Satisfying sweets cravings

[vsg2410 41]

Hi everyone, I have been craving sweets today to the point I can’t get them out of my head. I am 5 weeks post op and still on pureed foods, I move to soft foods next week at 6 weeks. I’m wondering how you guys satisfy a sweet tooth in this phase? I have things like sugar free werthers and mints, but it’s just not cutting it today.

[Merri Beth 96]

i have sugar free pudding when i crave sweets. I cannot eat the whole cup (I buy the little Jello sugar free serving size cups) i have about half and feel full.

[qtdoll 534]

I'm not sure if you can have these during your soft food stage but Quest brand chocolate chip cookie, double chocolate Protein Bars, & mini bars help me! Especially when I heat them up in the microwave for a few seconds. My favorite is the "double chocolate bar"

If your programs allows you to have something like this during your soft phase try em! They get softer in the microwave. Also expect to only be able to eat half of 1 bar/cookies as they are quite filling in the beginning.

[Arabesque 6,569]

As you’re still on purée, maybe some apple sauce or yoghurt? You may find though that anything you eat is super sweet & not as enjoyable to eat at the moment.

Head hunger is probably one of the biggest if not the biggest challenge we have to face. Cravings aren’t real hunger but your head looking for a way to sooth or comfort you. Why do you think you’re craving sweet? Is it boredom, emotions, stress, time of the month, etc.? Working out why you have the craving is the first step. Try looking for a distraction. Go for a walk, ring a friend, play a game, craft, read, check out your social media & this forum, & so on. Sometimes a warm drink can help.

[SpartanMaker 676]

Rather than determine what you can eat to "satisfy" that craving, maybe it would be better to try and first understand why you're craving sweets at all?

Some thoughts on possible things that may be driving this feeling:

• Forbidden foods: If you think of sweets as "forbidden", this can actually intensify your cravings for them. You might need to rethink your relationship with certain foods if this is true.

• Stress or a desire to self-soothe: Stress as well as physical and/or emotional pain can definitely drive you to crave things you see as comforting. For many, sweets may do this because eating them can trigger endorphins and dopamine in your brain in the same way powerful illicit drugs can.

• Contextual associations: We sometimes associate certain food with certain things. Examples would be people that feel they have to eat dessert or the meal isn't "done". Another example would be people that eat popcorn at the movies.

• Boredom: Typically boredom doesn't drive specific cravings, but can absolutely drive you to eat when you're not really hungry.

• Nutrient deficiencies/poor hydration: While there's a lot of anecdotal references for the idea that your body will crave certain things if you have a specific nutrient deficiency, there's not much scientific evidence for this belief. (In fact there's a lot of evidence that it's not correct. If that was actually driving cravings, we'd all be craving kale and broccoli instead of sugary, salty, fatty foods) That said, there are studies that show both poor hydration or insufficient Protein or Fiber will increase hunger. In this case however, your cravings would most likely be less specific and more "I'm hungry", vs. "I want sweets".

i think once you understand the WHY, you'll be better armed on what you can do to address the craving. In some cases, distractions like @Arabesque mentioned may actually work better than finding a sweet thing that "satisfies" your craving. In other cases, you might be better off eating off plan if the "forbidden" food is the culprit. Only you can really know what's driving this and how best to deal with it.

[SuziDavis 544]

sugar free Jell-O and pudding and some good Protein flavors.

I have one that tastes like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and it really hots the spot if I want something sweet.

[vsg2410 41]

Thank you for everyone’s suggestions. In this instance, I know the why - my first period since my surgery and it’s hit me like a ton of bricks. Specifically I’ve been craving dark chocolate, I found a Calcium supplement called Adora that seemed to satisfy the craving. It’s calcium carbonate so has to be taken with food but tastes JUST like normal dark chocolate with the same texture. It’s kind of expensive but nice for a small treat!

[catwoman7 10,927]

my first year post-op I usually ate a light yogurt or some sugar free pudding or Jello when I had a sweet craving.

[The Greater Fool 1,971]

SF Popsicles. 'Nuff said.

Good luck,

Tek