HEALTHY HACKS: My Secrets for Curbing My Sweet Tooth

4 of my trustee-tricks that keep me from craving & on track with my nutrition.

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I always had THE BIGGEST sweet tooth until I was, like, 20(ish).

LOVED ice cream, anything that involved a chocolate/peanut butter combo, and LIVED for coffee frappuccinos/coolattas.

I had that stuff on the reg. when I was younger and up until my freshman year in college.

It was always a joke that me and my sister were total opposites...I craved the sweets and she had ZERO interest in anything cake/cookie related (still to this day)—she's the 'Savory Sister', or, 'Salty Sister'...I like both. ;) Chip, Cheetos...all the salty snacks. I could never understand how someone could just not crave sweets, but, I guess it could be possible.

HOWEVER, I took a little side-note with that childhood throwback because, well, I think she's a freaking unicorn and I know there's a ton of you that have a 'guilty pleasure' for the 'ole 'sinful' sweets. For those normal humans, keep readin'—I got you.

Below are 4 tricks that have worked for me throughout the past 4-5 years to curb my sweet tooth.

1. Fruit.

2. Medjool dates.

3. Dark chocolate.

4. CLEAN protein bars.

Let's get specific.

#1 Fruit.

Fruit is naturally sweet...no secret there.

These past few years, I've become a creature of habit when it comes to what I eat, and fruit is 1000% a staple for me.

I RARELY crave sweets now and I totally credit it to eating fruit every day.

An apple, sliced & topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon is crack to me. And that is an addiction I can get down with.

Seriously though, if you don't have any dietary restrictions/allergies when it comes to fruit, I HIGHLY recommend adding more fruit to your daily diet...especially if you crave the candies.

My 'fruit method' works in two different ways:

1. When I eat quite a bit of fruit throughout the day, I don't have a want for anything else. It's basically like I'm preventing any cravings that I could have had. It's just become so normal for me to have sweet fruits during the day that I never feel like I need something sweet.

2. If I do feel a need for something sweet, I can almost always satisfy that craving by snacking on some berries, or an apple, mango slices, etc. And if you don't eat a lot of fruit and do get sweet cravings, that might seem weird AF to you. But it's honestly like I'm tricking my brain into believing that I am giving it that sugary shit, but I WIN because it's not cakes & cookies...it's Mother Nature's candy.

Just trust me on this one...don't knock it 'til ya try it. And for the love of God, Buddha, whatever you believe to be holy and true, DO NOT fear the sugar in fruit or believe any of the BS the Keto crazies are trying to feed you. Just don't.

#2. Medjool dates.

I'm specific with 'Medjool' here because they're way better than their smaller counterparts, Deglet Noor dates.

Softer, chewier, yummier.

If you've never had a Medjool date, you need to stop reading this now and hop on the next flight out to the Middle East, or if you have a Target, ShopRite, maybe even a local grocery store nearby, those would probably grant ya access to these pieces of heaven, too.

To each their own.

But in all seriousness, Medjool dates taste like caramel—they're soft, chewy, super sweet and SO satisfying. They sometimes get a bad rep for being "high calorie/high carb", which yeah, they are. But you don't need to eat 15 at a time.

I truly only need one, and I'm set. I can check the sweet tooth right off.

I LOVE an after-dinner date.

#3. Dark chocolate.

Pretty much the same as dates for me.

Don't go and eat a whole chocolate bar.

MINDFULLY satisfy your craving and start with just a piece and suck on it for a little bit.

You'd probably be surprised how much that could do for you.

If I don't have any dates in my apartment, and I have a hankering...a piece of dark chocolate it is.

#4. CLEAN protein bars.

Not sure if this one is gonna seems strange or not, but hey, I'm just offering up the hacks that I, me, Mackenzie, follow.

So, protein bars. Sometimes if I'm craving that chocolate/peanut butter combo, a protein bar, or half of one, or maybe even a big bite can be the perfect cure.

...My poor hubs...dude has to deal with finding my little treasures of all of my half-eaten, skillfully folded back into the wrapper, protein bars scattered throughout the cupboards.

...Like I said, sometimes just half or a solid bite does it for me and sometimes I need more than one flavor. But if that's the worst he has to deal with, I think he's doin' alright.

Okay, so, back to it...

My favorite go-to protein bars are crafted up by NoCow. The best flavors *IMO* are the chunky peanut butter, vanilla caramel, and peanut butter chocolate chip...just throwing those out there as recommendations that'll likely change your world...you're welcome in advance.

They're SO.FREAKING.DELICIOUS.

ANDDDD vegan, dairy free (obviously), gluten free, added-sugar free, loaded with fiber...we're talking 15-20g fiber, and only 180-210 calories with 20-22g protein. That's absurd. Like it doesn't get better.

Anyways, NoCow bars have been my vice when I crave something a little extra on the sweetness scale. Talk about a solid healthy swap for a Snickers or the OG Reese's Cups.

So, there you have it, those are my 4 hush-hush hacks that keep me on track with my nutrition & have kept my sweet tooth at bay.

Let me know if you try any of these tricks & how they work for you!

Or if you have any questions, leave them in the comments or sashay your way into my DMs. ;)

& if you have any of your own tricks that work for you, share below!

xo Mackenzie.