19 healthy foods to satisfy your sugar craving

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Sugar cravings are bound to strike at some point throughout the day.

Instead of binging on a donut, reach for a banana or roast a sweet potato.

Here are 19 healthy snacks that will satisfy or curb your sugar cravings.

Sugar cravings are extremely common, especially among women. In fact, up to 97 of women and 68 of men report experiencing some sort of food craving, including cravings for sugar. Those experiencing a sugar craving feel a strong urge to eat something sweet and can find it difficult to control themselves around food. This can lead to binge eating or over-consuming calories, sometimes on a regular basis . Luckily, there are things you can do to take the edge off. Here are 19 foods that can help you fight your sugar cravings.Fruit

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When most people feel sugar cravings, they reach for high-fat, high-sugar foods like chocolate . However, swapping out the junk food for some fruit when you feel like something sugary could give you the sweet hit you need and stop your craving in its tracks. Fruit is naturally sweet but also contains lots of beneficial plant compounds and fiber, allowing you to have your fix and keep it healthy . To make sure it hits the spot, eat fruits that are slightly higher in sugar like mangoes or grapes. If you’re also hungry, try adding some yogurt to your fruit to make it a more satisfying snack.

Berries

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Berries are an excellent, nutritious choice for stopping sugar cravings. They taste sweet, but their high fiber content means they are actually quite low in sugar. This could make them a great choice if you think your sugar cravings are linked to habit, rather than hunger. For example, you might crave sweet foods while you’re watching TV. Additionally, berries are rich in plant compounds and have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This means they may help reduce risk factors for chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes

Dark Chocolate

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Chocolate is one of the most commonly reported foods people eat when they crave sweets. This is especially true for women. However, if you find yourself craving chocolate, you can make a healthier choice by choosing dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is chocolate that contains more than 70 cocoa. It also contains healthy plant compounds known as polyphenols. Some studies have shown that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of these polyphenols may help improve markers of heart health. However, like regular chocolate, dark chocolate contains sugar and fat, so it’s best to limit yourself to a couple of squares to satisfy your craving

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