Sweet tooth raging out of control? Here's how to tame those sugar cravings

Sugar cravings are driven by your brain's need for a "reward" — not your body's need for food. If you felt that munching sugary snacks just makes you crave for more, you’re not alone. If you can have only one bite and stop there, indulging a little when you get a craving is absolutely fine. But if you tend to binge and overeat as soon as you get a taste of sugary foods, then giving in to the sweet cravings is the worst thing you can do. 

Here is a simple timely plan to control your sugar cravings

1. Complex Carbs + Protein at 8am: Say no to simple carbs in the form of breakfast cereal, bread or wheat paranthas as these are high GI and get absorbed quickly; first spiking the blood sugar levels and then paving way for sugar crash; instead opt for complex carbs like multigrain bread, steel cut oats, multigrain parantha, porridge, etc and get a good amount of protein to keep yourself full for hours.
2. Fruit, Yogurt & Protein Powder Smoothie at 11am: 1 whole fruit, ½ cup yogurt/milk and 2 tsp protein powder will give you the right punch of natural sugar, filling fiber, calcium, iron as well as quintessential protein at the time when sugar cravings are about take away your focus from work.
3. Probiotics for Post Lunch Craving at 3pm: Grab a small serve of plain yogurt and add natural fructose in the form of mango, strawberry, blueberry or any other fruit. Did you know that candida overgrowth can be the reason behind strong sugar cravings? The probiotics will give your gut a healthy boost of gut-friendly bacteria while fresh fruits will satiate your sweet tooth.
4. Nut Butter at 5pm: Grab a multigrain-bread slice and spread no-sugar nut butter to accompany your cup of tea/coffee in the evening. Nut butter is rich in protein and sulphur while multigrain-bread will give your brain the much-required carbs boost.
5. Dinner at 8pm: Lastly, eat your dinner at 8pm and then go for Intermittent Fasting for the next 12 hours. Eat/drink nothing (except water) until 8am next morning. Just training your mind into this 12 hours fasting window will help you curb midnight snacking too.