For breakfast, you ate a large serving of chocolate pancakes with maple syrup. For lunch, it’s hamburger, soda and a large bowl of strawberry ice cream for dessert. At dinner, you had roasted lamb with a sweet apricot glaze and apple pie ala mode. In between those meals, you snacked on sugar cookies, cake and candies. That’s a lot of sweets for one day!

It’s not bad to have a sweet tooth. Sugar is even an important part of healthy eating. What’s bad is if you eat too many sweet food items. Yes, they’re yummy, but they can cause unpleasant effects on your health. You can become obese, get cavities and rotten teeth, or worse, develop diabetes.

Maybe it’s not too late to get rid of that sweet tooth of yours. If you’re determined to get out of your sweet habit, there are simple but effective things to try.

Raid The Fridge

Not just the fridge, but also the pantry, the kitchen shelves and even the cookie jar. This is the first step in curbing your sweet tooth: remove all sources of temptation near you. Gather all the sweet things in your place and get rid of them. Whether they’re cookies, candies, chocolates, ice cream or sweet pastries, they need to go.

There are other ways you can get sweet food, like when you pass by a candy shop, or if someone offers or gives it to you. Avoid these temptations at all costs. It might be painful, but draw yourself away from that sweets store. If you go to the grocery, you know which food sections to avoid. Learn to say no. You just need some self-control. Slowly, you’ll learn to adjust and your sweet cravings will slowly subside.

Less Is Better

Since you’re so used to eating sweets, going through a day without them is unbearable. A week without them is complete torture. Chances are you’ll crack after a few days, and go on a sweet binge—not good.

For many people, taking the sweets immediately and completely out of their diet doesn’t work. Once they crave the stuff badly, they’ll immediately lose control and binge, causing them to eat more. Instead of doing this, you can just lower your sweet consumption bit by bit. For example, if a whole chocolate bar is part of your daily diet, try to make it last for a week. Just bite a piece off it everyday. Once you get used to this and your body adjusts to the low sugar consumption, you’ll be able to control your sweet tooth.

Wait

While typing away at your PC, an image of a hot fudge sundae comes to your mind. Your mouth waters, and in a flash, you go to the nearest ice cream joint and indulge yourself. Once again, your sweet tooth has overpowered you.

Here’s a simple technique to solve this dilemma: WAIT. Don’t give in once a craving hits you. Wait for five to ten minutes, and see if the craving passes. If it does, good. If it doesn’t, compromise by eating a small piece of candy. Then, gargle with an antiseptic or brush your teeth. The aftertaste combined with the sweet flavor is unpleasant and you won’t think of eating more.

Try doing something else while you’re waiting for the craving to subside. Take a walk, play video games, or watch television. Remove the sweet food from your mind. Distracting yourself can take the desire away.

Change Your Diet.

If you always gobble sweets and sugary treats, chances are you’re not getting enough nutrients. Maybe it’s time you alter your diet. These suggestions can help curb your sweet tooth.

• Eat Regular Meals. Sometimes, you skip meals so you can feel slimmer and healthier. While this can work for some people, it can do the opposite for others. Skipping meals increases the urge to have snacks, and if you have a sweet tooth, you’ll most likely eat sugary treats every now and then to remove your hunger. Instead of doing this, eat full meals on time. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a couple of snacks in between will do. This will fight off your urge to eat sweets. If you’re on a diet, you can have small, frequent meals. It will keep your blood sugar stable and prevent you from having a quick sugar fix every now and then.
• More Protein Please! Our bodies can sometimes trick us. Oftentimes, we become hungry for sugar, when what we need is a protein fix. The next time you find yourself longing for a chocolate bar, grab a fat-free hot dog or some nuts instead. This will take away your sweet craving. Protein also helps you feel fuller longer and releases glucagon, the hormone that balances insulin.
• Substitute. Even if you’re trying to remove your sweet tooth, you still need to consume sugar as part of a healthy diet. What you can do is substitute unhealthy sweet foods for healthier ones. Stay away from junk foods, and go for sweet fruits and honey. They digest differently compared to the white sugar in processed treats you crave for. Fruits also contain fiber that can help slow the body’s sugar absorption, so you won’t get a high sugar rush.
• Follow The 3:00 PM Rule. You shouldn’t just watch what you eat, but WHEN you eat it. If you really can’t stay away from sweets, then at least don’t eat them during the morning or in the afternoon. Not only will they stimulate your sugar cravings throughout the day, but they’ll also make you feel sick, especially in the early morning. When the clock strikes 3 pm, you can then have some sugar in your system. Remember, stick to healthier options like fruits or grain-sweetened treats, instead of sweets with refined sugar.
• Say No To Artificial Sweeteners. Sometimes, you opt for artificial sweeteners so your sugar intake will become lower. Although this is true, using these products causes you to crave sugar more. According to research, artificial sweeteners intensifies sugar cravings.
• Be Caffeine-Free. One important part of removing your sweet tooth is staying away from caffeinated drinks. You might think they do you good, but they actually worsen your craving for sweets. They also make you insulin resistant. Stop drinking coffee, soda or tea. If you’re really caffeine dependent, then you can simply reduce your consumption of these drinks. Instead of your usual three cups of coffee, just stick to one every day.
• Read Labels. You don’t mind what food you get when you go to the grocery. As long as you’re craving it or there’s something on the front that says it’s “healthy”, you pick it up, put it in your cart, and then pay the cashier. Stop doing this. What’s the hurry anyway? Take time and read the labels before you buy something. Check out the nutritional value and the food ingredients, including the sugar content and preservatives. You’ll be surprised at how much sugar the foods you pick out contain. By knowing what’s in your food, you can be sure which products to avoid and which ones you can still munch on.

Relax And Sleep Well

How many hours do you spend in dreamland every night? Do you wake up feeling refreshed and happy, or are you always grouchy and sleepy? Are you always stressed everyday? It sounds strange, but sleep and stress are factors that affect why you have a sweet tooth.

Observe yourself. On days when you’re well-rested and relaxed, you don’t crave as many sweet treats as you do when you’re exhausted and sleepless. It’s because you have enough serotonin, the feel-good brain chemical in your system. If you lack this chemical, your body will urge you to ingest sweets so your serotonin level will rise again.

Try and get enough sleep everyday. Seven to eight hours will do. Spare some relaxation time for yourself, too. Leave your weekends free, and pamper yourself during those days. Engage in fun, but relaxing activities. When you’re happy and well rested, you’ll forget all about your urge to eat sweets.

Consult A Dietitian

Despite all the tactics you’ve tried, you still find it hard to kick your sugar addiction. Maybe it’s time you seek professional help. Find a dietitian or health practitioner that’ll give you advice regarding your sweet tooth problem. He or she can help you balance your eating habits, and give you tips on which foods to eat and avoid. A dietitian can also modify your diet and give you pointers on how to stick to it so you’ll be sugar-free.

You can also ask for recipes from your dietitian. They’ll give you many food preparation tactics to flush out your sweet tooth dilemma, but ensure you still get to eat delicious homemade meals.

Indulge Yourself!

Getting rid of your sweet tooth might take a great deal of effort and sacrifice on your part. Although you want to throw away this habit, you have to admit you’re not completely contented. Why don’t you spoil yourself every now and then? Go ahead and indulge! Eat a sweet treat. Just control yourself, though.

You can do it as a reward for yourself. For example, you managed to stay away from sweets for a whole week. On the last day, buy yourself a candy bar (just one, okay?) as a reward. This can help motivate you to stick to your sugar-free plan. It’ll also keep you happy.

Sweets and sugar are not enemies, but if eaten too much, they can be hazardous to your health. Take note of these tips, and that sweet problem of yours will eventually go away!