Addicted To The Leftover Halloween Candy? Tips To Reduce That Sweet Tooth

Addicted To The Leftover Halloween Candy? Tips To Reduce That Sweet Tooth

The candy bowls are everywhere. Full of sweets, chocolates, cookies - the whole nine yards. And to make it worse, people bring in their extra candy to work. You take one piece, and then two pieces and then three...and it all goes downhill from there. The next thing you know you are having three pieces of bread at lunch, craving more caffeine and munching away on the pretzels and chips. The holiday season binge has begun.

Should you run away and hide yourself on an island, hoping that you'll shrink away like Tom Hanks? Absolutely not.

First, understand that your sugar issues are not entirely your fault. Sugar is addictive - very addictive. It is one of the five most addictive foods - cheese, chili peppers, caffeine, and chocolate being the other four. In fact, some of my clients cannot stop eating sugar for at least three days, even after a minor treat of one candy bar or ice cream sandwich.

If you are a sugar addict or perhaps you just feel a little out of control around it - here are five suggestions for breaking the pattern at the physical level. For emotional and mental patterns, you'll have to wait for another article...

1. Drink more water! I know that it sounds simple, but drinking water can bring your body back into balance. A body that is out of balance searches for the easiest form of comfort and relief - and for most of us that comes in the form of sweets.

2. Give your body more sweet starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes and squash. Try having half a sweet potato in the morning with a serving of protein like eggs or chicken-sausage. By giving your body a dose of complex carbs in the morning, you can off-set the cravings for sugar later in the day. Try it. My clients are always amazed by this one.

3. Eat more protein at each meal or snack, especially in the morning. Protein helps to balance blood sugar levels. Roller coaster blood sugar levels can cause you to crave sugar even when you are trying hard to resist it. By starting the day with more protein, you create balanced blood sugar levels - which make it easier to make healthy lunch choices.

4. Eat less protein and more vegetables. I know, I'm contradicting number three. But some people (and this is much more rare) are having so much protein at every meal and snack that their bodies have become over-acidic and find relief with sugar. So you may need to cut down on protein, and increase leafy green vegetables to balance yourself out.

5. Replace your processed sugars with more natural alternatives like brown rice syrup, agave nectar and barley malt syrup. Try replacing processed sugar with more natural alternatives in your favorite recipes. You'll find that the natural sweeteners are less addictive and more satisfying.

This is just the beginning. But it should give you a start. I can see you cruising right by that candy bowel as I'm typing this. I mean really, who needs another Snickers bar anyways?

Thanks so much, and be well!

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