Sugar cravings

[jazzygirl]

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum for this but I am fighting my cravings constantly!!! Right now all I can think of is cookie dough!!

I have been battling this for quite some time, yo yo dieting, fatigue, depression....you name it.

I exercise faithfully but it just doesn't cut it. I'm 46 with a history of breast cancer and I want to stop this nonsense and feel good once and for all.

Will juicing help with the cravings?

[Stella Green]

Fruits, juiced or whole, always solve my sugar cravings. Especially mangos.

Also try Alissa Cohen's fudge balls!!

[Aleesha Sattva]

make a bunch of raw desserts and replace your SAD cravings with a healthy raw delight!

[proteus]

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum for this but I am fighting my cravings constantly!!! Right now all I can think of is cookie dough!!

I have been battling this for quite some time, yo yo dieting, fatigue, depression....you name it.

I exercise faithfully but it just doesn't cut it. I'm 46 with a history of breast cancer and I want to stop this nonsense and feel good once and for all.

Will juicing help with the cravings?

visualize what this cookie dough will do to you if you eat it.

visualize on one hand lean, fit, healthy, good looking, happy yourself playing outside in the sun.

visualize on the other hand obese, pale, sickly, ugly yourself with diabetes and cancer dying alone in the hospital.

then ask yourself is that price worth paying for a cookie that's made of sh1t that rats wouldn't eat ...

focus on linking in your mind the thought of a particular food with the thought of the effects it is ultimately likely to have whether positive or negative.

people eat crap when in their minds the food is only linked to the taste sensation. rich people tend not to eat as much crap because in their minds fast food is linked to poverty for example. this is the same as you wouldn't eat dog food because in your mind dog food is something that dogs eat. you can't stop your mind from linking food to its taste but you can put other ideas into your mind and link them to the food. you need to develop an attitude towards food in other words.

[WanderRA]

A great way to beat bread/pizza/fries cravings is to drink a pint of cold water from a glass with a tbsp of MSM powder mixed in.

It sort of just dissolves the craving.

[Reesh]

juicing will probably help. you could also try to imagine the hold the cookie dough has over you. past experiences with the post-cookie dough dopamine rush have now trained your body to release seratonin at the mere thought of cookie dough. it's what the cookie dough company wants! :D you'll just have to overcome it.

i find that eating raw and fairly low sugar helps me. mind over food not food over mind.

http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/013111/serotonin-and-dopamine.gif

[ACVille]

Maybe try some sundried figs? They are super sweet and their texture is interesting (not boring). I get mine at my local grocery store, for $3 a package, in the nut area of the fresh produce section.

[banana shake]

I've also heard (& experienced) that you need to make sure you get plenty of greens, in smoothies, as salads, whatever. It really does help!

[jazzygirl]

You guys are the best with all your helpful responses!!!

I noticed some of my cravings occur when I'm upset, so basically it's comfort eating.

Proteus, I love the visualization! Thank you.

[Reesh]

well your body is somewhat smart: it knows to put something inside you that triggers serotonin release when you are upset ;)

[jazzygirl]

well your body is somewhat smart: it knows to put something inside you that triggers serotonin release when you are upset ;)

I have to learn to out smart it.

[green goddess]

I have a little recipe that helps for sweet cravings for me; it's super-sweet and my next meal has to be something savoury! :)

-3/4 cup dates soaked for at least an hour
-2 bananas

Blend the dates, along with the soak water, and the bananas, to form a paste. Add sliced bananas, or a sweet fruit of your choice, and eat as a pudding. Soooo sweet!

And I also like Proteus's visualization technique!

[jazzygirl]

Thanks for the recipe! I love bananas. I have always been told not to eat them because of the sugar content but I still have my one banana a day.

[mcster]

I have to learn to out smart it.

And here's how you do it once and for all:

You need to cleanse. Your cells have a memory (that's what causes the cravings) and the only way to erase that memory is by going on a cleanse. It will enable your body to feed on fat cells where those memories are stored and clear them out of your body once and for all.

I have done various cleanses in the past. The best by far in my experience is the Master Cleanse. I've done it three times now and I'm committed to doing it regularly for the rest of my life.

I started my most recent one after New Years to transition into raw. I went 22 days and I can assure you that while I used to looooove anything with dairy and especially cheese...pizza, ice cream, nachos...before that cleanse, I now get nauseous when I think about eating those foods.

I have ZERO cravings whatsoever. I can walk into a restaurant with friends and actually get turned off by food that I would otherwise use to enjoy. It resets your palate and your sense of smell. You certainly have a new outlook on food after cleansing. Here are other benefits:

You will give your body a heavy detoxing - never a bad idea
You'll lose tones of weight - if you have fat to lose
Because you're not buying, preparing, eating, cleaning after food but you're still being nourished...you will start seeing food differently
Your PH will be well balanced and you will look and feel fantastic
I'm sure there's more but you get the point...

Thinking or eating your way out of it is going to be an uphill battle because you're trying to deal with symptoms, not the underlying cause IMO.

[kmik]

Another thing that satisfies sweet cravings is Alissa's Date Nut Torte, with fresh raspberries on top. sooo yummy!

I find I don't do well attempting to deprive myself, so I find raw substitutes and feel free to live it up.

[jazzygirl]

Mcster.... the master cleanse seems kind of harsh. I can't imagine drinking that all day and not eating. Is that for just one day?

I do however have two glasses of lemon water first thing every morning.

[mcster]

Mcster.... the master cleanse seems kind of harsh. I can't imagine drinking that all day and not eating. Is that for just one day?

I do however have two glasses of lemon water first thing every morning.

It's not harsh at all. It's one of the best experiences I've personally had in terms of improving my health. But as with everything in life, it's what you make of it. So if you chose so view as harsh, then it will be that. There is no free lunch. Worthwhile things require work and discipline IMO.

And while lemon with water is an excellent habit to have, it in no way can compare or replace the Master Cleanse.

Look at it this way, many, many people have done it and do it on a regular basis for between 10 days and up to hundreds of days (no kidding). You are equally capable.

If you have an interest in exploring this as a solution, I suggest you pick up a book on the subject and educate yourself on the process. I can tell you that if you were to commit to it and follow it properly, you would significantly improve your health and have an interesting experience...at the very least.

Best of luck.

[Mikey_H]

Thanks for the recipe! I love bananas. I have always been told not to eat them because of the sugar content but I still have my one banana a day.

I wouldn't follow that advice you've been told.

Never force drastic limitations on your intake of pure and natural carbohydrate sources like bananas or any other fruit for that matter..... unless there is an urgent medical need, temporarily or long-term, to stay away. This is where the idea of "eating healthy" can become drastically and dangerously unhealthy, mentally and physically.

Your body (brain included) needs this fuel to live, simply stated. Simply enough, if you are craving sugar in general, satisfy your "craving" with perhaps.... more bananas, if that is what you enjoy :)

OOOH or make your own all-pure "cookie dough"! Experiment!

[mamamochiko]

OOOH or make your own all-pure "cookie dough"! Experiment!

What a great question. And what an inspirational answer. I know what I am doing tonight. I have been having the same cravings.

[jazzygirl]

What a great question. And what an inspirational answer. I know what I am doing tonight. I have been having the same cravings.

Can I have your recipe when you're done? :eat

[BeingK8]

Jazzygirl, do you "tap?" It's also known as EFT which is a "brand" name for meridian tapping therapy (MMT). The process is wildly successful for addictions and cravings (as well as, well...any other thing under the sun that's ever bugging us!)

I'd be happy to share more (I have tons of links and I use MMT with my clients - some of whom used it successfully for drug addiction. I'm a social worker and at the time I was using it with those clients, I was working with a program specifically for addicts).
If you're interested. Just let me know.

[dgmulf]

Just allow yourself to satisfy the sugar cravings.

You'll feel absolutely sick from all the sugar, and that'll be the end of the cravings.

I just did that a couple minutes ago, lol.

[Mindful mama]

I've read that sugar cravings may be the manifestation of a magnesium deficiency. This was/is the case for me!

I looks like you've received a lot of options! You can beat the cravings!!

[jhodi]

Just wanted to give a shout out to beingk8, a fellow MSW.

:-)

[GoingtoRAW]

I agree with buying and or making raw treats. I am a serious sugar addict. The thing that has helped me to curb my sugar cravings is drinking a giant fruit smoothie every day. This is always my first meal of the day and I mean I make a big one! The only exception is that depending on how I am feeling I may eat a piece of fruit if I know I won't be able to make my smoothie right away for whatever reason. It didn't work instantly but within maybe a week to two weeks my sugar cravings went away. Then I started really craving fruit smoothies. I balance out my diet with lots of raw greens and green smoothies. But nothing helped the sugar cravings like the fruit smoothies!

[KPetro]

I have a little recipe that helps for sweet cravings for me; it's super-sweet and my next meal has to be something savoury! :)

-3/4 cup dates soaked for at least an hour
-2 bananas

Blend the dates, along with the soak water, and the bananas, to form a paste. Add sliced bananas, or a sweet fruit of your choice, and eat as a pudding. Soooo sweet!

And I also like Proteus's visualization technique!
This sounds really good. I have something similar I make, but it's really a chocolate shake. Blend 3 bananas, 2 heaping TBSP raw cacao, 4 -6 dates (depending on size and sweetness desired), dribble vanilla, pinch of salt, & just a little water so it blends. If you want it cold, throw in some ice cubes or better, frozen berries:) Oh so good.