay but will help you lose weight, too.
• Enjoy healthy servings of carefully selected fruits. Some fruits help keep blood sugar steady like berries, apples and pears. Stay away from excessive intake of pineapple and watermelon.
• Take a hike. When you are hit with the next sweet craving, distract yourself by taking a stroll until the craving passes.
• Lastly, if your appetite for sweets has taken over your will power, ask for help. Behavioral therapy can help.

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Junk Food & Overeating: Here’s Why You Do It

It’s getting cold outside, the leaves are falling, October is drawing to a close — sounds like a good time to chow down on a heap o’ Halloween candy! Not!

While Halloween can be a fun time of the year, it can wreak havoc if you’re trying to lose weight. Just a few wrong choices or one too many of the good, old “But they’re so tiny. One more won’t hurt!” excuse will be enough to send you screaming off the bathroom scale on November 1st.

Here are 5 tips to help get you through Halloween with your waistline intact. (I did have “don’t eat any candy at all” as a first tip, but figured I’d be run out of town by an angry mob with pitchforks!)

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