It is possible to have sweet cravings after you’ve eaten. Sweet cravings don’t just emerge in the evenings – it’s not unusual for them to turn up straight after a meal.
How should you deal with them?
Here are a few suggestions!
- Include A LOT of vegetables in what you eat. Don’t go for tomatoes, cucumber and iceberg lettuce – go for spinach, broccoli and kale instead. In other words, vegetables that provide more value (in fibre and nutrients).
- Drink 0.5 l water before you start eating.
- Eat food SLOWLY.
- Sit at a table, without your mobile and computer next to you. Sit and stare at a wall, if that works for you. FOCUS on the food you’re eating.
- Eat more slowly than you normally do.
- Sit where you have peace and quiet, without music in the background. If you must have music on, choose something slow – try eating with fast music around you … you’ll eat faster as well.
- Before deciding whether you’re actually still hungry, wait for 20 minutes. That is the time it takes for your brain to catch up, and that is when you’ll feel either full or hungry.
- Another good tip is to add more fat to any meals that usually leave you feeling particularly hungry. For example, ½ an avocado can solve many problems.
- Sweet cravings can pop up if the carbohydrates you ate were what are known as fast carbs. If you ate white rice, switch to brown rice. If you ate wholemeal pasta but still didn’t feel full, try replacing it with lentil pasta.
- Make sure the food you eat only consists of food. Protein puddings are not food, nor do they make you feel full. The same applies to protein drinks. Whereas 200 ml of natural quark with nuts and berries supplies a greater volume in your stomach as well as more nutrients. Eat to feel full after every meal.
- Make sure that what you eat during the day is enough for what you are doing and to meet your objectives.
- Check what the food consists of – how much protein, carbohydrates and fat you are eating.
- Wanting to eat something sweet after a meal may simply be a habit. But habits can be replaced.
- Avoid an eating regime that is strict and one-sided. I am not a great fan of cutting down on all sugar just like that. Reduce: yes. Totally eliminate: no. I think all of us need to be more realistic. You don’t have to go to extremes – just think back to your earlier experiences when you tried the same thing in the past. How long did you keep to it?
- Check your meals after exercise. They should contain carbohydrates – you shouldn’t be cutting down on them. If you get some glycogen in you in time, you won’t feel any sweet cravings in the evening.
- If you are already doing everything by the book (i.e. you’re following all the above points) but are still getting sweet cravings, add a piece of fruit after meals that leave you craving sweet things.
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