Why beating sugar cravings matters, and where to start
What causes sugar cravings
During digestion all carbohydrates (carbs) are broken down to the simplest form of sugar, which is glucose. Glucose is what the body primarily uses to produce energy. It's absorbed through the intestine into the bloodstream.
Our blood sugar levels reflect the amount of glucose circulating in our bloodstreams at a given point of time. Blood sugar levels go up and down throughout the day (and night), mostly influenced by the food we eat.
In an ideal scenario, our blood sugar levels go gently up and down, like rolling hills. They also consistently stay within a “healthy” range. However, in some people, the rolling hills become rollercoasters. It’s those sudden peaks and crashes that cause sugar craving symptoms.
Let’s take a look at what causes the “blood sugar rollercoaster”:
Fast-release carbs are a major trigger. These tend to be naturally sweet foods (e.g. dates), foods that contain added sugar (e.g. biscuits), or that have been refined and therefore stripped of fibre (e.g. white flour). You may come across the term “high-glycaemic index” foods. This is another way of calling fast-release carbs. The higher the index of a carbohydrate, the more important its impact on blood sugar levels.
When we eat fast-release carbs, our blood sugar levels peak. The hormone insulin is released and rapidly brings sugar levels down. So much that they dip quickly, perhaps even hitting the bottom of the healthy blood sugar range (this is called hypoglycaemia). We may then feel tired, shaky, moody, weak, dizzy, sometimes even confused. This leaves us craving - and reaching for fast-release carbs as we need an urgent boost of energy. And so does the rollercoaster go on.
Did you know it’s not only what we eat that impacts our blood sugar levels?
Other factors than food influence our insulin response, i.e. how well our bodies balance our blood sugar levels, such as:
- Higher cortisol levels caused by mental and physical stress, including infections
- Low oestrogen levels
- Lack of sleep.
The aggravating factor: serotonin
When we consume sugar and refined carbs, our mood gets boosted by the neurotransmitter serotonin. Sugar does a great job at providing that almost instant reward. You may have heard of studies showing that mice prefer sugar over cocaine. It’s for that immediate brain reward. Unfortunately, our brains easily get addicted to higher levels of serotonin, which explains why getting off the sugar rollercoaster can be so tricky.
Insulin resistance: fast track to a bigger issue
Fixing a sugar craving sounds easy, and perhaps even enjoyable. If you don’t mind too much the symptoms they brings along, you may be lured into thinking that sugar cravings aren’t a big deal. Unfortunately, they can be.
Our bodies are usually efficient at regulating blood sugars levels so they’re consistently within healthy ranges. However, when we eat too much fast-release sugars too often over a longer period of time, our bodies become less sensitive to the effect of insulin, and we can develop a condition known as insulin resistance, or pre-diabetes.
When insulin resistance creeps in, glucose is removed less efficiently from the bloodstream, and so our blood sugar levels tend to be consistently higher. When insulin resistance is not addressed, it can lead to Type 2 diabetes. Not to be taken lightly.
Having sugar cravings doesn’t mean you have diabetes by the way. That questions seems to come up a lot. But if you feel you rely on sugar to keep going, and experience symptoms of type 2 diabetes, do consult your GP for a screening test.
It’s worth mentioning that some other factors can induce insulin resistance, such as falling oestrogen levels, i.e. during menopause, and a genetic predisposition.
Benefits of balancing your blood sugar levels
Forget about sugar craving: make more conscious decisions about what and when you eat.
Feel less hungry: it becomes easier to have normal portion sizes and eat more mindfully, which in turn supports digestion and weight control.
Sustain your energy levels throughout the day: struggle less with activities that require you to be alert.
Lose weight around the middle: less blood sugar is converted into fat storage.
Maintain / improve insulin sensitivity: avoid developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Indirectly support your gut health. Sugar feeds the not-so-beneficial gut bacteria. A healthier gut helps reduce inflammation, improve immunity, mood, focus, digestion and hormonal balance.
Tips to avoid sugar cravings
The short of it:
1. Reduce the quantity of fast-release carbs you eat daily.
2. Eat meals that sustain your energy.
3. If you still crave sugar, choose snacks that are not sustaining the sugar rollercoaster.
4. Reduce stress to the body with helpful food and lifestyle choices.
Choose processed foods with less sugar
Look for the mention “of which sugars” on food labels. Compare similar products and choose those with the least sugar. You’ll be surprised to see how much sugar there is in a ready-made soup for instance. Here are my top recommendations but the list is of course non-exhaustive:
Avoid breakfast cereals with more than 10% sugar.
Avoid juices. Smoothies may have a lower impact on blood sugar levels as they contain the fruit/vegetable fibre, but they also tend to be quite high in sugar, increasing your daily intake (empty calories converted in fat). Again, check the labels.
Choose natural yogurts over fruit yogurts. If they’re not palatable (yet), you may want to top them with a good tablespoon of stewed / fresh fruits.
Chocolate with less than 85% cacao tends to be much higher in sugar.
The quantity you eat influences the impact on your blood sugar, this means if you do choose foods higher in sugar, only eat a very small portion.
The good news is: it only takes a few weeks for your taste buds to appreciate less sugary foods.
Prefer slow-release carbs
Whole foods rather than refined foods, e.g. wholemeal bread, brown rice over white bread/rice. Dietary fibre is your friend to slow down the release of sugar into the bloodstream!
Non-starchy veggies, e.g. green vegetables, rather than starchy ones (e.g. potatoes).
Fruits that don’t increase blood sugars quickly, e.g. berries, apples.
Reduce added sugar to your foods
In your hot drinks: Reduce sugar progressively to cut it out completely.
When baking, reduce sugar by 20-30%.
Avoid artificial sweeteners altogether as they increase appetite, amongst other “less desirable” effects.
Combine carbs with protein
This will slow down the release of sugar in the bloodstream, reducing the peaks and dips. If you do need to snack, oat cakes and/or banana with nut butter, yogurt with apple and nuts are a good carbs-protein combo choice.
Avoid caffeine
As mentioned above, caffeine is a stressor to the body.
Ensure your meals provide you with sufficient energy
Follow the recommendations above for your food choices, and also consider your portion sizes: if they’re too small, even with helpful food choices, you’re likely to go hungry before your next meal 4-6 hours later.
Added benefit: Not snacking between meals supports insulin sensitivity.
Reduce inflammation
Reducing chronic low-grade inflammation is a vast subject that’s best addressed with personalised nutrition and lifestyle guidance. Improving gut health is likely to be on the agenda. This might require some investigation around food intolerance (read more on this topic here).
Sugar cravings: the tip of the iceberg
Sugar cravings are only the tip of the iceberg of a larger problem: they are the result of imbalanced blood sugar levels. Solving a single sugar craving is easy. Beating long term sugar craving - by balancing out blood sugar levels - takes effort, but brings with it significant benefits that support overall health.
Balancing your blood sugars could be the start of a significant transformation. Whether you choose to do it on your own or would prefer to receive personalised support, I’d be happy to help!