Confession time. I have a very bad sweet tooth. I love all things chocolate, gummy and cake like. 
And while I’ve been trying to ween myself off the processed foods and make healthier choices – when I give into my sweet tooth, all hell breaks lose. But here’s what I’ve found that helps curb my sweet tooth cravings.
Veggies!
Yes, yes, I know what you’re thinking…duh. But let me explain. While I know a balanced diet consists of a healthy dose of fruits and veggies, I have been heavily ignoring the veggie portion, choosing instead to over dose on fruits. They’re fruit, they’re on the food pyramid, how bad could they be?
Don’t get me wrong, I love veggies and try to add them into everything I cook daily. They are just not my go to snack. Fruit on the other hand is super sweet and portable. 
Unfortunately, just like everything else, it’s not good to over indulge – and I was doing that a lot in the fruit department.
Yes, fruits are amazing for you, but in moderation. Previously I was eating 2 fruits for every 1 veggie and that sugar spike would sometimes draw me back into my sugar cravings, which would then result in me reaching for ice cream, pastries and candy – oh my.
No bueno and totally not anywhere on the healthy spectrum. Heck even my city has started a campaign – VegOut SA – to help us all come to the same realization.
So once I made the shift a week ago to have 2 veggies for every 1 cup of fruit, voilà, I no longer have sugar spikes and I now feel balanced and satiated after every meal. What do you know, everything you ever hear about veggies is true. They leave you feeling full longer and help regulate your blood sugar. Total win in my book. 
So the lesson here is that portion control is very important, not only in non-healthy food, but in healthy food as well. So I’ve now made it a point to make Sunday my shop/chop day. I go grocery shopping, then come home and portion out my single servings of fruit and veggies. This way during the week I don’t have to think about it. I know that the snack baggies/
What tips or tricks have you used to curb your sweet tooth?
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This is too funny! Again you must be reading my mind. Hubby and I were just talking last night about cutting back on sugar. We dont keep sugar sweets at home but we make up for it by eating a bunch of fruit. And we also have a big bottle of honey we use to sweeten up our food and drinks. Well we know that has to change. We are starting a new “diet” next week from a book I just finished reading, “the grain brain diet”. Wish us luck.
Thanks for sharing your tips! 🙂
lol we live in a parallel universe Liz & I love it! Good luck on your new food journey ?
I do have a sweet tooth & I do many things to keep away from the ‘Baddies’ because I have diabetes in my family.
I will enjoy a natural sugar yogurt for dessert. It’s better than ice cream and a small cup is packed with great flavor. I really enjoy Siggi’s yogurt flavors & his yogurt has about 10g of natural sugar, but it’s less than others & you may not need to finish the container.
I buy 80% Dark Chocolate Bars (Central Market Brand) & if I get a sugar attack, I will have a square of the bar. A square is enough for my sweet tooth.
I will drink berry infused water while I read a book. If I am reading or doing something while I am drinking the berry water, I feel like I am having something sweet. The water is sweet on it’s own, but the distraction will really take the attack away.
From the comment above, Grain Brain is a great book! There are many great documentaries on Netflix also. I love eating clean.
Thanks for all the helpful tidbits Lisa! I’m all about clean eating too, but that sweet tooth always brings me back to the bad stuff so getting to conquer that a little bit more each day is helping to keep me on track.