The need for sweets is biologically innate, but overdoing it on sugar consumption can lead to health problems. Atabay Pharmaceuticals Medical Director Specialist Dr. Murat Yaycı said, “According to the American Heart Association, daily sugar consumption is approximately 6 teaspoons for women and 9 teaspoons for men. It is difficult to reduce sugar consumption, but sweet cravings can be controlled with the right methods and healthy snacks.”
Atabay Pharmaceuticals Medical Director Specialist Dr. Murat Yaycı warns against excessive sugar consumption. Yaycı said, “Excessive sugar consumption not only causes weight gain, but also unbalances energy levels.” Drawing attention to the fact that having frequent sweet cravings during the day and wanting to consume something sugary again within a few hours after eating sweets is a common behavior, Yaycı spoke about the reasons for the sweet tooth as follows: “The American Heart Association states that daily sugar consumption should be approximately 6 teaspoons for women and 9 teaspoons for men. The need for sweets is a biologically innate tendency. Carbohydrate consumption triggers the secretion of serotonin, known as the happiness hormone. Therefore, sugar consumption provides a short-term feeling of relief for the person. On the other hand, the problem does not occur when sugar is consumed occasionally, but when it is overdone.”
Small portions help manage sweet cravings
Excessive sugar consumption causes the glucose level in the blood to drop just as quickly as it increases rapidly. This situation leads to a cycle that triggers the need for sweets again in a short time. Murat Yaycı stated that it is difficult to reduce sugar consumption, but it is possible to control sweet cravings with the right methods and healthy snacks, and provided the following information about the methods that can be applied:
Don't deprive yourself completely. Eating small portions of sweets can help you manage your sweet cravings. For example, you can have a small piece of dark chocolate instead of a large bar of chocolate.
Try to eat with healthy alternativesTo control your sweet tooth, you can consume desserts containing healthy foods such as almonds or hazelnuts.
Try giving up sugar completely. For some people, cutting out sugar completely can be an effective method. The first 2-3 days may be difficult, but in the long run, your sugar needs will decrease.
Chew gumStudies show that chewing gum can help reduce appetite.
Eat fruitConsuming fruits containing healthy fibers can be a useful alternative to meet your sugar needs naturally.
MoveTaking a short walk or changing your environment when you have a sweet tooth can help take your mind off the thought and desire to eat sweets.
Make quality choicesWhen you want to consume sweets, choose healthier, smaller portions instead of large portions of unhealthy desserts.
Eat regularly. Staying hungry for a long time increases the desire to eat sweets. Consuming healthy snacks between meals helps keep blood sugar balanced.
Reward yourself as you reduce your sugar intake
Murat Yaycı listed the ways to reduce sweet cravings in the long term as follows:
Avoid artificial sweetenersArtificial sweeteners may increase sweet cravings rather than reduce them. Reward yourselfRewarding yourself in a healthy way as you reduce your sugar consumption will increase your motivation in this process.
Make a plan. Focus on your sugar cravings for a week and think about what you eat. Diet chaos often comes from lack of planning, so instead of eating when you’re desperate, eat what you plan to eat.
Explore different paths. Feelings like stress, anger, or sadness can drive you to sweets, but they don’t solve problems. Try to find ways to cope with these feelings other than through food.
Try alternative methods. "You may need more than one strategy to prevent sugar cravings. You may be successful with one tactic one week, but you may need an alternative approach another week. You have to find what works to calm sugar cravings."
