Do you find yourself craving another breakfast treat after your morning Danish? Do you grab a candy bar to cope with your afternoon slump — and then reach for a cola to get out of your post-slump slump?
If you’ve found that munching sugary snacks just makes you crave more sugary snacks, you’re not alone. Eating lots of simple carbohydrates — without the backup of proteins or fats — can quickly satisfy hunger and give your body a short-term energy boost, but they almost as quickly leave you famished again and craving more.
How do you stop sugar cravings? Here’s expert advice.
Why do we eat sugar?
There are many reasons we choose sweets.
This may explain why some people have a hardwired appetite. “Sweet is the first taste humans prefer from birth,” says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, a dietitian, and American Dietetic Association (ADA) spokeswoman.
Carbohydrates increase the brain chemical serotonin, which is a feel-good neurochemical.
Sugar is a carbohydrate. However, carbohydrates are also available in other forms such as whole grains and fruits.
The taste of sugar also releases endorphins that calm and relax us, and offer a natural “high,” says Susan Moores, MS, RD, a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant in St. Paul, Minn.
Sweets taste great! Sweet treats can increase our desire for sweets, which can lead to even greater cravings.
With all that going for it, why wouldn’t we crave sugar?
The problem comes not when we indulge in a sweet treat now and then, but when we over-consume, something that’s easy to do when sugar is added to many processed foods, including bread, yogurt, juices, and sauces.
Americans overconsume added sugars, with an average of 22 teaspoons per day of sugary beverages, according to the American Heart Association. They recommend limiting added sugars to 6 teaspoons for women and 9 teaspoons for men.
8 Tips to Apply Right Now
If you’re craving sugar, here are some ways to tame those cravings.
- Take a break. Eat a bit of what you’re craving, maybe a small cookie or a fun-size candy bar, suggests Kerry Neville, MS, RD, a registered dietitian, and ADA spokeswoman. It can be a great way to avoid feeling deprived. Neville recommends that you keep to a 150-calorie intake.
- Combine foods.It doesn’t matter if you don’t feel like stopping at a candy bar or cookie. You can still get your sugar fix and fill up on the rest of your cravings. “I like combining the craving food with a healthful one,” Neville says. “I love chocolate, for example, so sometimes I’ll dip a banana in chocolate sauce and that gives me what I’m craving, or I mix some almonds with chocolate chips.” As a beneficial bonus, you’ll satisfy a craving and get healthy nutrients from those good-for-you foods.
- Take a cold turkey. Cutting out all simple sugars works for some people, although “the initial 48 to 72 hours are tough,” Gerbstadt says. Some people find that cold-turkey helps to reduce their sugar cravings after a few weeks. Others find that their sweet tooths can be trained to accept less sugar.
- Get some gum.A stick of gum can help you avoid succumbing completely to a sugar craving, according to Dave Grotto, RD and LDN, nutrition advisor. “Research has shown that chewing gum can reduce food cravings,” Grotto says.
- Reach out for the fruit.Keep some fruit on hand for those sugar cravings. You’ll get fiber and nutrients along with some sweetness. Judy Chambers, LCSW CAS, a certified addiction specialist, suggests that you make sure to stock up on food like nuts, seeds and dried fruits. “Have them handy so you reach for them instead of reaching for the old [sugary] something.”
- Get up and get moving If you feel the need to sugar, get out of your way. “Take a walk around the block or [do] something to change the scenery,” to take your mind off the food you’re craving, Neville suggests.
- Choose quality over quantity. “If you need a sugar splurge, pick a wonderful, decadent sugary food,” Moores says. It’s important to keep the portions small. For example, choose a perfect dark chocolate truffle instead of a king-sized candy bar, then “savor every bite — slowly,” Moores says. Grotto agrees. “Don’t swear off favorites — you’ll only come back for greater portions. You can eat small portions of the diet, but you should be more focused on eating less sugary foods. [healthier] options.”
- Eat frequently. Moores warns that waiting too long between meals can lead to a craving for sugary or fatty foods. Instead, eating every three to five hours can help keep blood sugar stable and help you “avoid irrational eating behavior,” Grotto says. Your best bets? “Choose protein, fiber-rich foods like whole grains and produce,” Moores says.
- But won’t eating more often mean overeating? Not if you follow Neville’s advice to break up your meals. For instance, have part of your breakfast — a slice of toast with peanut butter, perhaps — and save some yogurt for a mid-morning snack. “Break up lunch the same way to help avoid a mid-afternoon slump,” Neville says.
5 Tips to Stay Long-Term
The best way to curb sugar cravings is to stop them from beginning.
Here are some ways you can achieve this:
- Skip artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners may sound like a great idea, but “they don’t lessen cravings for sugar and haven’t demonstrated a positive effect on our obesity epidemic,” says Grotto, author of 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life.
- Reward yourself You can successfully manage sugar cravings. You could get a small or large reward. Remember why you’re working on it and then reward yourself for each successful step.
- Slow down. For one week, focus on your sugar cravings and think about what you’re eating, suggests Chambers. Lack of planning is often the cause of diet chaos. So slow down, plan, “and eat what you intend to eat, instead of eating when you’re desperate,” Chambers says.
- Get support. Many people turn to sweet foods when they’re stressed, depressed, or angry. But food doesn’t solve emotional issues. It is important to think about whether sugar cravings are caused emotionally. If so, you might need support to find other solutions.
- Mix it up. It is possible to use more than one strategy in order to curb sugar cravings. You may be successful with one strategy for one week, but another week requires a different approach. What’s important is to “have a ‘bag of tricks to try,” Gerbstadt tells WebMD. To tame sugar cravings, you really need to “figure out what works for you,” Neville says.
Don’t be hard on yourself. It might take time to control your sugar cravings. “It’s difficult to shift any system — whether it’s the world economy or your eating,” Chambers says.
Sharing is caring
