I have a bad sweet tooth and was confronted with harsh reality when I saw a disturbing image on Facebook recently. I wish I could post it here, but since I don’t know who created it to give them credit, I’ll just have to describe it. Someone took the iconic Little Debbie image and altered it to make the girl chubby and changed her name to Big Deborah. It’s sad but true. If we eat too many sweet snacks, the adjective “little” no longer applies.
When I was young and extremely active, I could get away with eating whatever I pleased. Each day, I had a high-calorie sweet treat. Little Debbies, candy bars, doughnuts– you name it, I ate it. Unfortunately, I was creating a bad habit which still plagues me. I’m less active than I was in childhood and my metabolism keeps slowing down each year.
I’ve developed a few strategies to help me stave off the sweet tooth cravings which hit me most days.
1. Don’t buy the junk: Since I have little will power when it comes to sweets, I don’t keep them in the house.
2. No more milk: My particular weakness is warm cookies with milk. If I don’t have milk in the house, I won’t make cookies and eat them. We’ve switched to almond milk and it doesn’t have the same palate pleasing appeal when accompanying a cookie.
3. Hot Tea: This is a diversionary tactic I use when I crave a sweet snack. It works for me because I happen to take my tea plain (no added milk or sweetener). I drink black, red, green, and herbal teas depending on the time of day.
4. Alternatives: If I do want something sweet, I try to make myself eat a piece of fruit first. It contains fructose which is a natural sugar, but it’s accompanied by fiber and healthy nutrients. My other go-to snack is a homemade protein bar made with protein powder, almond butter, and agave nectar. I limit myself to two one-inch squares and chase it with a big glass of water, satisfying the sweet tooth and filling me up at the same time.
Other people I know have different strategies. What do you do to stave off a sweet craving?