Sweet sensation: how to manage sugar cravings
I’m seeing a number of women in clinic currently complaining about craving sugar. Stress, fatigue and boredom are making it easy to seek solace in sweets and high sugar foods.
Why do we need to be mindful of our sugar intake?
Firstly, it’s important to recognise that not all sugar is bad. In fact, glucose – one of the building blocks of sucrose (ie. table sugar) – is your body and your brain’s preferred energy source.
It’s also important to recognise that sugar tastes good (it’s ok to eat for pleasure!) and it’s absolutely fine to include in your diet in moderate amounts.
Where it becomes potentially problematic is when we start to include large quantities, especially when it comes to ‘added sugars’. Excess sugar in the diet over a sustained amount of time can lead to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Current guidelines advise no more than 30g of added sugar a day. This is the equivalent of 30g (or about 6 teaspoons). For many of us this is much less than we’re currently consuming. In fact according to the most recent National Diet and Nutrition survey, UK adult women are consuming around 50g (for men it’s 64.3g).
Added sugars are the sugars that we add to food - ie. in cakes, tea, yoghurt and processed meals - as well as those found in syrups (agave, date, maple), honey, dressings, smoothies and juices. And, by the way, your body deals with coconut sugar in just the way it does with white granulated table sugar, so don’t believe the hype around ‘unrefined’ sugars.
Where sugar is tackled differently is in fruit. The sugar in fruit (fructose) is bound up in the cells of the fruit and also comes with fibre which slows down the rate of absorption into your bloodstream.
Added to this there are of course other vitamins and minerals which are key for health and wellbeing, which is why it’s not advisable to remove fruit from your diet (with the exception of a few chronic conditions).
Cravings
From a physiological perspective, sugar provides immediate energy so it’s important for brain clarity and to remain productive throughout the day. But too much isn’t great for us.
Most of us will find ourselves reaching for chocolate or the biscuit barrel when we’re feeling low simply because high sugar (usually paired with high fat) foods are exceptionally palatable and who doesn’t want to eat something that tastes delicious?
Sugar also releases dopamine and serotonin receptors, which means when we eat a doughnut for example we get a rush of dopamine which makes us feel good and serotonin which makes us feel happy.
Other reasons you might get cravings are:
Hormones. Some women find that when oestrogen levels dip just before their period, they can experience sugar cravings.
Not eating enough. If you’re restricting your food intake you may find your body looking for quick fix energy dense foods such as high sugar items.
Habit. We often get into the habit of consuming high sugar foods at specific times of the day (elevensies!) or during certain events (watching a movie or talking on the phone).
Tips for reducing sugar intake
Balanced meals. Protein, fats, complex carbs and fibre are essential for stabilising blood sugar levels and keeping cravings in check.
Slowly does it. Reduce intake bit by bit, replacing with sweetness from things like berries and cinnamon.
Eat mindfully. Slowing down when you eat and really noticing the sweetness of your food helps to curb overeating. Try it with a small piece of chocolate, really taking the time to focus on the texture, taste and sensation it gives in your mouth.
Reduce stress. Make a list of non-food related methods to call on in times of stress - going for a walk, listening to a podcast and reading in the bath are my go-to de-stressors.
Get enough sleep. Studies show that a lack of sleep leads to increased hunger and a propensity to make poor food choices the best day.
Drink water. Cut down on fizzy drinks by adding natural flavours to water - mint, cucumber, berries, ginger, lime and lemon all work really well.
Reduce artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners can be useful as a sugar substitute, however, there may be evidence to suggest large amounts impact the health of your gut microbiome.
Spice up your life. Some research points to spices such as cinnamon, turmeric and ginger helping to stabilise blood sugar levels, thereby reducing sugar cravings. Worth including in your diet in the form of teas and adding to meals.
There’s considerable interest in chromium picolinate to help treat insulin resistance, promote weight loss and lessen carb cravings but research is inconclusive.
Hold your horses. Don’t expect overnight results. It takes an average of 66 days time to break a habit.