So I asked Gearhardt and Prager for their tips on how to conquer sugar cravings. I also referred to Avena and Talbott’s book, Why Diets Fail. Many of their tips overlapped, so I’ve compiled them here.
- If you think you are highly sensitive to sugar, then trying to have just a little may be worse than having none at all, because it could keep the sensitivity alive, says Prager. Instead, try to eliminate it entirely for at least three weeks to see if the cravings fade.
- When embarking on a sugar-free mission, try to keep the long-term goals at the forefront of your mind. Keep reminding yourself of how much you’ll enjoy feeling stronger and healthier, or how you’ll enjoy better-fitting clothes.
- Take a week or two to monitor exactly when the cravings hit. Then figure out what the cues are — like stress, boredom, emotional downers or the need for a distraction.
- In these moments when the cravings hit, pause and think about what you need or do not need to eat at the moment. Are you actually hungry? Can you fulfill the need another way, like taking a quick walk?
- Find new foods that are rewarding, like new kinds of nuts and fruits, and keep them around. “Our environment always shoves in our face hyper-rewarding foods, and we can’t control that,” says Gearhardt. “We can keep foods we do like around, so that if we find ourselves in a bad mood, with cravings, we’re not setting ourselves up to fail.”
- Exercise. A recent brain imaging study found that cardiovascular activity may repair the part of the brain affected by food addiction. It also found that people who exercise regularly had a lower “reward response” to images of palatable food.
Still, these strategies may not work for everyone. If you feel like you’re white-knuckling it and it’s just too hard, Geardhardt recommends seeking professional help from food addiction specialists.
Article Appeared @http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/01/08/260781785/is-sugar-addiction-why-so-many-january-diets-fail