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Irresistible craving for sweets causes. Cravings for sweet and salty: body secrets

Hello to the sweet tooth of our time! Numerous studies have proven that industrial sugar is harmful to human health. You can’t argue with this, because to get final product Manufacturers subject basic raw materials to numerous treatments, including chemical ones.

Of course, all this suggests that it’s time to stop poisoning yourself. Especially for such people, I wrote an article about how to overcome cravings for sweets and whether it is necessary to do this at all.

A healthy outlook on sweets

So, let's immediately define the difference between the words “sugar” and “sweet”. And if sugar, created artificially in production and consumed in unlimited quantities, can really be harmful, then sweets come in different forms.

Anything that tastes sweet is sweet, but that doesn't mean it contains sugar or anything else harmful. Take at least honey and fruits. This is absolutely natural products, which, if consumed adequately, will bring nothing but benefit.

8. Sleep properly

Have you noticed that if you stay up at work later than midnight, a strong appetite begins to wake up? The fact is that the body is supposed to sleep at night, and so that nothing disturbs it, at this time many of its processes calm down, and the glucose level also drops.


A waking person feels this at the level of hunger and begins to eat sweet foods, the satiety from which passes quickly, and he will want to eat again. In addition, the increased glucose level invigorates and activates physiological processes who, on the contrary, should go to sleep.

All this unbalances a person’s life and often leads to metabolic disorders. To properly rest your body, you need to sleep at least 7-8 hours every day.

9. Remove sweets from visibility and accessibility

It will be difficult not to go to the culinary departments only at first; the habit of avoiding them will develop quite quickly. When you stop visually falling for something sweet, you will gradually begin to forget that it exists. This is a simple mechanism of action - visual images evoke desires in us. No image - no desire.

10. Mindfulness in every movement

As a rule, when people eat, they do not think about what they are eating, but think about completely different things. This leads to overeating. Become aware of every step you take when eating. Think about how hungry you are, how much food you need to put in to be full.


When chewing, observe your emotions, enjoy the taste, smell and texture of food. This approach causes the brain to become satiated much earlier and gives you a signal of satiety.

11. Eat small bites

Another effective way tricking the brain is eating food in small pieces. That is, divide any muffin, roll, and even cookies into smaller fractions and prolong the pleasure by chewing the food thoroughly. This will force the brain to calculate that a lot of things have been eaten and calm down.

12. Drink enough water

The secret is that a stomach filled with water keeps you feeling full longer. If you have an irresistible craving for something sweet, try drinking a glass of water and wait a bit. After some time, your appetite should subside. read on the blog pages.

Enjoy life, appreciate your fullness and do what you love

When eating sweets, joy hormones are produced in the brain and a person feels temporary emotional relief. But such an effect cannot be compared with the natural joy you experience from pleasant events in life.

Decide on your life values, begin to truly appreciate what you have, and you yourself will not notice how indifferent you have become to sweets and other temporary pleasures of this world.

I'm glad you read the entire article and hope it inspired you in some way. If you wish, you can talk about how you managed to overcome overconsumption sweet. Personal experience always valuable and interesting.

Subscribing to the blog will serve both you and me well, so click on the appropriate button. Well, if you know people who are haunted by the topic of this article, repost the article on a social network. Thanks to all!

Each of us has experienced periods of irresistible cravings for sweets at least once in our lives. What to do if the constant desire to eat something sweet has dragged on, and not only changes in your figure are noticeable, but also health problems?

First of all, you need to understand what “sweet” is and what it is needed for.

IN explanatory dictionary Ozhegova "sweet"- having a pleasant taste, characteristic of sugar or honey. Another meaning is pleasant, giving pleasure. Indeed, if you eat candy or cake, your mood immediately improves, life begins to play with bright colors, and you feel a surge of strength and energy. Unfortunately, this effect is very short-term nature, and the craving for sweets increases.

In scientific language, the entire collection of cakes, chocolates, sweets, etc. called “easily digestible (fast) carbohydrates.” Carbohydrates perform a variety of functions in the human body. The very first of them is energy. When oxidizing 1 g. carbohydrates release 4.1 kcal of energy. The main source is free glucose, easily released from fast carbohydrates, and glycogen - carbohydrates stored in the body. The ability of easily digestible carbohydrates to quickly break down into glucose is necessary for a person to stressful situation for urgent energy saturation. Therefore, you can eat sweets after without consequences. sleepless night, or in preparation for an exam. In this case, fast carbohydrates are the remedy emergency assistance body, and the craving for sweets is easily explained.

The stressful situation passed, but the craving for sweets remained. What to do?

First of all, it is necessary pay attention to your health status. No matter how strange it may sound, a craving for sweets can be a consequence of a concussion, osteochondrosis, and even hypotension. In all three cases, the essence is the same - the brain does not have enough glucose due to impaired blood supply. Therefore, he begins to demand it, which manifests itself in the form of a headache that goes away if he eats, for example, candy.

These problems can be resolved by consulting therapist And neurologist. Specialists will help eliminate the cause, and the craving for sweets will weaken.

Another reason for craving sweets is lack of chromium in the body

The main function of chromium is to maintain normal blood glucose levels. He participates in carbohydrate metabolism, increasing the permeability of cell walls to glucose. This microelement also increases the sensitivity of cell receptors to insulin, the pancreatic hormone responsible for carbohydrate metabolism. Therefore, sufficient chromium content in the body helps reduce cravings for sweets and speed up metabolism.

Chromium deficiency is most often caused by the abuse of sweets and sugar. The more sweets, the more chromium is removed from the body, and, closing vicious circle, I want something tasty even more.

In addition to strong cravings for sweets, symptoms of chromium deficiency include:

  • Persistent feeling of hunger
  • Profuse sweating
  • Feeling tired after a night's rest,
  • Dizziness.

Undoubtedly, chromium is best absorbed from food. The most great content trace element in tuna (90 µg per 100 g). Different kinds fish (carp, pollock, crucian carp, catfish, capelin, cod, etc.) contain a smaller amount - 55 mcg per 100 g. The next highest amount of chromium is liver (32 mcg per 100 g), duck (15 mcg), chicken (10 mcg). Some vegetables are also quite rich in chromium. So broccoli contains 22 micrograms of microelement per 100 g, and beets 20 micrograms.

Another source of chromium is brewer's yeast. They are used as a food additive.

Among other things, you can use pharmaceutical drugs to normalize chromium levels. These can be either various vitamin-mineral complexes or biological active additives. But do not forget that all medications can be taken only after consultation with a doctor, since not only a deficiency, but also an excess of chromium are harmful.

The daily requirement varies depending on age and gender:

For children

  • 1-3 years – 11 mcg
  • 3-11 years – 15 mg
  • 11-14 years – 25 mcg
  • 14-18 years old – 35 mcg

For women

  • Over 18 years old – 50 mcg
  • Pregnant women – 100-120 mcg

For men

  • Over 18 years old – 60-70 mcg
  • Athletes – 120-200 mcg

The next reason for craving for sweets is hormonal disorders

The very first hormone that comes to mind when you mention sweets is insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas and is responsible for regulating blood sugar levels. If there is too much glucose in the blood, insulin begins to be produced, which helps distribute it among tissue cells. The body works and uses glucose from the cells. But this is ideal. A disorder that causes excessive cravings for sweets is insulin resistance. This is the resistance of cells to insulin. That is, when blood sugar levels increase, the hormone is produced, but glucose cannot penetrate the tissues. In response, the pancreas releases even more hormone to balance blood sugar levels. And the body begins to experience energy hunger. This manifests itself in the form of a strong, even “wolfish” feeling of hunger. Moreover, there is a desire to eat something that can quickly provide the necessary energy - fast carbohydrates, sweets.

Failure in work thyroid gland may also be the culprit behind the desire to eat something that is not healthy. The hormones it produces are responsible for regulating metabolism. When their production is disrupted, severe hunger appears, which many satisfy with chocolates, cakes, and so on.

These problems can be resolved in consultation with endocrinologist.

Psychological addiction to sweets

All of the above is physiological reasons cravings for sweets, reasons at the body level. But don't forget about psychological factor, and also about the action of passion in us. In this case, they talk about addiction to sweets.

Like any addiction, cravings for sweets begin with habit. The habit of drinking tea with a candy or two, the habit of eating a piece of cake after a working day, the habit of rewarding yourself with something tasty. It is the latter habit that is instilled in us early childhood when for good behavior or an excellent rating, parents buy sweets. This is a kind of tradition that is sometimes difficult to argue with. And the modern rhythm of life is so rich in stress that it is not surprising to eat them with sweets. After all, sweets are something that brings pleasure. Over and over again, the habit becomes more and more ingrained. And at one “wonderful” moment it becomes an addiction. It’s already difficult to imagine a meal without dessert and not just dessert, but more. Sweet snacks appear between meals. Now you have to buy clothes in the next size... What to do?

First, you need to know what exactly excess carbohydrates in the human body turn into fat. Moreover, 90% of adipose tissue is formed from carbohydrates unspent for energy needs. How does this happen?

Glucose released from carbohydrates enters the liver. Then she has 3 ways:

  • be used up as a source of energy,
  • be stored as glycogen for muscle work,
  • be stored as fat.

If neither energy expenditure is required for mental labor nor intensive muscular work, then an excess of glucose is obtained. Therefore, the liver directs it along the third path.

Secondly, unlimited consumption of foods high in sugar negatively affects the immune system, intestinal microflora. Sweet environment promotes growth pathogenic microorganisms, yeast-like fungi. Also, due to the abundance of sweets, the skin suffers.

Thirdly, it is important to remember the quality of modern confectionery. The vast majority of them are saturated with dangerous trans fats (palm oil, vegetable fat, confectionery fat, margarine, etc.). The influence of trans fats on development has been established tumor processes in organism.

Ways to get rid of sugar cravings

Awareness of the “enemy” is the first step on the path to health, lightness and freedom from sweets.

1. If you have an addiction, you should not immediately and radically prohibit yourself from eating sweets. This path is fraught with failures and does not bear fruit. However, from the experience of those struggling with sweet cravings, we can advise you to completely give up those sweets that make you lose your mind and self-control. For example, if a slice of milk chocolate affects you in such a way that you “lose your head” and come to your senses only when you have completely finished the unfortunate bar, you should try to avoid chocolate completely.

2. Replace chocolate, cakes and pastries with less harmful and even healthy sweets: bread with jam or honey, cottage cheese with sweet fruits, etc.

3. Without going to extremes, outside of established fasts, allow yourself to eat sweets in moderation until such time as it does not harm your spiritual life. The realization that you allow yourself dessert, but only a little in the morning, will greatly facilitate the path to freedom from addiction at the initial stage.

4. An interesting principle is to share everything. Another trick of the psyche is that the brain counts not the grams eaten, but the individual quantity. That is why the chocolate bar is divided into slices. You can break off a whole strip. Or you can eat 5 small slices. The coloring will be the same, but the feeling of satisfaction will be greater. This principle applies to all sweets: cut candies, gingerbreads and even cookies into small pieces. Then, as in the fight against any other addiction, gradually reduce the amount of sweets.

5. Important psychological technique in the fight against sweet cravings - distract yourself and increase endorphin levels in a way that doesn’t addictive . Think about what else could personally distract you from the habit of eating sweets and make you happy? Perhaps this is a walk or playing with children, or maybe singing your favorite songs with a guitar, etc. This list will be individual for everyone. But the essence is the same - the production of endorphin - the hormone of joy, as well as distracting yourself so much that you don’t think about sweets. Joy will be as complete as possible when we engage ourselves in something useful.

6. Increases the amount of happiness hormones physical exercise. Choose the type of physical activity that best suits your needs. It could just be walking at a brisk pace, running, or maybe physical labor in the country. The main thing is that there will be less desire to cheer yourself up with sweets.

7. Important ruleget enough sleep. Lack of sleep leads to constant fatigue, which some people mistake for hunger. As stated above, the easiest way to drown it out is with something sweet. Among other things, as a result of lack of sleep, hormonal disorders appear, leading to increased appetite. Yes, and a sufficient amount good sleep reduces stress in the body, and you don’t want to eat it.

Spiritual aspects of sweet eating as a type of passion of gluttony

“We have a need for nutrition, or consumption of food and drink. He who labors under sin is subjected to overeating, sweet eating, feasting, drunkenness, and the like. Being enslaved to the truth, we must love abstinence in order to eat food and drink in moderation - and according to the rules of the Church." ()

It is very convenient to start weaning yourself from cravings for your favorite sweets during the period of fasting. On fasting days, you can fortify yourself with honey or jam, but remember in moderation and do not abuse the formal permission of these products.

“...Eat bread, sweets, think about the true bread, which gives eternal life souls - about the Body and Blood of Christ and hunger for this bread, that is, desire to partake of it more often; drink water or tea, or honey, sweets, or other drink, think about the true drink that quenches souls scorched by passions - about the most pure and life-giving Blood of the Savior...” Saint Righteous John of Kronstadt “How to Achieve Holiness”

It must be remembered that struggle with passions(in this case, with the passion of gluttony) is always accompanied by opposition from the enemy. Therefore, it is important to strengthen your spiritual strength with fervent prayer, confession of this sin, frequent communion, and taking holy water.

“We cannot force a person who has just come to church to live on bread and water. But the ascetics would hardly eat the cake. To each his own. As he grows spiritually."prot. Dimitry Moiseev, teacher at Kaluga Theological Seminary

How wonderful it is to feel free from cravings for sweets, when the sight of a cake does not make you want to eat it. When, out of fear of ruining our most desired relationship with Christ, we give up the craving to eat more and more sweet things. If these moments are the motivators to stand your ground with God’s help in an effort to eradicate addiction, then everything will definitely work out. Rest assured.

They helped us:

Evgeny Arzamastsev
Dietitian of the Center aesthetic medicine Margarita Koroleva

The World Health Organization estimates that a typical Russian eats about 100 grams of sugar per day. Despite the fact that the human body can process no more than 50 g of sweet additive more or less painlessly. And modern Scientific research Excess sugar in the menu is persistently associated with such serious diseases as diabetes, hypertension, strokes and heart attacks, and colon cancer. This list alone is enough to make you forget about soda and buns forever. But there is a nuance.

Stories about the dangers of sugar, alas, cannot force those with a sweet tooth to give up candy. American biologists It has long been proposed to equate sweet poison with alcohol and tobacco and start honestly calling it a drug. Not for the sake of shocking: the mechanism of our brain’s reaction to sugar is not much different from the addictions that develop, say, with each new glass of champagne.

One of many experiments on this topic is indicative. Scientists from Princeton University fed experimental rats sugar daily, gradually increasing the dose. Everyone was happy. But one day, terrible for rodents, people completely excluded sweets from the menu. What do you think? The animals became restless, irritable and aggressive and, if they could, would probably complain about headache and the desire to bite. In general, the poor rats experienced a typical withdrawal in the absence of the coveted dose.

But let's get back to the people. Most of us swallowed our first dose of the sweet drug before we could speak clearly, and for decades maintained the bad attachment by buying “something for tea.” We can't just stop eating sugar, no matter what. strong-willed people neither were, ask any narcologist. But we can gradually (this is a key condition for success) reduce the amount of sweets in our diet to a minimum or even to zero.

WH experts have formulated several rules for those who intend to one day give up desserts. Get a plan of action.

  1. Get enough sleep. Yes, it's that simple. Human body interprets lack of sleep as stressful situation– and sends out hormones that regulate appetite. One sleepless night is enough for you to eat more than 200 extra kilocalories the next day, with priority given to fast carbohydrates, that is, sugar. A well-rested person is less drawn to cakes - proven at Harvard.
  2. Analyze your diet. An irresistible craving for sweets often manifests itself as a symptom of a lack of chromium, zinc or magnesium (or maybe all at once). Only a blood test can definitely determine this, but just in case, check how regularly the products from the list at the end of the article appear on your plate.
  3. Eat protein. This is a way to maintain stable levels of glucose and insulin in the blood and, as a result, crave sweets less. Ideally, protein should be ingested at every meal, but definitely at breakfast. By proteins we mean not only meat and fish, but also nuts, seeds, eggs, and legumes.
  4. Eat small and frequent meals. The thought of snacking on cookies doesn’t even occur to people whose sugar levels don’t jump sharply throughout the day. Try to eat food every 2–2.5 hours (of course, distributing its volume so that by the end of the month it does not resemble a ball) – and you will notice that when you don’t have to worry acute attacks hunger, it is easier to pass past the pastry shops.
  5. Don't keep sweets in sight. If there is a piece of cake waiting in the refrigerator, and gingerbread cookies in the table drawer, the temptation to eat them will defeat any vows. So it's simple: don't buy anything that isn't good for you. And for occasions when you are accustomed to eating sweets (coffee breaks with colleagues, meetings with girlfriends, morning tea), keep healthier alternatives to chocolate and croissants on hand. It can be seasonal fruits and berries, honey, dried fruits.
  6. Move. Regular physical activity – good way cope with daily stress, which is often to blame for our emotional attachment to chocolate and jam.
  7. Add healthy fats. They are extremely important for the body's hormonal stability and help you feel full longer. Healthy unsaturated fats found in avocados, nuts and seeds, olive oil.
  8. Cook at home. To reduce the amount of sugar entering the body, you will have to limit industrially processed foods as much as possible. Sweeteners are now even added to dumplings and pickles, and the only way to avoid excess is to personally regulate the amount of sugar in your food. Here's a simple example: cutlets bought at the grocery store will almost certainly contain syrup or something like that; in a piece of meat that you personally turn into cutlets at home - no.
  9. Stop drinking calories. Any form of liquid sugar is worse than solid food containing it. Sugary drinks deliver the drug straight to your liver without even trying to create the illusion of satiety. Therefore, by drinking lemonade in between, you provoke yourself to eat more and more fast carbohydrates.
  10. Add spices Cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom naturally sweeten foods, help regulate blood sugar and control your addiction.

Sweets are a real temptation for many people. There are irrevocable sweet tooths with experience who would not exchange a piece of their favorite cake or a bar of milk chocolate for anything. Unfortunately, such food is not so beneficial for your health and figure. Especially if you do not know the limits and cannot control your desires.

And this is not so much a question of will and character as of psychology. After all, taste buds remember the sweet taste and demand it again and again. Such food becomes a drug for a person and it is often quite difficult to give it up or reduce consumption to a minimum.

We have found 10 valuable tips for you that will help you get rid of sweet cravings and tame your desires.

1. Don't skip breakfast

Breakfast is the best important technique food. Doctors and nutritionists without exception never tire of repeating this. If you skip breakfast, you risk eating much more throughout the day than you really need. This happens because the body did not receive the required portion of vitamins and nutrients to start the day right. As a result, you will probably pay attention to fast food, cakes, chocolate bars and other sweets with which you can very quickly satisfy your hunger.

2. Take probiotics

Probiotics should be included in the diet, as they improve intestinal microflora and the functioning of the entire digestive system. IN large quantities these live bacteria are found in yoghurts and kefir. Regular use Such products will help to avoid intestinal dysbiosis, which in some cases is precisely the cause of uncontrollable cravings for sweets.

3. Consume less caffeine

If you want to reduce your consumption of sugar and sweets, then you better stop drinking too much coffee. The fact is that caffeine, which is large quantities contained in this product causes a sharp jump in insulin in the blood. If you drank your morning coffee with something sweet, then after an hour you will want to continue the banquet. Replace this energizing drink with herbal teas and fruit smoothies.

4. Look for healthy alternatives to sugar

Of course, you won’t be able to completely eliminate sugar from your diet. This is not necessary. The sugar contained in food is even necessary for the body and will benefit it. But it is better to refrain from additional portions of this product, which you include in your diet yourself, making tea, coffee, desserts and other dishes sweeter. Replace sugar with honey, stevia, fruit puree, berries and dried fruits.

5. Change your diet

If your cravings for sweets are too strong, then you should reconsider your diet. This may be due to the fact that your diet is unbalanced. Lack of proteins, fats, carbohydrates or fiber may cause you to constantly dream of chocolates and sweets. Include more meat, fish, cereals, green vegetables, nuts and other healthy foods in your diet.

6. Drink more water

Literate drinking regime normalizes the functioning of the digestive system. To possess good health, we must not forget that daily norm fluid intake for an adult is 1.5–2 liters of pure drinking water. If your body does not receive this, then there is a high risk of dehydration and impairment. eating habits, which can lead to unbridled sugar cravings.

7. Include chromium-rich foods in your diet

Chromium is a mineral that everyone who wants to get rid of food addiction, expressed in excessive consumption sweets. It helps stabilize blood sugar levels. What foods should you look for chromium in? In broccoli, mushrooms, whole grain cereals and cereals, grapes, asparagus.

8. Eat fats

Of course, we're talking about only about healthy fats. They are found in fish, nuts, olive oil, avocados, and eggs. Healthy fats help get rid of bad cholesterol, improve work of cardio-vascular system and learn to control your appetite. This is explained by the fact that they perfectly saturate the body and maintain a feeling of fullness for a long time.

I have loved sweets since childhood. However, the love of sweets has never been a problem for me: an active, rich life and playing sports helped burn extra calories, and my figure remained slim. The difficulties began when I decided to say goodbye to someone else bad habit: smoking.

Since I wanted to quit smoking as quickly as possible, I did not gradually reduce the number of cigarettes, but simply gave them up completely. Oddly enough, the craving for smoking stopped quite quickly. But it was not possible to outwit the body: it urgently needed a replacement for prohibited cigarettes.

I myself didn’t notice how my love for sweets turned into a real mania. Now I ate chocolate and candy all the time - before, after, and sometimes instead of normal meals. A month later, I felt the first results of such a “diet”: my skin was covered with small itchy spots, my nails often broke, my hair became dull. In addition, in four weeks I gained five kilograms - my favorite tight trousers and skirts did not fit on me.

Realizing what my love for cakes had brought me to, I initially fell into a slight panic. But then I decided: since I was able to give up cigarettes, I could forget about sweets. I decided to use my favorite method: I completely eliminated sweets from my diet.

The first three days I experienced real withdrawal: my body insistently demanded the usual sweet food. On the fourth day, a breakdown occurred: I accidentally discovered a box of chocolates given by someone in the kitchen cabinet. Consciousness returned to me only after I unwrapped the last candy wrapper. After experiencing several more fruitless attempts to give up sweets, I realized: I couldn’t achieve anything this way. Then I decided to act gradually.

The first stage of my struggle was establishing a diet. Sweets have now become desserts, not meal replacements. At the same time, I tried to have a snack every three to four hours, and only allowed myself candy or chocolate until three o’clock in the afternoon.

I quickly realized that hunger is my main enemy. To get rid of the desire to destroy a box of chocolates in one sitting, you need to eat often, slowly and chew well. If I didn't have time to cook, I would snack on fresh nuts or seeds, but not sweets.

I found out that carbohydrates, which include my favorite treats, cause a sharp release of insulin into the blood. Then the level of this hormone drops very quickly, and hunger returns. But squirrels don’t cause sharp jumps insulin, so they satiate for a long time.

Now, as soon as I felt the urge to grab some candy or cookies, I would eat a handful of nuts, or a couple of slices of cheese, or some low-fat cottage cheese. Quite unexpectedly, I “tried” soy products.

It turned out that tofu cheese with various additives is much tastier than regular cheese, and a bag of soy nuts is an excellent replacement for high-calorie walnuts or almonds.

I also included protein-rich legumes in my diet: a side dish of red or white beans, lentil soup perfectly saturates and nourishes the body essential amino acids and vitamins.

As a result of all these innovations, within a week the craving for sweets noticeably decreased. It also helped that I began to drink less coffee: without it, I no longer wanted to sit in the evening with a box of chocolates.

The next step was the introduction of a “sweet” schedule. From now on, I could enjoy my favorite cakes and sweets every other day. It took me two weeks to consolidate this rule.

At first it was especially difficult to live a whole day without the usual delicacies, but I encouraged myself that “I’ll make up for it tomorrow.” But the next day, after some effort, I managed to pull myself together and not exceed the usual “candy” limit. By the way, how by-effect a wonderful feeling of enjoying your favorite delicacy came. If earlier I put cookies or chocolates into my mouth without noticing their wonderful taste, now I began to enjoy every sweet bite.

After two weeks, I realized that it was time to move on. Now sweets were allowed once every three days, and once a day. I “limited” the amount I ate, allowing myself either five caramels or two at one time chocolate candies, or three butter cookies, or three squares of chocolate, or a serving of ice cream. By the way, I slowly replaced sweets and marmalade with dried fruits: with the same or lower calorie content, they are much healthier, as they contain fiber, vitamins and are not harmful to the teeth.

It was at this time that I had the idea that other sweet dishes could be made not so harmful. First, I tried making my own ice cream. I took low-fat yogurt with my favorite peach flavor, mixed it with mashed banana, put the mixture in a plastic container and put it in the freezer. And within three hours I was enjoying a wonderfully tasty and healthy delicacy. A big plus of homemade ice cream is the huge variety of flavors.

In addition to yoghurts with a variety of additives, you can also freeze fruit purees, and their juice makes wonderful fruit ice. I like, for example, ice cream made from ripe peeled bananas or seedless grapes. The main thing is not to keep the fruits in the cold, otherwise they will become too hard and almost inedible.

Inspired by the success of replacing store-bought ice cream with homemade ice cream, I began looking for recipes for other sweets that can be made on our own. I really liked the recipe for dried fruit candies.

You need to grind prunes, dried apricots, cranberries and other favorite dried fruits through a meat grinder, roll the resulting mixture into balls and dry them in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Then you need to wait until the candies cool down and put them in a box. It turns out very tasty and healthy.

By the way, seasonings helped me a lot in the fight against sweets. For example, in the morning I now often cook sweet porridge without sugar, which effectively reduces the desire to grab candy. Two to three minutes before it’s ready, add a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon and a little vanilla to the oatmeal or barley. Believe me, this dish smells no worse than fresh buns from a pastry shop.

Cinnamon and vanilla can also turn the most ordinary apples and pears into a delicious treat. Try baking fruit halves in the oven, sprinkled with a small amount of these spices - you will get a wonderful dietary dessert. And during the season, I often make pureed peaches and apricots with cinnamon and vanilla.

I must say, very soon I realized that it was not so much hunger or the desire to eat chocolate that made me reach for sweets, but boredom, resentment, and irritation. Favorite delicacies lifted spirits, consoled, entertained and did not require anything in return.

Coping with the habit of eating sweets turned out to be many times more difficult than establishing a diet. It was necessary to come up with some kind of replacement for the usual sweet “doping”, gradually weaning ourselves from finding solace in a chocolate bar. Of course, everyone in this case goes their own way. For example, walks in the park, new interesting books and, oddly enough, cleaning the house.

These activities are great for calming and relieving stress, and most importantly, they make you forget about food. Another great way to relax and unwind is to play sports. Since I signed up for aerobics at the nearest sports club, the desire to grab candy has been visiting me less and less, and my weight has finally returned to normal.

To be fair, sweets are still present in my life. I realized a long time ago that not a single product can be completely excluded from the diet. Therefore, from time to time I allow myself to enjoy my favorite fudge and chocolate cake. Sweets remained a pleasure for me, but ceased to be the meaning of life. And it is precisely this, and not the lost kilograms, that I now consider my main achievement.

Light homemade ice cream, delicious seasonings and fruits successfully replace high-calorie sweets.

My program for getting rid of sugar addiction:

Week 1: small meals every three hours, sweets only until three o’clock in the afternoon, protein snacks. 2-3rd week: rules of the first week, sweets are allowed every other day. 4-5th week: sweets once every three days, favorite delicacies are replaced with dried fruits and “homemade preparations”.

Tips for sweet lovers:

If you want to get rid of your excessive addiction to sweets, do not exclude them from your diet under any circumstances. Occasionally you can enjoy good chocolate or your favorite cake, but in very small quantities.

Control your diet. If you suddenly have an unbearable craving for sweets, first eat a piece of cheese, an egg, yogurt, or nibble on a carrot. Slowly introduce unusual foods into your diet, such as soy and legumes.

In the first stages, you can try sweets with sugar substitutes. But don’t forget that they are no less caloric than real ones, so watch the quantity.

Imagine: there are a thousand recipes for healthy, low-calorie sweets that you can prepare at home.

Try to calculate the moment when you most want chocolate or candy. Perhaps sweets are just a way for you to escape boredom or calm down. In this case, try to find other ways to relax.

Try to drink less coffee. This really helps to subtly reduce your intake of sweets. And here clean water drink more, at least 1.5-2 liters per day.

Do your accounting. For a week, write down how much you spend on candy and chocolate. This amount will definitely make you reconsider your attitude towards sugary snacks.

Be sure to go in for sports, have active rest - and you will forget about sweets .