Being a sweet person by offering sweets to yourself after a meal is not necessarily a good thing. It adds up excess calories to our body and affects our emotions and weight as well. Our sugar cravings, especially after a meal arise out of one or more of the following reasons:

1.      Too salty or spicy food, leads to our body having the need of compensation of that extra ingredients, by having a dessert.

2.      Dehydration  not drinking enough water leads to dehydration. We sub consciously look for alternates and one of them is sugar intake.

3.      We ate too much simple carbs, fast food which lack enough fat and fiber yet dont feel satiated. We get a feeling despite eating a lot of ... I am still hungry. Maybe you recollect ordering a sizzling chocolate brownie with ice cream after junk food.

4.      Eating unmindfully ... Being physically present and mentally absent not just affects studies or work, it also affects the act of eating. When we are not mindful during our meal we eat too fast or dont chew well. Hence, the signal to the brain to secrete the necessary enzymes to digest the food is missed.

So, what is the point of all this? To reduce the sugar craving, we need to:

1.      Normalize your salt intake.

2.      Stay hydrated. Keep sipping water through the day.

3.      Opt for whole foods over refined ones.

4.      Eat mindfully. (No multi-tasking please).

And if you still end up having a sugar craving, chew 1 tsp of roasted/raw fennel seeds post your meal. Make sure you ask for it while you are dining out. It will definitely help you watch your weight as well as save yourself from the guilt trap. Moreover, it would also help in digestion

P.S - Sugar craving is not always bad, but especially after a meal is some form of compensation.