Is it Okay to Eat Sweets Every Day?
Can I have a little sugar as a treat?
Learn how to control your sweet cravings.
When holidays are just around the corner, you might expect ugly sweaters, inflatable lawn decorations and more sweets around the house than one family can consume. If your house is anything like mine, there’s literally more skittles and M&Ms than there are decorative dishes to hold them.
However, for many who have been on diets or are concerned about their health, all those extra sweets lying around can be triggering. So what should I do to curb the urge to eat sweets every day? My best advice: treat yourself to some sugar.
Why am I constantly craving sweets?
Your body craves sugar for several reasons. Sugar is the body’s primary source of energy. Most sugar cravings are the direct result of a blood sugar imbalance. When your body breaks down a sugar molecule, insulin is produced to stabilize your blood sugar levels by converting it into energy or storing it away for future use. When levels of sugar in the blood are low, your body will crave foods that will increase your blood sugar back to normal. If you experience intense cravings for sweets, it could be a sign of restriction or an unhealthy relationship with sugary foods.
Should I restrict my sugar cravings this holiday season?
I don’t believe you should. I’m a dietitian and I eat sweets almost every day!
Back when I would restrict sugar from my diet, I’d find myself constantly thinking about sweets until I caved. Typically, eating until I felt uncomfortable or sick. I would dread the holidays because I’d feel out of control around all the desserts and candies. But once I learned how to eat mindfully and unlearn arbitrary food rules, I began to develop a better relationship with sweets and my body. Now I can eat ice cream and cookies all year round without guilt, shame, or any negative judgment and enjoy every bite.
Is too many sweets still a thing?
Definitely. In the short term, you might feel sluggish, uncomfortable, or sick. Persistently high levels of sugar in the blood can cause inflammation which damages blood vessels and can increase your risk of chronic illness, such as diabetes and heart disease.
As with most things in life, the key to having a healthy relationship with sweets is consuming an amount that feels comfortable and satisfying. Frequently consuming large amounts of sugar can be detrimental to your health. Frequently consuming a mindful portion, along with a balanced diet, not so much.
Learn these 4 ways to feel more in control around sugar.
4 Ways to Feel More in Control Around Sugar
For those of us that have issues of self-control around sugar, the concept of moderation is much easier said than done. As an anti-diet dietitian that strongly believes all foods can fit into a healthy diet, I’m constantly asked how to balance sugar cravings and feel more in control around sweets. This is what I tell my clients:
1. Eat enough throughout the day
When you skip meals or eat too little calories, the body will rev up hunger which can lead to out-of-control eating. In order to take control of your body and cravings, it’s important you’re eating regularly throughout the day. It’s best to start your day with breakfast and eat a meal every 4 hours. This includes snacking if you start to feel hungry between meals.
2. Prepare balanced meals
It’s important to include a variety of carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats and fruits and vegetables to your plate to properly nourish the body. These major food groups work together to optimize body function. Adding more whole grains to your diet such as whole wheat breads and crackers, brown rice, oats, quinoa, or bulgur can also help reduce intense sugar cravings.
3. Practice mindful eating
When the opportunity to enjoy something sweet arises, practice refocusing your attention to the act of eating. Consider if you’re physically hungry, eating for pleasure, or eating out of boredom, anxiety, or stress. Tune into your senses, your emotions, and any physical sensation that arises while you’re eating, notice when you start to feel satisfied/full to signal you’re done eating. Notice any judgmental thoughts you may have around the food you're eating. You may not be depriving yourself but believing you’re consuming “bad” food and feeling guilty or shameful are still forms of mental restriction (which is not true permission to eat).
4. Treat yourself to sweets regularly outside of holidays
The best way to combat the intensity of holiday sweet cravings? Capitulate. Knowing you can enjoy cakes, pies and candies outside of the holiday season takes these foods off of a pedestal, thus reducing the allure to binge and feeling more in control of how much you decide to eat.
✨Feel confident in your own skin and the food choices you’re making.✨
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