My Secret Weapons

Manage Your Blood Sugar

You’ll find that as your blood sugar is controlled throughout the day, the craving for sweets diminish at night. This is a biological response, as ‘sleep’ is quite linked to ‘hibernation’ from our great, great, great (keep going) grandparents! They were accustomed to having very sweet fruit before going into periods of fasting and hibernation. Just in case you ever wondered ‘why’ people have those nighttime cravings from a biological perspective.

You do this by simply following a nutrition plan that is centered around low-insulin foods. For some, this means high protein, moderate fat, and low carbs. Others can get by with medium carbs/protein and lower fat, as long as the carbs are ‘good carbs’—unrefined and unprocessed. Flours, ‘white carbs’, and boxed cereals will not cut it!

Give The Boob Tube A Break

The only time I watch TV is ‘right’ before I sleep, and this is after I’ve already eaten a high-protein, very low carb meal or snack. Even then, I have chosen not to watch ‘normal’ TV, but only DVDs. It solves the issue of being needlessly tempted by visual and audio stimuli that my brain just doesn’t need to invite in the mental house! You’ll also sleep better. When you consider how much junk is tossed your way mentally from the hours of 8:00pm on television-wise, you’ll see what I mean. Try a “TV Fast” for a week…just see what happens. You’ll notice a huge difference I’ll wager. I actually had my cable disconnected after my last fast! No need for it. The only thing I miss is Smallville—ah, but that’s what the web is for…shhhhh….

L-Glutamine In Powered Form on the Tip of Your Tongue

This is a harmless amino acid, and when placed on the actual taste buds that sense ‘sweet’, all located on the very tip of your tongue, it can ‘reprogram’ the sensory input, so-to-say, and get your body off the desires for sugar. You may end up “craving” protein—a much better choice.

Healthy Alternative Snacks

Satisfy the craving if this fails using tricks, like lemons, water, and Splenda (or better yet, Stevia, an herbal sweetener) to make calorie-free lemonade. Combine this with some raw veggies like carrots or celery (always raw) dipped in a bit of low-fat Ranch if you like that. Very low calories, but also very satisfying as this is very high in fiber and bulk.

Sugar-Buster Gum®: Finally, if all else fails, there’s something that cannot fail! Keith Klein, a nutritionist from Houston, developed a gum that literally changes the way your tongue perceives sweets…but only for a matter of hours. Even if you try to eat something sweet, you’ll spit it out immediately! It tastes really awful…and it only works with sugar or other sweeteners—not with healthy foods like raw veggies. You can order this gum online here. They give away a month for free, I believe. You’ll find this very useful…however, I prefer the ‘natural’ methods above so you don’t have to pay $20/month for the rest of your life to manage sugar!

Concluding Thoughts

Oh, one more thing…please change the way you are asking the question. IF you are asking yourself, “How can I control sugar cravings”, you will not get a satisfactory response, as you cannot ‘control’ anything—and your subconscious knows this. A great “power question” (as I call them) is to ask, “How can I manage my desire for sugar in a healthy and enjoyable way?” This question implies many wonderful things and does not suggest that you have ‘cravings’ or that you can ‘control’ anything.