Beat sugar cravings with these secret ingredients

There’s no harder time to turn down a treat than when you’re feeling hungry, so make sure your kitchen is full of real food, like fresh veggies, lean protein, and whole grains.

One of the best ways to fight sugar cravings is to stick with your own personal diabetes-management eating plan. No one size fits all, and diabetes experts stress that meal plans should be tailored to meet each person's specific health and medical goals. For example, if you're following a carbohydrate counting plan to control blood sugar levels, don't stray from it now. Stick to the proper number of carbs per meal and snack, and if you must have a Halloween treat, keep it small, and account for those carbs as part of your total allotted carb intake.

Here are some smart treat ideas to keep you out of the candy bowl:

• Whole fruit. What’s easier than opening up the produce drawer and pulling out an apple? And fall is the perfect season to stock up at your local orchard. Fresh or dried fruit without added sugars gives your taste buds something to savor, and provides more fiber than fruit juice, which helps keep you full. For a tasty snack, pair a 1/4-cup of raisins with an ounce (a small handful) of nuts.
• Hard-boiled eggs. They’re a good source of protein and easy to take along, too.
• Roasted almonds. Almonds provide protein, minerals, and unsaturated fats, making them an ideal snack food. For a spicy treat, toss 1 cup of roasted almonds with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of Cajun spice blend. A 1-ounce serving is about 23 almonds, so savor them slowly.

Add tricks to treats

• Stay hydrated. Getting plenty of fluids may help support a healthy body weight. For example, one study found that people who ate a broth-based, low-calorie vegetable soup before lunch consumed an average of 20% fewer calories for the meal, compared with people who didn’t eat the soup first. To try this out, bring along a water bottle when you take your kids trick-or-treating—the water should help keep you full and make you less tempted to reach for the sweets.

(Diabetes Care 2013;36:3821–42)