Sugar cravings are not easy to get rid of sometimes. But we have to. Are you constantly craving sugar? You’re not the only one. Sugar can induce drug-like effects including bingeing, craving, dependence, and withdrawal. Research has actually found that sugar can be more addictive than drugs such as cocaine. That can be scary especially if you are looking to lose weight. High sugar diets can increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity, depression, anxiety, and fatty liver. Typically sugar cravings are paired with emotional eating, but there are a few imbalances that can actually be linked with cravings for sweets. The good news is there is something you can do to help stop your sugar cravings.
Common causes
Some of the common causes of sugar cravings are blood sugar imbalances, gut imbalances, lack of sleep, genetic causes, stress, dehydration, vitamin/mineral deficiencies an over consumption of carbs and chronic dieting. If you relate to more than one of these your sugar cravings can be more severe.
How to stop sugar cravings
Manage stress
Firstly, you need to try and manage your stress. Feeling stressed out causes the hormone cortisol to rise, which leads to sugar cravings. This is because sugar increases dopamine and serotonin. These are the hormones that help you feel happy and relaxed. So, the craving you’re getting could be your body telling you to chill out. The higher your sugar intake is, the greater the serotonin and dopamine boost becomes. In return the sugar crash will be bigger and this will make your next craving even higher and stronger.
In order to release your stress, try deep breathing, yoga, meditation or anything else that makes you feel relaxed.
Also lack of sleep can significantly increase ghrelin. This is the hunger hormone. Poor sleep can activate the endocannabinoid system commonly known as what causes the munchies. Practicing good sleep hygiene can combat this. If you’ve already tried several sleep strategies and are still not rested, consider using some natural sleep supplements as recommended by your naturopath.
Drink water
You should also make sure you’re drinking enough water. Hunger is often confused with thirst. Not drinking enough water impairs your liver from releasing glycogen, which is an energy source for your cells. If your gut has an overgrowth of bad bacteria or yeast, you’re more likely to crave sugar. If you indulge those cravings, you will deepen your dysbiosis.
Take your prebiotic and probiotics
So instead take a daily prebiotic & probiotic. Eat a few servings of fermented foods like sauerkraut, yogurt, coconut kefir, kombucha, or apple cider vinegar daily. Try to mix it up. The reason for this is because each fermented food has a different array of bacterial strains. So, the more types of fermented foods you eat, the more diverse your microbiome will be.
Add protein, fats and fibre
Sugar craving can also be a result o