Six Easy Ways To Tamper Your Sweet Tooth
photo by joyosity @ flickr.com
We all know one…you know who I’m talking about… the non-sweet lover. The “I’m not really a dessert person” person.
Not only do I know one, I happen to be married to him.
Is there any way to guarantee this gene is passed down to my children? It obviously didn’t happen with K because the little dude loves chocolate. I’m pleading the fifth on who he got that gene from.
Okay, okay, there’s no denying it. It’s true! I have a sweet tooth. Majorly. However, I know that not only is sugar horrible for me (and my waistline), if I eat too much (and by too much I mean more than a very small amount) it really makes my stomach queasy. So, over the years I’ve come up with some tricks to lessen the draw of the sweet stuff.
Here’s my top six tips to tamper that sweet tooth!
- Knowledge. It doesn’t take much digging around to learn about the harmful effects of sugar on your body, especially when it’s consumed in excess. Having these facts in your mind helps when you’re temped to whip up a double batch of chocolate chip cookies. If you need somewhere to start try here or here.
- Cut it in half. Start by gradually lowering the amount of sugar in the recipes you already love. I can often cut the sugar in a recipe in half with no major difference in taste. In fact, in a lot of things I’ve found that it tastes better with less sugar because you can actually taste the food and not just the sugar.
- Don’t buy it. For me, the temptation to spend my money on something is far less than the temptation to eat something that is right in front of me. I try to make it a habit to not keep my cupboards stocked with things I don’t want to be eating.
- Use a replacement. Sugar cravings are going to come, so outsmart them! Have a healthier swap that is easily accessible. For me a couple squares of dark chocolate or fruit and yogurt (plain with a little honey) can do the trick to quell the desire to eat a whole pan of brownies. Note: I am not advocating artificial sugar replacements – but that is a whole other topic.
- “Not Worth It” list. If I’m going to eat something that’s not particularly good for me, my theory is that I had better at least really enjoy it. Gooey fudge brownie? Check, yum. Haagen Das Ice Cream? Hand it over! Cookies that taste like cardboard? Not so much. Sugary cereal that made me sick but didn’t even taste that great? Keep it away! Whenever I eat something that I regret, I immediately place it on my mental “not worth it” list and try to remember that the next time it’s attempting to seduce me.
- Savor your treats. For me, it is easy to feel guilty when I am having a treat. However, I’ve found that doing giving in to the temptation to feel that way is actually counter productive and often leads to binging (because if I’m going to fail, might as well fail big!). So instead, I try to eat my treat slow and really savor it. That way I end up eating less and enjoying it more!
While I definitely still have a sweet tooth, using these tips has helped a lot. Which is good, because I’ve still got some leftover baby fat that’s gotta go!
What about you? Do you have a sweet tooth? I’d love to hear some more tips!