How To Stop Sugar Cravings? Discover Supplements & Tips For A Healthier Lifestyle

Welcome readers! We’ve all faced the afternoon slump and dashed for the sugary treats which are impossible to resist. It's a battle we fight daily, with studies revealing that over 70% of adults struggle with sugar cravings. But what if there was a way to break the cycle, to silence the sugar monster and embrace a healthier lifestyle?

Food containing sugar or other carbohydrates starts to attract hard-to-resist cravings. Sweets and other carbohydrate-rich foods make the body release chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, and other relaxing endorphins into the brain. Once a person is exposed to these chemicals, they seek them repeatedly. 

It is undeniable that too much sugar is bad for your health. Sugary foods have been associated with anything from obesity and dental caries to severe conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke. One of the most recent studies, published in BMJ, showed that consumption of sugar can cause 45 negative health effects, including mortality from asthma, depression and some types of cancer. 

This blog is your best guide to stop sugar cravings! It will highlight step-by-step methods on how to curb sweet cravings and explore various supplements to curb sugar cravings while enhancing satiety. So, ditch the guilt and frustration, and join us on a quest to understand and conquer your sugar cravings.

Table Of Contents

1. How To Stop Sugar Cravings?

2. 7 Best Supplements To Curb Sugar Cravings

3. How To Curb Sweet Cravings With 8 Dietary Habits?

4. The Final Say

5. FAQs

6. References 

How To Stop Sugar Cravings?

We all have our happy-to-go sugary anecdotes that seemingly solve our problems with a dollop of sugar. However, when those intense sugar cravings hit, it's crucial to have effective strategies in place to avoid succumbing to excessive sugar intake. To maintain a healthy lifestyle, it's essential to find effective ways to stop sugar cravings.

Read this section to understand how you can stop sugar cravings effectively:

1. Consume More Protein 

Have you tried incorporating more protein into your meals to stop sugar cravings? Yes, indeed! Eating protein-rich snacks helps balance blood sugar levels. Add a handful of nuts to your sweet tooth or a high-quality protein powder to a sweet smoothie. Eating protein simultaneously can help prevent brain sugar crashes that cause later cravings for sugar. 

2. Work On Restoring Hormonal Balance

For women, just before a menstrual cycle begins, when oestrogen and progesterone levels are low, levels of feel-good beta-endorphin in your brain reach their lowest point. 

Such hormonal imbalance may give rise to excessive craving for sugar in the perimenopausal or PMS woman since her body struggles to increase serotonin and endorphins. Hormone-balancing supplements can resolve food cravings and other PMS symptoms by regulating the natural balance of reproductive hormones.

3. Take Periodic Sugar Fasts 

Avoiding sugar and refraining from it for three days helps significantly to reduce sugar thirst. It might take a while for cravings to disappear entirely, but reducing the frequency of the serotonin and beta-endorphin spikes produced by sugar can help regulate sugar receptors and neurotransmitters. After a while, these periodic fasts can bolster your brain to not send signals that you need to consume more sugar.

4. Take Supplementation To Help Bingeing

Specific micronutrients, including zinc, vitamin C, and B vitamins, control sugar cravings through serotonin regulation. Omega-3s are involved in mood and inflammation regulation related to food cravings. Eat some products that include these ingredients, or try to use a good women’s multivitamin or a pure omega-3 supplement.

Also Read: Supplements: Types, Requirements And Points To Remember 

5. Balance Your Gut Bacteria 

When the bacteria in the intestines are killed, yeast and fungi like Candida can multiply. An overgrowth of yeasts in the intestines (or throughout the body) can result in a strong desire for sugar, exhaustion, unclear thoughts and digestive problems. 

To restore healthy bacteria levels, taking probiotics or consuming a yeast-free diet that destroys sugar-starved bacteria depending on sugar/refined carbohydrates for survival is necessary. 

6. Avoid Processed Carbohydrates 

Processed carbs increase acidity and inflammation. Choose anti-inflammatory foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids and alkalising fruits and vegetables like beets, broccoli, mushrooms, peas, tomatoes, apples, cherries, and pineapples.

7. Figure Out Your Food Allergies

Sometimes you may feel so sleepy and lethargic from common food allergies that you resort to sugar to bring yourself back to life. If you stop eating the food(s) you are sensitive to, your sugar cravings will also disappear. The most common are corn, gluten, dairy, soy, peanuts, eggs and citrus fruits. You might consider an elimination diet and see what happens afterwards if this helps you with something.

8. Prioritise Sleep 

Prioritise sleep. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. You will be amazed at how much rejuvenation happens in your gut while you sleep. Also, sleeping early will prevent you from late-night cravings and snacking. 

Also Read: Healthy Monsoon Snacks To Satisfy Your Cravings 

7 Best Supplements To Curb Sugar Cravings

Many people find it challenging to stop sugar cravings, but with the right approach, it's possible. The following supplements will naturally help your body and mind resist sugar and get you to the point where you no longer crave it.  Here is how supplements can help you stop sugar cravings:

1. Chromium 

Chromium stabilises blood sugar levels, reducing the brain's need for excess sugar when you feel hungry. Its positive role in fat metabolism may also help lower bad cholesterol levels and stop sugar cravings. 

2. Glutamine 

The most common amino acid in the body, glutamine, is a miracle for wanting to cut down on sugar cravings. However, this supplement works during low levels of glucose in the brain to replenish nutrients while avoiding side effects from sugar. 

Glutamine can improve your mood and foster positivism by maintaining blood sugar levels, feeding the tissue of intestinal walls, and taking away muscle pain as well as fatigue.

Also Read: Top 6 Benefits Of Herbal Supplements For A Healthy Lifestyle 

3. Lipase

Lipase is an enzyme which catalyses the breakdown of fat and utilises it as energy. Lipase is normally inadequate, and this could perhaps be one of the contributing factors to why many people find it hard to preserve excessive weight.

Taking or mixing this digestive enzyme supplement before your main meal can help your body better utilise the fat it consumes, preventing the energy crash that makes you reach for the candy bottle. 

4. Vitamin B

B vitamins significantly reduce cravings for sweets, providing the necessary support to the metabolism and nervous system. 

Vitamin B helps us maintain steady energy levels and healthy brain function by helping us metabolise carbohydrates more efficiently rather than allowing the carbohydrates we eat to be stored as fat. 

When you use carbohydrates from healthy whole grains instead of storing them, your body stops asking you to eat more sugar. B vitamins also play an important role in reducing stress, which may help you resist the urge to eat sugar for emotional relief. 

5. CoQ10

The enzyme CoQ10 is one of the most important elements in mitochondria, organelles inside cells. Mitochondria are energy-producing machines housed by our body.

The incredible benefits that are provided by this supplement include energy balance and use as well as storage. This allows you to use carbohydrates instead of sugar and avoid the low blood sugar that causes cravings for more sweets.

6. Fish Oil

Insulin sensitivity is augmented by the use of fish oil, thereby reducing craving for carbohydrates and appetite regulation. The nutrients you ingest are absorbed more efficiently by your body, benefiting it and reducing the likelihood of bad food choices.

7. Supplements That Support Brain Neurotransmitters

These kinds of supplements are particularly beneficial to emotional eaters. If the sugar cravings are due to too much stress, neurotransmitter support supplements can help even out your brain chemistry so that you reduce your level of stress and thereby remove one cause for those high-calorie foods. 

Such calming supplements include L-glutamine, GABA (or gamma-aminobutyric acid), and D-phenylalanine.

Also Read: 8 Essential Supplements For Better Skin, Their Sources And Benefits! 

How To Curb Sweet Cravings With 8 Dietary Habits?

Here are some proven tips and tricks on how to quit processed sugar: 

1. Try Green Juice Daily

If you want to curb your food cravings, fuel your body with cold-pressed green juice first thing in the morning. The chlorophyll in green begins with a cold press, which is even better than reducing food cravings like no one’s business.

Leafy green juice contains essential nutrients and antioxidants that eliminate hunger immediately while restoring your body to the required nourishment. Adopt a green juice in your routine, and you will see your bad habits fade away.

Also Read: How To Use Greens Powder For Weight Loss? 5 Ways To Add It To Diet! 

2. Focus On Hydration

Other than nutritional deficiencies, dehydration can lead to extreme sweet cravings. Provide your body with proper hydration using 8-12 glasses of water, cold-pressed juices made from raw ingredients, herbal teas and fresh coconut water. A glass of coconut water a day helps prevent dehydration!

3. Avoid Sugar Substitutes And Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners are as bad for the body because they substitute refined sugars. Both are handled badly. As for sugar, it is advisable to replace chemical sweeteners with beneficial carbohydrates, including fruit and raw honey, dates-uring syrup or maple syrup.

4. Practice Mindful And Healthy Eating

Healthy eating also plays a significant role here. Going to a whole foods diet will not only help in losing weight but also improve one’s health. Have plenty of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, carbohydrates including potatoes, whole grains, cold-pressed juices and smoothies.

5. Include More Magnesium 

Magnesium is needed in the regulation of blood sugar levels. Your food cravings are more controlled if your blood sugar is in check. Many people suffer from magnesium deficiency. Luckily, good types of fats such as avocados, nuts and seeds are found in cocoa bananas, and dark leafy green leaves are rich in magnesium.

6. Consume Fresh Fruit

Craving something sweet? Instead of giving in to your candy bar cravings, eat a bowl of fresh fruit of your choice. The fibre found in fruits helps satisfy your cravings for sweet foods. Fresh fruit is the perfect healthy snack that you can enjoy without limits. 

7. Choose Healthy Desserts

Choosing healthy desserts is a smart and satisfying way to conquer sugar cravings without compromising on taste. Opt for naturally sweet options like fresh fruits, yogurt parfaits, or chia seed puddings. These other choices give you something sweet to enjoy and also include important vitamins. Try making dishes that have natural sugars, such as honey or maple syrup, for a treat without feeling bad. 

8. Manage Emotional eating

Do not feel guilty about eating while stressed. Generally, our body tends to crave sugar while we are stressed or upset. Avoid chocolates, sweets or candies when you are stressed. Instead, choose to eat a fruit or have a glass of fresh juice. 

The Final Say

Now, after reading this guide, you know how to curb sugar cravings and stop yourself from snacking on carb-laden foods. Remember, in the pursuit of a healthier lifestyle, conquering sugar cravings stands as an essential triumph. Equipped with an understanding of potent supplements and actionable advice, you now possess the tools to steer towards a more balanced life that is not overwhelmed by excessive sweetness. Keep in mind: it's not about denying yourself; instead—embrace mindful choices. Incorporate these strategies: you will not merely stop sugar cravings but rather fashion a lifestyle that nurtures your well-being. 

It is also recommended that you consult a professional. A nutritionist or specialist can help you develop a healthy eating plan that reduces food cravings and the stress that comes with it. 

FAQs

1. What should you eat if you have sugar cravings? 

If you are craving something sweet, there are plenty of healthier alternatives to choose from. You can switch to low-sugar fruits like strawberries, apples, pears, etc. You can also try low-sugar chocolate, such as dark chocolate. You may eat sweets to satisfy your cravings but choose smaller portions and eat responsibly. 

2. Why can I not control my sugar cravings? 

When oestrogen levels drop, serotonin production decreases. Serotonin is one of the main chemicals in the brain that gives pleasure to the brain and our bodies. So when serotonin levels drop, we develop sugar cravings, which causes our bodies to turn to sugar to feel good. 

3. What deficiency causes sugar cravings? 

Deficiencies in certain nutrients, such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, chromium, and iron, can cause sugar cravings. Magnesium is responsible for the metabolism of glucose in our body, and chromium also plays a role in regulating sugar levels.

References

1. How to break the sugar habit-and help your health in the process

2. Sugar cravings: combating a sweet tooth | Diabetes UK

3. 11 Tips to Reduce Sugar Cravings Naturally - Breathe Well-Being

4. How to Stop Sugar Cravings - Women's Health Network

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