If you've been trying to improve your diet but can't shake the call of sugary treats, you're not alone. Americans eat way too much sugar. But experts say there are some concrete steps you can take to keep your sweet tooth at bay. Here's how to start.

如果你一直努力改善饮食，却总是无法抗拒甜食的召唤，你不是一个人。美国人吃下太多糖了。不过专家表示，有一些切实可行的做法可以帮助你抑制爱吃甜食的习惯。下面是具体的方法：

Balance your blood sugar

平衡血糖

Making sure you pair carbohydrates with protein and fiber prevents our blood sugar dips that cause the cravings in the first place.

确保将碳水化合物与蛋白质和膳食纤维搭配食用，可以防止我们出现血糖骤降，而血糖骤降正是引发甜食渴望的根本原因。

Another mistake people make — especially very active people — is just not eating enough overall. Undereating can cause fatigue that also drives a craving for rapidly digestible carbohydrates, such as sweets.

人们犯的另一个错误——尤其是那些运动量大的人——就是整体进食不足。进食不足可能导致疲劳，而疲劳往往会让人想吃那些可以快速消化的碳水化合物，比如甜食。

Limit triggers

限制诱因

First, do your best to reduce craving cues in your environment. Try not to stock your kitchen or workspace with appealing snacks, for example.

首先，尽量减少环境中的诱惑因素。例如，不要在厨房或工作场所摆满诱人的零食。

Another deconditioning strategy is to take one sip of a sugary soda or bite of a snack, then throw it away. The more times you do this, you condition a new behavior, and you also make your ability to throw it away stronger.

另一种去条件反射策略是：只喝一口含糖汽水或咬一口零食，然后将其扔掉。你这样做的次数越多，就越能训练出一种新行为，同时你拒绝它的能力也会变得更强。

Improve your sleep

改善睡眠

If we can improve your sleep, it does improve your eating behavior and your food preferences, and that's something we don't really think about. When we don't sleep well, we start to crave sweets more.

如果我们能改善睡眠，确实能改善饮食行为和对食物的偏好，而这正是我们通常不太会考虑的一点。当我们睡眠不足时，会开始更加渴望甜食。

Can sugar substitutes help?

代糖有帮助吗？

Artificial sweeteners, chemicals that deliver the sweetness of sugar without the calories, might be tempting. However, they're best avoided.

人造甜味剂（即不含热量但能提供甜味的化学物质）可能很有诱惑力。然而，最好避开它们。

Different sweeteners work through separate mechanisms, and scientists don't fully understand all of them yet, but there's good enough consensus in the scientific community that they can have negative consequences.

不同的甜味剂通过不同的机制起作用，科学家们尚未完全了解所有这些机制，但科学界已有充分的共识，认为它们可能会产生负面后果。

It's especially important to make sure you're reading the labels on your food to ensure you're not just replacing sugar with another potentially problematic sweetener.

阅读食品标签尤为重要，要确保你没有仅仅是用另一种可能存在问题的甜味剂来替代糖。