Tempering a Sweet Tooth

[The Amish Tyrant]

I am a large American and my weight vastly fluctuates. As a result, I don't buy cookies, candy, or chips because I just can't eat one (the exception to the purchase rule is for chips and salsa and I stop when the salsa dish runs dry).

Lately, I've been tempering my sweet tooth with fancier peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as dessert. For example, I use apricot, peach, mulberry, or blackberry jams and preserves instead of grape or strawberry jelly. A local Middle Eastern grocery has a variety of different jams and preserves to keep the flavors interesting.

The sandwiches are filling and surprisingly hit the spot during my late night hankering for something sweet. It's worth a shot if you are looking to temper your sweet tooth as well.

I know @JimInks helped create Wilke's peanut butter and chocolate blend to help satisfy a peanut butter cup craving. What other ideas do people have to temper the sweet tooth?

 

[Chasing Embers]

What other ideas do people have to temper the sweet tooth?

None, I have to take in 4000+ calories per day to survive. Junk food is a major food group.

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

None, I have to take in 4000+ calories per day to survive. Junk food is a major food group.

I would give you some of my weight if I could. However, I can see the need for that many calories being rather problematic and costly.

I prefer getting calories from meats instead of sweets. When it comes to certain foods (street tacos, bbq, hot/chili dogs, sushi), all bets are off.

Butter and eggs may help your conquest, but I'm guessing you know that all too well.

 

[warren]

I may have a chocolate confection or two. Usually though, I simple ignore any craving for something sweet. Bad enough, with regard to sugar, I still eat sandwiches made with white bread.

 

[bullet08]

Diabetes prevent me from enjoying sweets. At 5' 10" and 150 lbs, it's not the weight. Just damned blood sugar. Runs in the family. At least, my father and uncles were good size, horizontally. But I do keep hard candy with me in case of sugar crash. Find these to be rather interesting.

 

[Hillcrest]

What other ideas do people have to temper the sweet tooth?

When I went on a diabetes diet, I switched to fruit of all kinds, cereals, salads with salad dressings, iced teas, dried fruits like dates, apricots, cranberries. The biggest weight loss was cutting down or eliminating breads and pastas and eating a regular breakfast and a bigger high protein lunch and smaller dinner. I didn't deprive myself of deserts but cut way back (1 a week) and upped my game to luxury... quality over quantity. With the meds I lost about 80 pounds give or take. Try fruit gums and mints too - sugar free !

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

The only solution I've found for my sweet tooth is to not buy the sugar stuff. The rest of my diet is very healthy. Lots of fruits, salads, fish, seafood, pasta (good kind), protein bars and nuts.

 

[Hillcrest]

When I went on a diabetes diet, I switched to fruit of all kinds, cereals, salads with salad dressings, iced teas, dried fruits like dates, apricots, cranberries. The biggest weight loss was cutting down or eliminating breads and pastas and eating a regular breakfast and a bigger high protein lunch and smaller dinner. I didn't deprive myself of deserts but cut way back (1 a week) and upped my game to luxury... quality over quantity. With the meds I lost about 80 pounds give or take. Try fruit gums and mints too - sugar free !

P.S. Now after 2 years - I always keep apples, oranges or tangerines, and bananas available. And I always have a pound or two a month of Kentucky Legend or Kentucky Gold Honey Maple Ham in the meat drawer for snacking ... a 1/2 slice or slice satisfies both hunger and sweet tooth. (Its also great with fried eggs on a Sunday morning!) Due to rising grocery costs I now have to shop at bulk facilities to keep costs down. And i find that grocery stores in ethnic areas of the city near me tend to have better produce departments with more variety ... and cheaper prices. Not being prejudiced here --- just saavy shopping. There is one grocery store chain predominately around here and it has 4 stores in 4 zip codes with 4 different prices ! Our Senator and former Attorney General ushered in zone pricing many years ago ! Thanks !!

 

[gervais]

Making the switch to a healthy diet is the best thing you can do for yourself.

I satisfy my sweet cravings with dried fruits such as figs, dates and apricot. A fresh dried date taste like a giant caramel to me. Love em.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I’ll have a chunky PB&J about once a week for lunch if there are no leftovers to graze. This time of year the wife bakes and bakes some more, so cookies and fudge and peanut brittle are around 24/7 - just have to watch my portions! Down 30 as of this week following early 2021 COVID nightmare and another 6-8 and I’ll be where I was 31 years ago and pretty darn happy with that - mostly portion control, more water and less junk, usually we’re pretty balanced food wise. Never thought buying new belts would be so satisfying and no fake Seinfeld 34 on my jeans, haha.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

with that my staple after-dinner Espresso, I use to have some Greece Pistachio Halwa or German Lübecker marzipan, mid-day I'd usually have a cup of black sugared tea alongside some pastries

 

[Jwebb90]

I have a MAJOR sweet tooth. However, these days I avoid most of them. I’m currently using a calorie tracking app called MacroFactor. If at the end of the day I still have calories remaining I may indulge. My favorite is a big bowl of my kids cereal. This happens maybe once a month. And it’s glorious.

 

[ChonkyTonks]

If I start having sugar of any kind, I will binge until I have regret not dissimilar from sleeping with a crazy ex. I kinda hate myself. My heart rate is wonky for a while. My mental state goes to shite for a few days to a week and then I swear that I will never do that again (or at least try harder to control myself the next time) I both love and hate sugar. Fortunately, this holiday we have not baked a tonne of cookies like we normally do.

 

[Egg Shen]

If I start having sugar of any kind, I will binge until I have regret not dissimilar from sleeping with a crazy ex. I kinda hate myself. My heart rate is wonky for a while. My mental state goes to shite for a few days to a week and then I swear that I will never do that again (or at least try harder to control myself the next time) I both love and hate sugar. Fortunately, this holiday we have not baked a tonne of cookies like we normally do.

It messes me up too. Acne/oily skin, when otherwise my skin looks perfectly normal. And when I dry out from it I get night sweats, dry skin, restlessness and brain fog. So I flat out don’t consume it, haven’t for 20 years. But it was tough to detox as it’s in about everything processed. At this point I’ve lost my sweet tooth. Fruit is a good solution, especially dried ones as many here mentioned. Dried mango is wonderfully complex…sweet, tart, vanilla custard notes all possible flavors though not all are perceived in every bite. Fructose- the naturally occurring sugar in fruit does not mess me up at all BTW. I would add that many dried fruits have sugar added. Avoid those. There is already a lot of fructose in dehydrated fruit. Some with your jellies - buy 100% fruit ones only. Switch your white bread to whole grain/pumpernickel/rye, anything cleaner than Wonder bread. If I absolutely need candy like once a year I may buy the licorice that’s sweetened only with molasses. Also read up on the 20 different sneaky names that sugar may be identified as on ingredient labels. You could also consider treats sweetened with stevia which is just an herb. It is 4x sweeter than sugar. I personally don’t care for its taste but it may work for you.

 

[El Capitán]

With my strongman diet and workout I have found beats to be a wonderful sweet without the processed sugar. Other fruits are great as well. I keep a 50% protein, 25% healthy fats, and 25% complex carbs.

 

[jeff540]

Lots of water, lots of fresh fruit, and the best dried fruit I've found are dates and figs.

Especially the quasi-dried figs that come in mylar bags at a middle-eastern grocery store (Ziyad brand dried figs). Some bags are just mediocre but half the time they contain figs that are covered in crusty sugar crystals that remind me of tobacco plume.