How to Kill Your Afternoon Sugar Craving

We’ve all been there before: It’s 4:00 p.m., you’ve eaten lunch, but somehow you’re hungry and craving a sweet snack. A coffee just won’t do it and the Milk Bar cake from a coworker’s birthday celebration is calling your name. Oh, and so are the M&M’s in the vending machine. Top it off with a handful of Twizzlers Bites from a nearby desk and suddenly you’re buzzing and primed for a crash. But what if you could prevent these feelings—and the way they tend to derail your overall fitness goals—and stay completely satisfied from lunch until dinner?

“When you start the day with proper nutrition, you won’t crave sugar,” says nutritionist Tanya Zuckerbrot, who recommends always eating breakfast, preferably one that includes a piece of fruit and organic yogurt. The most important meal, however, is lunch, where what’s on your plate determines how your afternoon will play out. “A lunch that combines fiber and protein will keep you full and happy all afternoon,” she says. Her idea of a perfect midday dish: A mixed green salad topped with broccoli, hearts of palm, and your choice of protein (salmon, chicken, or tofu) to fuel your afternoon brain- and willpower. Adding a slice or two of avocado may help you stay full longer as well, since fats slow down digestion.

 

 

Zuckerbrot’s other lunch suggestions include a lentil soup and leafy green side salad, or a whole-wheat wrap with veggies and protein. A meal that lacks protein and fiber—like green juice (which can be high in sugar) and a sushi roll with white rice—digests quickly, leaving your body looking for an afternoon pick-me-up.

Last but not least, drink plenty of water between meals. Dehydration mimics hunger, so often if you think you need a snack, you might just be thirsty. And “don’t chew gum,” says Zuckerbrot. “Contrary to popular belief, chewing sugar-free gum actually increases hunger, as it causes your body to produce insulin, encouraging you to eat carbs and crave sugar.”

And if, despite following these guidelines, that craving still hits, then it’s important to give in to it the right way. Rather than grabbing a bag of pretzels—whose simple carbohydrates Zuckerbrot says will “set you up for failure” because you still won’t feel full after you eat them—reach for that same combination of fiber and protein, like an apple with almond butter or hummus with high-fiber crackers. Consider brown-bagging healthy snacks your newest resolution for 2016.

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