It’s late in the afternoon; lunch was a few hours ago and it is still too early for dinner.  Yet, for some reason, you feel an urge to walk into the kitchen and get yourself a snack.  If you are like most of us, chances are that snack will be something sweet.  These sugar cravings are what causes us to pack on the extra weight.  If you utilize the following tips, you should be able to effectively fight off those sugar cravings on a daily basis, and hopefully keep from gaining extra weight.

Tip #1 – Drink Water
Staying hydrated is not only vital to your health; it also happens to be one the best ways to stop sugar cravings.   Drinking water helps fill your stomach in between meal times so you don’t feel as hungry.

Tip #2 – Eat Slowly
Your brain tells you that you are when your blood sugar levels start to fall below a certain point.  Eating causes those blood sugar levels to rise.  However, eating to quickly can also cause your blood sugar levels to rise quickly.  The consequence of this is that your blood sugar levels will decrease sooner making you feel hungry again.  Eating your meals slowly helps you avoid these spikes in blood sugar levels and sugar cravings.

Tip #3 – Healthy Snacks
Eating fresh fruits, vegetables, and other healthy snacks is good way to help beat sugar cravings.  Although fruits do contain some sugar, it is natural and broken down more easily in the body than the refined sugar in candy.  Plus, these snacks contain nutrients essential for your overall health, so eating fruits and vegetables is good to incorporate into your diet!

Tip #4 – Get Restful Sleep
Often when we are low on sleep, we are consequently low on energy too.  For a quick boost of energy, something sugary tends to be what we gravitate towards.  Getting restful sleep is key to starting out the day energized and maintaining that level of energy throughout the day.  This, in turn, helps curb sugar cravings.

Tip #5 – Be Active!
Exercising is actually a great way to fight off sugar cravings even if it may seem contradictory.  When exercising, your body releases endorphins that give you a feeling of high energy.  During and after exercising you need to drink water to stay hydrated.  As previously stated in Tip #1, drinking water helps keep your stomach feeling full.

Tip #6 – Keep Busy
Boredom is no excuse to give in to a sugar craving.  If your mind is preoccupied, sugar cravings are much less likely occur since your mind is focused on something else.

Don’t worry if you give in to a sugar craving every once in a while.  Just don’t beat yourself up about it.  If you do, this could lead to more eating and undo all your efforts to suppress the sugar cravings.