Stress Boosts Sugar Cravings: 3 Foods to Eat Instead

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You’ve had a hard day at work. There’s trouble at home. Or you’re in the middle of one of those life experiences that turns everything upside down. When stress and anxiety strike, there’s an easy, but short-term fix a lot of people reach for to feel better...sugar.

Polished off a container of ice cream in a single sitting? Can’t go a day without soda? Got insatiable cravings for candy bars, cookies, or something sweet? That’s stress and anxiety feeding your sweet tooth. And it’s a problem that can wreak havoc on your health.

Too much sugar raises your risk for:

Diabetes
Weight gain and obesity
Mood swings, anxiety, and depression
Poor brain function, memory problems, and learning blocks

And if you try to quit your sugar craving cold turkey, expect intense cravings, withdrawals, and irritability, confusion, and mood swings similar to an addict trying to work through detox to get clean. Ever tried to curb your sugar cravings, only to give up and give in? It’s highly addictive. And the more sugary foods you consume, the more your body needs to achieve the same results. So what to eat instead of sugar?

Instead of trying to kick your sugar habit in a day, slowly reduce your sugar intake by satisfying your sweet tooth with other options. Here are three foods to eat instead of sweets:

Chai or a chai smoothie
Chocolate dipped strawberries
Oven-roasted sweet potatoes

Get easy to follow recipes for all three here or check out the MagicKitchen.com menu.

These foods are naturally sweet, but don’t contain as much added sugar as the usual go-to sweet tooth options like candy, cookies, desserts and soda.

If you’re not used to eating healthy foods, getting in the habit can help you curb sugar cravings too. Adding fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes, and whole grains to your diet, will help you feel better, help you feel fuller, and help curb cravings for less than healthy options.

Wondering where to start? Just check out our selection of MagicKitchen.com meals. Pick your favorites, and you’ll have a healthy meal ready to eat in minutes.