Stop the post-lunch sugar cravings. Here’s how

Haven’t we all been there? It’s 4 pm. It’s just an hour or two after lunch. You’re already feeling the post-lunch slump. Work is going slow. And to top things up, you’re suddenly hungry again and you have a strong craving for something sweet. It especially happens in the week you’ve started to eat healthily. Your healthy habits till your lunch mean nothing now, because you just found out, that it’s your co-worker’s birthday and there’s cake. And who says no to cake? You binge in!

But there’s a very easy way to stop these craving altogether. Nutritionist Tanya Zuckerbrot, advocating the importance of breakfast says, “When you start the day with proper nutrition, you won’t crave sugar.” But despite that, Tanya says the most important meal of the day is the mid-day lunch. “A lunch that combines fibre and protein will keep you full and happy all afternoon,” she says.

Her perfect midday lunch includes a mixed green salad topped with broccoli, your choice of protein (lean), hearts of palm and a little bit of will power. She suggests adding healthy fats like avocados to the diet, to slow down digestion.

She also boasts about the powerhouse that water is. According to her, dehydration often shapes shifts into hunger and tricks us into eating food when we don’t even need it. She concluded by busting the myth around chewing gums. “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.”

That sounds pretty easy! All you got to do is, eat a heavy breakfast, a hearty lunch, drink lots of water and not chew on a pack of gum. Pretty doable, if you ask us!