20 Apr Brush Away Your Cravings

Last night I had a great dinner with my family. I felt satisfied and comfortably full. But within minutes of putting my plate in the dishwasher, I was looking for chocolate!  Ahh! Why do I crave something sweet after a meal?

After years of battling my sugar cravings, I was ready to tackle the one that had caused me the most problems, my after dinner sweet tooth. The simple solution? Brush your teeth. Clean teeth and fresh minty breath can kill your sweet tooth. When I read about brushing your teeth as way to kill a sweet tooth, I thought, “after years of battling my craving, could it really be that simple?” I’m happy to report that, yes, it is that simple.

Nothing tastes good mixed with the peppermint taste of toothpaste. Think about some of the foods you crave after dinner. How does mint flavored popcorn sound? Or mint flavored chocolate chip cookies? See what I mean?

Since one of the most dangerous times for any dieter is after a meal, try one of these techniques after dinner tonight:

1. Brush  your teeth with peppermint tooth paste.
2. Chew peppermint  gum (In case you’re traveling and can’t brush your teeth).
3. Avoid  a high carb dinner. If you eat too many carbs (for example, a big bowl of  pasta) it can create high levels of serotonin. While this may feel good in  the short term, after about 30 minutes, the levels of serotonin will fall.  When your serotonin falls, you crave foods to bring it back up. The most  common craving? SUGAR!