A lot of us crave the the sugary boost that something sweet gives us. However, a lot of us feel remorse after the fact and do a lot of damage to our health in this way. So, the question becomes: is there a way to eat sweets and still be healthy? There is in fact a way to do this. It just requires a little self-control and experimentation with your taste buds.
In this article we’re going to cover a few different ways you can maintain your bodily and oral health while still eating the finer things in life, such as chocolate and some candies.
Take the time to understand your cravings
Sometimes you only crave sweets as an escape from your life or as a stress reliever from a situation that happens in your life. Whenever you have a craving for sweets take a breath and see if you can figure out where the craving is coming from in the first place. If it’s from stress you may want to try something else to relieve your stress, such as exercise, a long walk, taking a few deep breaths, or even journaling. Once you can separate your cravings from the actual opening of the candy wrapper, you’ll be able to make healthier decisions.
Experiment with different flavors
Sometimes you just want a piece of chocolate, or something sweet. However, there are other ways to indulge without going off the deep end and sabotaging your health. For example, if you’re craving something sour or tart, you can eat a piece of fruit like an orange or even a lemon. Try to seek out fruit that you think of as pleasurable. This might be something like cherries or strawberries. By eating fruit whenever the impulse to eat sweets arises you’ll actually be nourishing your body and satisfying your cravings in the same moment.
Develop a little self-control
If you’ve done everything above and still want a piece of chocolate, make sure you keep it to just one piece. You can also eat healthier versions. For instance, dark chocolate is also linked with some possible health benefits. Just try to keep it to one piece. Usually, after a bite of two your impulse will be satisfied and you’ll just be indulging yourself beyond that point anyways.
Also, make sure to brush your teeth and floss your gums afterwards. This is crucial towards maintaining long-term oral health. The last thing you want is to develop cavities simply because you ate a single piece of chocolate. Sweets and candies create a lot of acid, which can break down your tooth enamel, by brushing and flossing immediately following you’ll greatly reduce this risk.
I hope this article has been valuable and you have a greater understanding of how you can still have sweets in your life, while maintaining your health. It just requires developing a little more self-control and the mindset to experiment with different flavors and foods to understand your cravings in the first place. Developing healthy habits isn’t all pain, with a little balance you can still have the sweeter things in your life.
Zane Schwarzlose writes for Greenspoint Dental, a Houston dental practice. Zane thinks that finding other outlets for stress than cady is a good life decision.
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