Ten Ways to Cut Your Sugar Cravings

If you’re constantly craving sugar, you’re not alone. Research has shown sugar can induce drug-like effects such as binging, craving, dependence, and withdrawal. In fact, studies have found sugar can be even more addictive than street drugs such as cocaine!  (1)

This is alarming, considering high sugar diets may increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity, depression, anxiety, and fatty liver. 

Although sugar cravings are often lumped with emotional eating, there are several imbalances linked with cravings for sweets. Luckily, there are also hacks that can help you ditch those sugar cravings. 

So let’s dive into what may be causing your sugar cravings and the steps you can implement to tame them!

Common Causes of Craving Sugar 

Craving sweets can happen for many biological and emotional reasons such as:

• Blood sugar imbalance

• Stress

• Gut imbalance

• Dehydration

• Lack of sleep

• Vitamin/mineral deficiencies

• Overconsumption of carbs

• Genetics

• Chronic dieting

If you’re dealing with several of these conditions, your sugar cravings can be more severe.  So let’s explore how to kick your sugar cravings to the curb.

How to Tame Your Sugar Cravings

1. Use Cinnamon

If you’re constantly craving sweets you may want to turn up the cinnamon. Cinnamon is anti-inflammatory, loaded with antioxidants, and research has shown cinnamon to reduce insulin resistance and lower blood sugar. (2, 3)  

One study even found that 6 grams of cinnamon served with rice pudding lowered blood sugar and slowed stomach emptying compared to eating plain rice pudding. (4)  

Best of all, cinnamon’s easy to incorporate into your diet. Add a dash to your smoothies, oatmeal, porridge, chia pudding, and baked goods or sip on a warm mug of cinnamon tea.

2. Choose Better Sweets

Some sugar cravings may be due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  

For example, if you’re craving chocolate, your body may be low on magnesium. Fruit cravings may be your body’s call for additional vitamins, minerals or antioxidants.

Reaching for that box of cookies won’t fix that.  But honoring those cravings with wholesome foods with natural sugars will.

Try satisfying your sweet tooth with naturally sweet foods like squash, sweet potato, beets, carrots, and fruit.  Roast up a tray of root veggies or make a batch of Carrot Fries.  Have some apple slices with almond butter or top your coconut yogurt with some fresh berries. 

And don’t feel like you must deprive yourself of sweet treats either.  Just try some healthier versions like:

• Healthy Hot Chocolate

• Date Coconut Krispie Bites

• Gingerbread Powerballs

3. Practice Better Sleep Hygiene

Research has found that lack of sleep significantly increases ghrelin, the hunger hormone. (5) Poor sleep has also been found to activate the endocannabinoid system, commonly known as what causes the marijuana “munchies.” (6) 

One study of nearly 500 women ages 20 to 76 found that poor sleep led to consuming 500-800 additional calories and more foods with added sugars, caffeine, and saturated fats. (7)

You can remedy this by practicing good sleep hygiene. If you’ve already tried several sleep strategies and are still not rested, consider supplementation.  

Many of my clients have success with Sleep Maintenance. It’s a unique combo of amino acids, minerals, vitamins, botanicals, and melatonin designed to help you snooze soundly. 

4. Take Probiotics and Eat Fermented Foods

If your gut has an overgrowth of bad bacteria or yeast, you’re more likely to crave sugar.  Indulging those sugar cravings will only deepen your dysbiosis.

So rather than feeding those bad bugs, replenish your army of good bacteria:

• Take a daily prebiotic & probiotic  (We love MegaPre & Megasporebiotic)

• Consume a few servings of fermented foods like sauerkraut, yogurt, coconut kefir, kombucha, or apple cider vinegar daily.  

Mix it up! Each fermented food yields a different array of bacterial strains. (8) So the more types of ferments you consume, the more diverse your microbiome will be. 

Same goes for fruits and vegetables- more variety feeds a variety of friendly bacterial strains.

You’ll find the more love you give your good bacteria, the less those sugar cravings will strike.

We also offer GI-MAP stool testing for gut infections for more targeted bacterial balancing.

5. Manage Stress

There’s a reason we flock to the candy shelf when we’re stressed.  Feeling stressed out causes the hormone cortisol to rise, which leads to sugar cravings. 

Why? Well, sugar increases dopamine and serotonin, the hormones that help us feel happy and relaxed (9). So reaching for that doughnut may actually be your body’s attempt to chill out. 

The higher the sugar, the greater the serotonin and dopamine boost and the greater the sugar crash. The bigger the crash, the stronger the next sugar craving.  

Squash those cravings by getting your stress in check. You can:

• Practice deep breathing

• Do some yoga

• Meditate

• Spend time in nature

• Take an Epsom salt bath

...or whatever helps you feel calm and relaxed.

6. Eat More Protein and Fat

Craving sweets is often a result of blood sugar imbalance. Eating excessive carbs, dieting, and skipping meals can all cause that dreaded blood sugar crash.  

An easy way to remedy this is to add more protein and fat into your diet. Protein and fat burn more slowly than sugar, keeping your energy level steady longer. 

Make sure you’re getting several servings of high quality protein each day from foods like:

• Grass fed beef 

• Wild caught fish 

• Organic chicken

• Quinoa 

• Beans 

• Lentils 

• Eggs

And get your fill of good quality fat with:

• Avocados 

• Extra virgin olive oil 

• Coconut oil 

• Fatty fish

• Nuts 

• Seeds

Check out my customizable “MATH” diet recommendations in this free download! 

7. Increase Your Fiber Intake

Foods with soluble and insoluble fiber not only feed your good bacteria, they stabilize the blood sugar and reduce sugar cravings. 

High fiber foods also swell in the gut helping you feel full longer. Fruits, veggies, seeds, and beans are all good sources, though some foods pack more of a fiber punch than others. 

High fiber foods to try:

• Coconut provides 7.2 grams per cup

• Artichokes yield 10.3 grams (per medium artichoke)

• Acorn squash will give you 9 grams of fiber per cup

• Avocados boast 10 grams fiber per cup (and provide a healthy serving of fat)

• Black beans contains a whopping 15 grams per cup

• Almonds provide 11.6 grams per cup 

• Chia seeds yield 10.6 grams of fiber per ounce 

• Quinoa one cup cooked give you 5.2 grams of fiber

• Flaxseed  provides 2.8 grams of fiber per tablespoon

When you increase your fiber intake, be sure you’re drinking enough water to prevent constipation. Which brings us to our next tip…

8. Drink Enough Water

Hunger is often confused with thirst. Not drinking enough water impairs your liver from releasing glycogen (stored glucose), which is a major energy source for our cells.  

So the next time you’re craving sweets, try drinking a tall glass of water instead. Aim for drinking half your bodyweight in ounces per day to keep your energy production strong. 

9. Chew Xylitol Gum

If you need a bit of sweetness or just something to distract your mouth, try chewing xylitol gum.  Xylitol has a glycemic index of 12, meaning it breaks down slowly. Compare that to white sugar’s GI of 68! 

Plus xylitol has many dental benefits including minimizing the stickiness of plaque and inhibiting the growth of bacteria that cause cavities. (10, 11)  

10. Try CoQ10

If you’ve read my previous posts, you know I’m a huge fan of CoQ10.  

Coenzyme Q10, or Ubiquinone, is an antioxidant used in the mitochondria’s production of the chemical adenosine triphosphate, also known as ATP. CoQ10 not only assists in the production of cellular energy, but also defends cells from harmful free radicals.  

Basically it helps your mitochondria balance the use and storage of energy -- so there’s no need for a sugary energy boost. 

CoQ10 supports glucose metabolism so well that it can lower your insulin needs if diabetic, so monitor carefully!

I used CoQ10 in my recovery from toxic mold, so I can personally attest that it can restore your sustained, moment-to-moment energy.  

Which is why I’m thrilled our Functional Detox Products line now carries a newly developed CoQ10 supplement. Whether your energy’s lagging from Lyme, mold, candida, parasites, or just stress, CoQ10 can replenish your energy levels -- so those sugar cravings lose their power.

Give Mi CoQ10 a Try

Our new CoQ10 supplement has been available a few short months and is already receiving rave reviews:

“I’m so grateful for Bridgit’s Mi CoQ10! It’s made a massive difference in literally 30 days.” -Mariza

“I’m not having any afternoon crashes anymore. I feel like I got half my day back!” -Linsi

“I no longer feel the need for my afternoon coffee!”  -Anonymous

If you’re looking for a safe way to get a daily energy boost I encourage you to give Mi CoQ10 a try.

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Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP, is trained in functional health coaching and has worked with thousands of women over her career since 2004. She is the founder of Women’s Wellness Collaborative llc and HormoneDetoxShop.com.

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