Tips To Naturally Reduce Sugar Cravings
The average American eats three times the recommendation of added sugar each day. That added sugar is about 350 extra calories each day. Sugar cravings are very common and can have many different causes. Fortunately, there are many ways to reduce your sugar cravings.
Added sugar is any sugar or syrup that is added to food during processing or preparation. There are many names for added sugar such as corn syrup, molasses, malt sugar, honey, high-fructose corn syrup, invert sugar and sucrose, to name a few. Added sugar is found in most processed foods such as sodas, cookies, yogurt, and even ketchup. Sugar adds flavor to food but lacks important micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. Naturally sweet foods like fruit and milk also contain sugar but, unlike foods with added sugar, they contain important nutrients. These nutrients, such as fiber and protein, help slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream. Too much added sugar is associated with serious health problems such as excess weight gain, diabetes and heart disease. Sugar cravings are common. Here are 4 ways to manage your sugar cravings.
Healthy Snacks To Curb Sweet Tooth
Its not a case of replacing sweet stuff with other snacks to curb a sweet tooth, or providing you with a list of what to eat to curb sweet cravings. Such lists simply dont address the psychological aspects of what causes sweet cravings and how to be rid of them forever. Even so called natural ways to curb sugar cravings are a folly. The cravings are fake and phony and are caused by the unnatural sweetness of refined sugar which manipulates our blood sugar levels and the negative mental process that manipulation instigates.
The real trick is to get in touch with your natural, instinctive, enjoyable sense of taste for what are your REAL favourite foods.
They Meet In The Middle
Instead of caving to your sugar craving entirely, try making healthier versions of your favorite dessertsones that still taste like dessert, but offer way more nutrients. When Im craving an ice cream-like dessert, I blend 1 frozen banana with 1/2 tablespoon of dark cocoa powder and 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter, says Connecticut-based registered dietitian Summer Yule, RDN. The banana provides the sweetness, as well as that satisfying, dessert-like texture, while the nutrients from the banana and peanut butter keep you from crashing later.
To satisfy candy bar-like cravings with fewer calories and more nutrients, Yule prepares a packet of plain instant oatmeal with water, stirs in 1 tablespoon of dark cocoa powder and some non-nutritive sweetener, then melts 1 tablespoon of peanut butter on top. It has all of the flavors of a peanut butter cup, but is filling due to the fiber in the oatmeal and the balance of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats, says Yule.
Interested in learning more about sugar and how it can affect your health? Read these next:
Dont Miss: Is Coffee Mate Sugar Free Creamer Keto
Recommended Reading: Does Stress Raise Your Blood Sugar
When You Suddenly Need A Sugar Fix That Urge Might Feel Like It Has A Hold On You To Help Manage Sugar Cravings A Registered Dietitian Suggests You May Simply Need More Of This Healthy Basic In Your Diet
Concerned that you eat too much sugar? Your worry may be warranted. Some clinical professionals, like dietitians and physicians, understand that when your blood sugar suddenly rises, your blood actually gets thicker. Over time, this can lead to serious health issues and increase your risk of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and obesity.
And, many nutrition professionals teach that sugar from processed foods is a drug. This means that by definition, regularly consuming refined sugar typically only leads to more cravings. So to hear the suggestion you should just totally cut out sugar can feel the way someone with clinical depression hears advice to just be happy.
If youve tried every method you can think of to beat your sugar cravings but still find yourself struggling, one dietitian may have just come to the rescue. Her suggestion? What you actually might need is to add more of something into your diet, rather than totally turning toward cutting the sweet stuff out. Weve got the scoop. Ohand if youve ever asked why you crave sugary, fatty foods before your period, you may have just found the answer.
Why Your Sugar Cravings Might Actually Be Due To A Lack Of Minerals
If your body lacks specific minerals, you may be having sugar cravings. There are a few reasons why this could be the case, and if you are feeling exhausted and struggling to get things done, you may want to examine your mineral levels. If you take iron supplements to reduce fatigue, your sugar cravings may be related to a lack of iron rather than sugar.
Also Check: What Should Morning Blood Sugar Be For Type 2 Diabetes
Tips To Smash Sugar Cravings
Note that you dont have to and may not need to completely avoid sweet foods. Sweet is one of the 5 basic tastes, and some people find that completely avoiding sweet foods intensifies the cravings.Others, however, find sweet foods triggering.
Treat yourself to sugar free treats made with monk fruit or stevia, like this cashew cake batter pudding. Or even a piece of fruit with nut butter. Some people avoid binge behavior by just satisfying cravings for sweets with some dark chocolate or something sweet. This is not true for everyone, however: Some people may experience serious binge reactions if they eat sweet foods.
Here are some tips to keep blood sugar stable and cravings in check:
If you overdid it: The day after a sugar binge, start off with 8 ounces hot water and the juice of 1/2 a lemon to detoxify, and drink green vegetable juices if you have access to alkalize the body sugar is very acidic. Then stick to protein & veggies & plenty of good fats, like avocado, throughout the day to reset yourself.
How To Stop Sugar Cravings: 8 Tips To Use Right Now
If you’re craving sugar, here are some ways to tame those cravings.
But won’t eating more often mean overeating? Not if you follow Neville’s advice to break up your meals. For instance, have part of your breakfast — a slice of toast with peanut butter, perhaps — and save some yogurt for a mid-morning snack. “Break up lunch the same way to help avoid a mid-afternoon slump,” Neville says.
Also, you may need to rethink your drinks. They can be a major source of sugar, whether itâs a soda, a latte, or juice. Try a sparkling water or plain water instead.
Also Check: Can Lack Of Sugar Cause Headaches
Buy Yourself Some Time
Drink a glass of water, take five deep breaths, or go for a short walk. If you are truly hungry, its okay to reach for a snack. Your best bet for stamping out a craving may be to have a snack that includes protein or a source of healthy fat. Prepping your own at the beginning of the week will enable you to be proactive and prevent trips to the vending machine for sugar-filled packaged foods.
Keep Your Blood Sugar Levels Stable
When your blood sugar levels drop too low, your brain sends out signals telling you to eat more sugar in order to bring your sugar levels back up. So keeping your blood sugar levels stable helps stop sugar cravings from occurring in the first place. To help keep your blood sugar levels stable, you should:
Also Check: How Much Should Your Blood Sugar Be In The Morning
Foods That Curb Sugar Cravings
When someone experiences a sugar craving they assume that the only thing that might satisfy the food craving? is sugar itself. Its ironic but the one thing that will never satisfy a craving for sugar is sugar. Of course, it seems to end the craving momentarily, but we dont realize that our brain and body has been manipulated by a cunning, sneaky, man-made addiction to refined sugar.
When we consume refined sugar it has a dramatic impact on our blood sugar levels creating what we perceive as excessive highs followed by miserable lows. These alone have an impact on our mental state with the lows appearing to get worse and worse. When those lows are relieved by the consumption of more refined sugar it fools us into believing that it created pleasure. We forget entirely that it was the extreme, violent manipulation of our blood sugar levels that created the discomfort of the low in the first place
Other Things That May Work
I am pretty sure the three steps above would work for most people to shut down a sugar craving.
But of course, the best option by far is to prevent these cravings in the first place.
To do that, toss all out of your house. If you keep them within close reach, youre asking for trouble. Instead, keep healthy foods within easy reach.
Also, if you eat healthy and exercise several times per week, chances are you wont get cravings nearly as often.
Here are 11 more useful tips to stop sugar cravings:
Summary
Numerous other methods may help you overcome a craving for sugar. These include drinking a glass of water, getting good sleep and eating high-protein foods.
Read Also: Does Skim Milk Have Sugar
When To See A Doctor
Maskot / Getty Images
If you find yourself feeling dizzy without sugar, or having regular cravings, it’s time to call a professional, as it could indicate a deeper problem. If you are craving sweets chronically, Goodman says this may indicate that you have hypoglycemia, for instance.
Even if it’s a sign of a nutritional deficiency, a professional can help determine what you’re lacking, how much you need, and ensure the lack of the vitamin or nutrient doesn’t lead to further problems. Magnesium deficiency, for example, has been linked to everything from osteoporosis to type 2 diabetes to heart disease. . When our body doesnt have enough magnesium, it will have trouble bringing energy into the cells and thus, feel deprived and crave sugar, Fahad explains.
How Does Milk Help With Weight Loss
Drinking milk helps with weight loss I know you must be still wondering whether its just a myth or fact. Few people say it acts as an inflammatory agent in our body, increases body fat, and causes digestive problems. Lets actually know what happens if we drink milk. Milk is enriched with protein, calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and potassium thats required by the human body for performing everyday activities.
Milk contains protein and fat that gives energy for the human body to perform at its best. And the calcium present in the milk boosts metabolism, which is the key factor that acts as a fat burner. Apart from that, drinking milk helps reduce hunger and craving for snacks as it enhances the hunger-fighting hormone and keeps our stomachs packed for hours, ultimately leading to weight loss.
You May Like: What Should You Do For Low Blood Sugar
Can Drinking Milk Daily Increase Weight
Anything in excess can bring chaos likewise, milk can too. A cup of milk has a good calorie count, but when milk is consumed in excess, it leads to higher calorie intake, leading to an increase in weight. Apart from that, few people consume milk with sugar, while sugar is a rich source of fat, so consuming excess milk or consuming it with sugar can definitely lead to weight gain.
And dairy products i.e., fermented products of milk, also act as an agent of weight gain, which is good news for someone whos actually looking to look bulky.
If You Are Hungry Eat A Healthy And Filling Meal
Its important to realize that a craving is not the same as hunger.
Its not your body calling for energy, its your brain calling for something that releases a lot of dopamine in the reward system.
When you get a craving when youre hungry, the feeling is difficult to resist.
In fact, a craving combined with hunger is a powerful drive that most people have a hard time overcoming.
If you get a craving while hungry, one of the best tricks is to eat a healthy meal immediately. Stock your kitchen with healthy snack foods or pre-made meals.
Protein-rich foods, such as meat, fish and eggs are especially good for curbing hunger .
Eating real food may not feel very appetizing when you have a craving for sugary junk food. But if you truly need to lose weight, resilience is worth it in the long run.
Summary
When you experience a craving and hunger at the same time, force yourself to have a healthy meal rather than junk food.
Recommended Reading: When Do You Take Blood Sugar Readings
How To Curb Sugar Cravings With Buttermints
Do you struggle with sugar cravings? Do you get hangry if you dont eat? Do you struggle with hormone imbalance? Adrenal fatigue? Thyroid disease?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, taking steps to balance your blood sugar levels can help you a lot! I know it sounds like a gimmick, but these buttermints can truly help reduce your cravings very quickly! The original recipe, minus the peppermint, was created by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride whos a brilliant MD and an expert on gut health.
The combination of nutrient-dense grass-fed butter and raw honey satiates the body, helps balance blood sugar levels and reduce sugar cravings.
I dont recommend making these with stevia or another sugar-free sweetener, because the very small amount of honey satisfies your current sugar cravings. The amount of fat in these little mints slows the absorption of the sugar from the honey, so you dont need to worry about blood sugar spikes.
More Tips To Help Stop Sugar Cravings
Smith also recommends eating at regular time intervals like every 3 to 4 hours and ensuring that you’ve had enough sleep. People who don’t sleep enough may have more frequent cravings, especially for sugary foods, per February 2014 research in âNature Communicationsâ.
Sheth says that another reason people may experience sugar cravings can be because they’re just bored or stressed and see comfort foods as a solution.
“We think we have cravings for these foods when in fact we are actually dealing with something else. And if you found a different way of dealing with it, you might not need that food itself,” she adds.
Related Reading
Recommended Reading: How Much Sugar In Fairlife Milk
The Health Consequences Of Sugar Addiction
Sugar is a highly addictive substance. Sweet foods have long been known to provide a sense of comfort in times of depression, sadness, or exhaustion. As a result, fighting the sugar craving is a difficult task. However, in order to moderate your consumption or even eliminate sugar from your diet, you must first understand the negative effects of excessive sugar consumption on the body and health. Excess sugar in the diet can lead to a variety of symptoms and illnesses. It promotes, in particular:
- Obesity if the addiction persists
- Cancers, including pancreas, liver, colon, and stomach cancers
Cottage Cheese And Blueberries
Berries are some of the best fruit when it comes to fiber, especially blueberries, which are a very fiber-rich fruit, says Taylor. And theyre also convenient because you can buy them frozen.
Theyre also a great source of fiber-rich carbohydrates.
Add a cup of fresh or frozen blueberries to a 1/2 cup of low-fat cottage cheese.
Low-fat cottage cheese is a fantastic protein source, says Taylor. It has almost no carbs in it, so thats why its important that you get in that full serving of berries to give you fuel for right now.
Don’t Miss: When Your Blood Sugar Is Low What To Do
Salty And Savory Foods
Sweet foods arent the only ones that can curb sugar cravings. Salty and savory foods can also improve your cravings by supplying you with protein, healthy fats, and a different satisfying sensation.
High-quality Protein
Some of the best sources of clean keto-friendly protein include:
If you dont love eating nuts and seeds whole, you can always opt for nut and seed butters that are equally healthy and keto-friendly. Nut butters can be enjoyed on their own, as a spread, as a dip, in smoothies, or as a part of low-carb recipes like peanut butter cups.
If you arent making your nut butter at home, always remember to buy only high-quality nut butters with simple ingredients and no added sugar or artificial preservatives.
Non-starchy Vegetables
Non-starchy veggies like leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, which slows down digestion and improves satiety .
When food digests slowly, energy is produced slower over a longer period of time. This helps to prevent energy spikes and dips that might be followed by sugar cravings.
Some of the healthiest keto-friendly vegetables include:
Vegetables also have many other health benefits including providing vitamins and minerals, supporting gut and heart health .