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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 what can I do for that? 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 permanently while helping you lose any excess weight — especially around your waistline — and boosting your energy levels!
When sugar cravings get too far out of control it often ends in Type II diabetes. The cost to our health of going that far before making a change is not worth it!
Health problems associated with diabetes include heart and vascular diseases, nerve damage, kidney damage, eye damage, problems with the blood flow to the 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 that 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 is 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 feel we need more. We don’t register when we are 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:
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Quit the sugar and grains and replace them with fat from coconut oil, ghee, and olive oil. Grains are usually high glycemic and spike blood sugar, only to bring it crashing down later. All of which is unhealthy for you.
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Supplement with quality zinc and magnesium supplements. Both are important for brain health and the regulation of insulin and blood sugar.
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Supplement with a liquid B-complex. The B vitamins are essential for energy production and when we are low energy we will crave sweets for the instant energy they bring.
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Add chromium and vanadium before bed. They work in tandem, but chromium is required for sugar metabolism in the body.
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Get enough sleep. We often crave sweets when our energy is low as a quick pick-me-up.
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Keep healthier substitutes in the house and throw the tempting foods out. If you like crunchy things, then keep a homemade granola, salty nuts, or crunchy crudites with a great dip, or, if you like creamy make a homemade truvia sweetened pudding, 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.
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Start taking some coconut oil every day. Fat, not protein, reduces cravings for sweets.
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Take a good, broad spectrum probiotic with a minimum of 50 billion guaranteed active organisms. Probiotics help us to absorb more from our food and reduce inflammation, hence increasing energy and reducing fatigue and associated sugar cravings.
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Take chia seeds (two tablespoons) with any food that is going to spike your blood sugar. They are full of protein and essential fatty acids that help down-regulate inflammation and suppress appetite. They are also a great source of slippery fibre, which is great for healing the intestinal system.
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Never eat sweets on an empty stomach. This will spike blood sugar worse that if it were eaten as part of or after a meal.
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Drink bitter melon tea. Bitter melon is used in Chinese medicine for blood sugar regulation and helps to curb sweet cravings.
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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!
I know it may be hard to kick sweets — for about two to four weeks — but then it generally gets much easier.
You will know if you need to reduce your intake because you feel sluggish, fatigued or have mood or energy swings, and are plagued by cravings for sweets and carbs regularly! But it really does get easier with time.
Still, some people can’t make this transition without a coach to keep them steady and focused. You know yourself best. But 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!
Namaste!
Nonie Nutritionista
Nonie De Long is a registered orthomolecular nutritionist with a clinic in Bradford West Gwillimbury, where she offers holistic, integrative health care for physical and mental-health issues.
