Sweet tooth – who is really crying out for sugar?

If you give in to your sweet tooth, you're not suppressing it – you're training it! It's not you who's craving it, it's microbes, parasites, diseased cells and all the siblings of Karius and Baktus who are crying out "We want bread with syrup on it!"

Your body is home to a host of bandits that feed on sugar. Microbes, bacteria, parasites, and perhaps even diseased cells, all of which love glucose.

But you're the boss here, and those little parasites don't get to decide. So let them starve!

Let the reward center rest.

And last but not least: Give the reward center in your brain time to normalize. If you give in, you'll only prolong the suffering.

Instead, turn off the food system for the rest of the day if the craving becomes strong, and your body will quickly learn that this is not worth it. Just like a puppy that realizes that begging at the table is a waste.

Sweet cravings are not accidental. They don't come from "willpower that fails» or «weak character» – it is the body's biochemistry crying out for something it tror it needs.

Just like any other addict who needs constant doses to get high, you get stuck in a pattern where you "must have something sweet«.

Fluctuating blood sugar

Poorly regulated blood sugar doesn't make matters any better. If you've been living on carbs for years, your body is used to the blood sugar roller coaster. When your blood sugar drops, your body screams for more quick energy.

This is a training issue! When you cut out carbohydrates and allow your body to stabilize on fat burning, the problem disappears.

So how do you beat your sweet tooth?

It goes away if you stop feeding it. Period. But you can make the transition easier by eating more fat and protein, so your body gets stable energy. Eat your fill of real food – fat, meat, eggs and butter.

A body that is satisfied doesn't need junk food.

The ultimate strategy is fasting. If cravings hit you hard, try a simple strategy: Stop eating. Skip the rest of the day's meals and let your body reset. Teach your body, as mentioned as if it were a puppy, that there's no point in begging. The more your body begs, the stricter you become.

As soon as it gives you peace, that is, the moment the craving passes, you eat something healthy that you know you enjoy, and before you know it, you have trained yourself to seek out good and wholesome food, and not everything you were previously addicted to.

Then you're not rewarding the craving, you're rewarding a state of normalcy. The faster and more brutally you break the addiction, the easier it will be.

Find out what triggers you

Cut out anything that triggers you. Craving sweets is a conditioned response, something you've taught your body – just like Pavlov's dogs salivating when they hear the bell. If you have habits associated with sugar, like coffee with something sweet or TV with snacks, break the pattern.

For example, if you always get a sweet tooth after dinner, go for a walk instead. Craving sweets when you watch a movie? Be aware of it, and don't reward it. Instead, eat something substantial afterwards to break the habit.

Is a sweet tooth always a sweet tooth?

Many people confuse cravings with electrolyte deficiencies. If you feel a sweet tooth creeping up on you, try adding a pinch of salt to a glass of water. Drink salt water or broth. Load up on fat, protein, and salt, remove triggers, and take back control!

Soon you'll be in control – not a bunch of sugar-addicted microbes and a brainwashed reward center.

The reward center in the brain is soon adjusted back to normal, all the Kariuses and Bactuses that live on sugar die out, blood sugar stabilizes.

Suddenly one day you realize you haven't had a sweet tooth in weeks.

Sugar's 'Drug-Like' Effects on the Brain

Sugar Disrupts Microbiome, Eliminates Protection Against Obesity and Diabetes

Could the Gut Microbiome Be Responsible for Food Cravings?

What Does Sugar Do to the Brain?

Sugar Addiction: From Evolution to Revolution

MORE SOURCES

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