Sugar cravings and the desire for sweet things can be overwhelming, more so for some than others.
There is a specific gene that makes some people have more of a sweet tooth than others. Women are also more likely to crave sweet things than men.
Eating sugar, unfortunately feeds sweet cravings so it is best to try and break the cycle completely.
Healthier options include:
- Fruit and fruit / vegetable smoothies
- Dark Chocolate
- Puddings made with avocado, chia seeds, cocoa, and honey
- Legume-based treats
- Dates
- Nuts and nut butters
Fruit
Fruit is very versatile and can provide sweetness in varying degrees. It can be eaten whole with a handful of nuts or can be blended with other healthy ingredients such as protein powders, green vegetables, avocado, nut butter, chia seeds, yogurt, and coconut, almond, or oat milk to make a healthy and satisfying drink.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate that contains upwards of 70% cocoa is full of nutrients, fatty acids, and antioxidants. Dark chocolate is a great source of magnesium, which is often depleted when people have chocolate cravings.
Healthy Puddings
There are many delicious recipes that combine ingredients like avocado, cocoa, and chia seeds for a delicious, sweet treat. These can be sweetened with honey, dates, or xylitol, but very often they don’t even need to be sweetened.
Legume-based Treats
Chick-pea fudge is easy to make and provides a nutrient-dense treat.
Recipe:
143g butter
375ml chickpea flour
60ml honey (or 125ml tapioca syrup)
2ml ground cardamom
1ml ground nutmeg
30ml ground almonds or cashew nuts
- Melt butter in a heavy-based saucepan on a medium heat
- Add chickpea flour and stir continuously until golden (about 10 minutes)
- Remove from heat and add honey or syrup, spices and nuts and stir well
- Cool until the mixture can be touched
- Roll into small balls or spread the mixture onto baking paper and cut into squares. The balls can be rolled in coconut or sesame seeds if desired
- Allow to harden then serve
Dates
These are wonderful to eat on their own, in moderation, or to make snack bars or date balls. Combined with coconut oil and cocoa they are also very nutritious sweet treats. Chopped nuts can also be added or they can be rolled in sesame seeds or coconut to make them even more delicious.
Nuts and Nut Butters
Nuts provide good quality fats and can therefore be added to smoothies or eaten on their own as a healthy snack. Nut butters can be eaten on seed crackers or rice cakes. If you like a bit of extra sweetness you can cut up some banana or add some honey.
Listen to my interview with Brad Kirsten from Radio Cape Pulpit on 23 June 2022 to learn more. Listen to my next interview on Thursday at 7.45am