The best way to address sugar cravings is.. one moment, I shall get back to this soon.

You have probably heard at one time or another that sugar will prolong the life of cut flowers. I certainly have, and being curious about whether or not it is true, I decided to run a few unscientific tests. I was quite sure that this was just another one of those myths we all hear, so imagine my surprise when I found that a little bit of sugar does indeed seem to prolong the life of cut flowers. However, I learned later that if you add too much sugar, the flowers will actually die earlier.

What about us, humans? Does the amount of sugar we consume make a difference? And what does it have to do with ‘how to stop sugar cravings’? Well, the sugar is tricky. It “hides” in your food under many different names. Sure, we can use the tricks to better manage our sugar cravings - - but what good does it do if we do not notice sugar in our food it in the first place?

According to some estimates - the average American eats 74 pounds of added sugar each year, which is about 23 tablespoons a day - while others estimate that we eat more than 150 pounds of sugar a year. Either way, it is much higher than the human body needs - about two teaspoons of sugar at any one time. It is no wonder overweight and obesity are at its highest levels in U.S. - you need to be a “sugar-detective” just to learn all these other names for sugar: Cane juice, caramel, corn syrup, dextran, dextrose, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, lactose, malt syrup, maltodextrin, maltose, mannitol, molasses, raw sugar, refiner’s syrup, sorbitol, sorghum syrup, sucrose, and yellow sugar - - and this is not even a complete list.

According to Taste for Life magazine, knowing how to stop sugar cravings comes down to these quick tips. Don’t Add Sugar to cereal or drinks. If you don’t enjoy unsweetened foods, add a touch of the sweet herb Stevia. Avoid Processed Carbohydrates (white bread, white pasta, and white rice), which are quickly converted to blood sugar, disrupting the body’s metabolic balance and fat-control systems. Eat Whole Foods.

Fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains contain some naturally occurring sugars, but they also offer dietary fiber and important nutrients to help balance blood sugar. The More Natural, The Better. Choose an orange, rather than orange juice. Not only will you get less sugar, but you’ll also benefit from more nutrients. Dilute Natural Sweets, like juice, with pure water.

If you love granola, add unsweetened whole-grain cereal and nuts to reduce your sugar intake. Beware Of Fat-Free Labels. These foods actually contribute to health and weight problems. What the labels don’t tell you is that these products contain more sugar - sometimes two or more time that found in the “regular” versions.