The ‘Teassert Technique’ How To Curb Sugar Cravings At The Holiday Dinners 2022
- Brainz Magazine
- Dec 2, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 8, 2024
Written by: Leslie Chen, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Today I’m going to share with you a very powerful technique called ‘Teassert.’ People always ask me how to curb sugar cravings and gain self-control in front of desserts. This technique has absolutely been a game-changer for even the ones with decades of sugar struggle, and it’s been one of Rise Lean’s best-kept secrets so far, which I’ve rarely shared publicly.
What does ‘Teassert’ mean?
I created the name “Teassert” when I first started my weight loss coach career in 2014. This name is a combination of two words: tea, and dessert. And obviously, it involves both.
‘Teassert’ is best used at the time when you’d enjoy some dessert but don’t want to overeat. It stops your desire for the next bite of the cake on the spot, so that you can have easy self-control.
How do you implement ‘Teassert?’
See the video. Click here.
To implement it, there are 3 easy steps:
Step 1. Eat a bite of the dessert.
Step 2. Sip tea slowly, let it sit in your mouth for 5 seconds before swallowing it.
Step 3. Feel the aroma of the tea.
Most people will find their desire for the next bite of the cake gone now. It’s immediately effective.
How did I discover ‘Teassert?’
I didn’t create it. I grew up in East Asia, and the ‘Teassert’ process of pairing tea with dessert has been a cultural tradition there for at least hundreds of years (China, Korea, and Japan, etc.)
Lots of people thought Asian people didn’t eat sweets. That’s not true at all. And in fact, we grew up with all sorts of sweets around us. Everybody loves sweets there just like here in the US. However, the key difference is balance.
How are we able to keep the elegant and beautiful balance with sweets? Not with willpower. Self-control in front of moon cakes and ice creams in our culture is more of a spontaneous experience: it doesn’t take much self-disciplining because there’s rarely a thought process about “if I should eat one more bite or not.”
We just followed our body and brain’s signals, without being aware…
And ‘Teassert’ has been very helpful to make sure our body and brain don’t call for overindulgence of sugar even though when we did it, we only used tea to cancel out the superfluous dolce with some subtle or mild bitterness to create a balance of the yin and yang. The tradition is also classy, quintessential in style, and that’s why so many people are still doing it today.
Why does ‘Teassert’ work so well?
It turns out that it’s not just about the yin and yang of the flavors. According to one of the studies published on Neuron, a spoonful of bitter helps the sugar response go down. In this study of Drosophila, it’s seen that the bitter compounds plays a vital role in “inhibit sweet-responsive neurons and block the response to sweet taste.”
There are other similar studies done which confirmed the effect of bitter tastants in terms of how it shuts down your brain’s desire for sugar. And ‘Teassert’ has been an exquisite embodiment of this theory starting from hundreds of years prior to its discovery.
In essence, by reducing your brain’s calling for sweet, the craving is muted.
The easiest way to remove sugar addiction and any food obsession, instead of fighting them, is outgrowing them by rewiring how you react to and experience the ‘triggers.’ This is also an essential secret of how to lose weight without dieting.
What kind of tea can be used for ‘Teassert?’
No fruit tea or sugary tea drinks.
It must be natural and fresh herbal tea. I recommend white tea, green tea, matcha, oolong, and black tea.
You may not like tea at the beginner if you haven’t been a tea drinker yet — mostly because of the slight bitterness herbal tea has. But soon you’ll start enjoying the relaxation and inner stillness it brings you. Your taste buds will adapt, and soon you won’t mind or even feel the bitterness. Remember: the process of embracing bitter is also the process of divorcing sugar.
Don’t take my words for granted, go experiment it yourself.
My final sustainable weight loss tip for the holiday:
Holidays are tricky. To many people, the holiday season feels like the cheat days (learn how to recover from cheat days). However, since it lasts a month vs 2-3 days, they are also very nervous about gaining too much weight.
Holiday season is the time when you should enjoy your family and just reset. Don’t overthink about food. Focus on your purpose, which is relishing the moments and reuniting with the loved ones. When you are fully present for the people, the anxiety towards food goes away.
Don’t find the worst time to weigh yourself also! Don’t do it every day and every morning because you’ll just be too obsessed with weight to enjoy life.
Have an amazing holiday 2022.
To learn how to lose weight left and right while gaining UNLIMITED food freedom and outgrowing food obsession, sign up for my limited-time free masterclass: The 5 Best-Kept Secrets To Gain Unlimited Food Freedom While Gaining A Head-Turning Body.
Leslie Chen, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Leslie Chen, Holistic Wellness Coach, is the Founder of Rise Lean and Creator of Lean Instinct Formula™. Leslie helps high-achievers who struggle with food obsession, emotional eating, and problematic weight patterns create a stress-free relationship with food while gaining the best body they can have.
