Here’s a not-so-secret: I have a sweet tooth.
I have fought with it my entire life, and it’s still my biggest weakness when it comes to food. However, I have a lot more control over it now than I did when I was a kid, and part of that is understanding what sugar does in your body.
To start with, excess sugar raises your risk of heart disease. It also causes inflammation. Inflammation itself isn’t a bad thing—it’s the body’s natural response to infection and disease. But chronic inflammation, where your body is constantly in that fighting state, isn’t healthy; too much sugar can lead to chronic low-grade inflammation, which contributes to a variety of other problems like heart disease, diabetes, and even allergies.
It would be one thing if we were always aware of when we’re eating sugar, but sugar is added to so many processed foods. It’s in ketchup, bread, frozen dinners, and so much more. So if you’re eating those things, you’re getting a lot of sugar in your diet that you’re probably not even considering when you have a cookie or a piece of pie.
Clearly, a zero-refined-sugar diet would be the ideal way to go, and there are people out there who are doing it.. That’s incredible, and if that can be you, congrats. As for me, moderation is the way to go for now.
This is how I endeavor to keep my sweet tooth under control:
I Eat Well
Oftentimes, our cravings for unhealthy foods are indicators of a nutrient deficiency. The body is actually craving something with that nutrient in it, but we mistranslate the body’s message and reach for the chocolate. The more vegetables I eat, the fewer sweets I crave.
I Drink Water
Sometimes our craving is actually just thirst. If you feel like a cookie, start with a big glass of water and see what happens.
I Keep Alternatives Available
Apples, pineapple, raisins, dates, melon, pears–we always have fruit on hand. I eat it daily anyway, but it helps quell a sudden urge for candy, too. I find that peanut butter on crackers are a good choice for me.
I Brush My Teeth
Nighttime is my sweet tooth danger zone, and I know that. I try to brush my teeth soon after dinner, and it signals my body that eating time is over. Plus, I don’t want to have to brush my teeth again.
I Make Healthier Sweet Choices
I love a cup of hot chocolate, and the way I make it turns it into a superfood. See how to make this concoction here. My friend Rebecca of Purify Your Body (affiliate link) also taught me how to make some delicious peanut-butter chocolate treats with healthier ingredients, and I make “ice cream” with a frozen banana, raw cacao powder, a bit of coconut milk, and honey.
I Indulge Occasionally and DO NOT Go Sugar-Free or Fat-Free
If I’m at a restaurant and we order dessert, I eat some. If it’s a birthday, I eat the cake. I enjoy it. I understand the consequences of it, but if I make the choice to eat it I’m not going to feel guilty about it. And I move on.
If I’m going to have something sweet, I want to have the real thing. Why try to satisfy that sweet tooth with something fake? It’s one thing to use healthier ingredients to make a recipe that you genuinely enjoy eating; it’s another to start adding artificial sweeteners and fat-free ingredients to try to recreate something that would normally be high in sugar and calories. Those versions are usually disappointments, and I flat-out don’t trust them. I don’t believe they’re healthier options.
I Remember Who’s in Charge
That would be me.
Do you have a sweet tooth? How do you control it?
This Raw Chocolate Raspberry Brownie Bar recipe from Sunfood Superfoods uses ingredients like raspberries, raw cacao, pure maple syrup, dates, nuts, and coconut—satisfying that sweet tooth with real-food ingredients!
