No More Diets

How do you stop sugar cravings?

It is generally sugar which causes sugar cravings - the more sweet foods you eat the more you crave them.

To understand this you have to know what happens in your body when you eat sugary and starchy foods which both result in a quick release of glucose into your bloodstream.

The high level of glucose causes your body to detect a blood sugar imbalance and insulin is quickly released to reduce the glucose from your blood AND TURN IT INTO FAT!

However this quick shot of insulin is not the end of the matter.

In general the indsulin causes the glucose in your blood to drop suddenly and your body reacts to this rapid reduction by creating a craving for even more sugar or carbohydrate food, which will be quickly turned into sugar to even out the imbalance.

So eating sugary foods and quick release carbohydrates (like white bread, pasta, rice and potatoes) set you up for a vicious cycle of sugar cravings.

This doesn’t mean that you can never eat sweets or white bread again. It just means being aware of how these foods affect your blood sugar and taking that into account when you make food choices.

1. Balance the food groups

Try to eat quick release foods alongside other foods. Eating sweet foods with protein and a little fat tends to slow digestion and help avoid quick spikes in blood sugar.

2. Eat Frequently

If you eat small regular meals throughout the day you will promote a steady release of glucose into your bloodstream. If you miss meals blood sugar levels will get very low and tend to set the stage for a craving for sugary or starchy foods.

3. Avoid Products with added sugar

Much of the sugar we eat is hidden in processed foods and can set up a craving without us being aware we have eaten sugar. Read the labels to avoid eating sugary foods without knowing about it.

4. Satisfy your sweet tooth healthily

Get a hint of sweetness from natural foods such as dried fruit rather than from the pure sugar in candy. The more fiber you eat along with the sugar content the better - so choose whole fruits over fruit juice to slow absorption into the bloodstream. Avoid buying sweet foods and white starchy foods so they are not readily to hand if you need a snack - keep healthy foods easily available at all times.

5. Avoid Sugar Substitutes

Several studies have shown that artificial sweeteners tend to create the same insulin response in your body as real sugar (your body seems to detect the sweetness as a trigger to get going with insulin production) - so they are not helpful in correcting blood sugar imbalances or in reducing cravings.