There’s evidence that highly palatable food—brownies and ice cream definitely qualify—can activate the brain reward system. In fact, a personality trait called “reward sensitivity” may predispose some people to be highly responsive to cues linked with pleasurable food, like TV ads, according to research presented at an annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior. To turn the tables on your pleasure-seeking brain, create a list of non-food treats that give it (and you) the bliss it seeks, sans sugar. And that discovery process can be a pleasure in itself! Most of the activities that curl your toes, float your boat, or make your heart sing are simple and fit into even the most harried schedule. For a few years, I kept a list of 20-minute pleasures on my fridge. Whenever I found myself heading to the kitchen for a treat, I’d see the list and realize how many more calorie—and sugar-free options I could enjoy, right then and there. So many of the things that delight me were available to me, pretty much anytime. Doing yoga. Listening to music—from Johnny Cash to Krishna Das. Hanging out with my kids. MORE: 11 Weird Things Sugar is Doing to Your Body My greatest pleasure? Daydreaming. Letting your mind wander where it will is part of the beauty of life. Give yourself permission to indulge! Sure, you’re busy—me, too. But making time to daydream can lead you to your vision of how you want to live, what you want to do, who you want to be. Here are some of my personal 20-minute, sugar-free ways to soothe cravings.
Listen to musicDance like crazyCall a really good friendPaint my toenailsDaydreamSpritz perfume on my wrists or neckTake a napGo for a walk, a bike ride, or a run, or stretch
Photo by Jeremy Woodhouse/Getty Images
Pet the catTake the dog to the parkWatch junky TVWatch something silly on YouTubeBrowse a pretty catalogGoof off with my kidsDraw or paintDo needlepoint (so relaxing and addictive!)Weed the garden (yes, it’s actually relaxing)Fill the bird feeder and wait for birdsGive myself a facialFinally use those lovely bath salts/scrubsTake some cool photographsPost something on Facebook; scan othersPlant a flower box for the windowsillPlan a dream vacationLie down and look up at the sky
MORE: 19 Ways to Give Up Sugar Now it’s time to create your own personal rewards to be whipped out anytime you find yourself heading to the fridge absentmindedly. Your rewards should be things you can do instantly and that last for the 15 to 20 minutes you otherwise might spend indulging in a sugar episode. They should also elicit the same pleasure you feel when you indulge in your favorite dessert. From now on, instead of treating yourself to food, you can treat yourself to pleasure. This strategy—pleasure-focused redirection, you might call it—will work like a charm to keep you focused on nonfood sources of pleasure. Make your own rewards by filling in this sentence: “The pleasure of sugar is fleeting. Instead, I choose to treat myself to . . . " This article “25 Sugar-Free Ways to Soothe Cravings” originally ran on RodaleNews.com and is apadted from The Sugar Smart Diet. MORE: 11 Foods That Crush Cravings
