Dear Nutritionist,
I read your column and wonder if there is anything I can do for sugar cravings. I can’t stop the cravings for something sweet, no matter what I eat I need a sweet. I never used to be like this! I didn’t eat sweets, but now I just can’t manage the cravings, so my question is what can I do for that if there is anything you know of. Thank you!
Carol with the Cravings
Dear Carol,
Thank you for writing in. I think your question will apply to a lot of readers!
The short answer is yes, you can totally stop your cravings for sweets! And, eating less sugar will help normalize your blood sugar while helping you lose any excess weight – especially around your waistline – and boosting your energy levels. When sugar consumption gets too far out of control it often ends in type II diabetes – now an epidemic. Making this one change for yourself will have tremendous impact.
Health problems associated with diabetes include heart and vascular diseases, nerve damage, kidney damage, eye damage, problems with the blood flow to legs, hands, and feet, as well as poor wound healing and high risk of amputation, hearing loss, skin infections, mood swings, depression, Alzheimer’s, cancers, and early death. So sugar cravings are something you’re wise to put your energy into managing.
We know from rat studies that sugar is more addictive than even cocaine. So first I want to say that your inability to stop consuming sugar is not a self-control deficit. Cutting out the shame or guilt you may feel will help you start to address the problem instead of getting caught up in an emotional response. You’re craving it because it’s highly addictive and the more sugar we get the more we want. Food companies know this and add sugar to almost all processed foods for this very reason: to sell more. In fact, they measure exactly how much sugar, salt, and fat it takes to make you crave the food the most; it’s called the bliss point. So food is created to make you addicted to it! To better understand this and what the impact of sugar is on the body, there is a great documentary called The Secrets of Sugar that’s a must see.
Dr. Lustig, an American Pediatric Endocrinologist, has extensively studied sugar – particularly fructose – and the effects it has on the body. His video, Sugar, The Bitter Truth, is one of the most watched nutrition videos of all time. He explains that drinking a soda before a meal has been proven to cause the person to eat more food because the sugar shuts down the hormonal signals in the brain that make us feel satiated. We don’t register when we’re full. This is what sugar does to human metabolism. This is aside from how sugar triggers dopamine – the reward centre in the brain associated with addictive behaviour. All around it is a very hard habit to kick. But it’s oh so rewarding when you do.
Here are 12 suggestions I have to help you get your sugar cravings under control:
- Replace sugar and artificial sweeteners with natural zero calorie zero glycemic sweeteners like monkfruit or stevia.
- Replace vegetable oils with fat from coconut oil, butter/ ghee, lard, tallow, and olive oil. They are anti-inflammatory.
- Cut the grain consumption. Grains are our primary source of carbs. Carbs are broken down into sugars by the body so it’s the same as eating sugar. It might be hard to believe, but a piece of whole wheat bread spikes blood sugar as high as a Snickers bar!
- Take chia seeds (2 tbsp) with any food that is going to spike your blood sugar. They are full of protein and essential fatty acids that help down regulate the impact on blood sugar.
- Add raw apple cider vinegar to your water and sip all day. It reduces blood sugar.
- Drink bitter melon tea. Bitter melon is used in Chinese medicine for blood sugar regulation and helps to curb sweet cravings.
- Get enough sleep. We often crave sweets when our energy is low as a quick pick me up.
- Keep healthier substitutes in the house and throw the tempting foods out. If you like crunchy things then keep a homemade granola or salty nuts or crunchy crudites with a great dip, or, if you like creamy make a homemade stevia-sweetened pudding or ice cream or peanut butter treat, or, if you like savory make a jerky or keep good salami on hand. Other ideas are cheeses, sour pickles, olives, fruit, homemade yogurt, stevia sweetened sodas, and kale chips. Bacon also works, too.
- Don’t skip meals. Skipping meals makes us want snack foods. Eat meals, not snacks.
- Add chromium before bed. It’s required for sugar metabolism in the body and is often depleted when we are chronic sugar eaters.
I know it may be hard to kick sweets – for about two to four weeks – but then it generally gets much easier. Still, some people can’t make this transition without a coach, to keep them steady and focused. If that’s the case, reach out for help! There is absolutely nothing I recommend more fervently than getting your sugar and carb consumption down for health and longevity!
As always, if readers have their own health questions, I welcome them. Feel free to reach out through the Ask a Nutritionist page. And if you’re looking for more specific health information check out my website and sign up for my free newsletter at nonienutritionista.com. I provide comprehensive health coaching and several group classes, all available online for safety and convenience.
Namaste!
Nonie Nutritionista
