9 Reasons Why We Crave Sugar And How To Beat The Cravings.
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Our society is surrounded by sugary goodness, most of us have a sugar addiction and don’t even realize it.
If you’re anything like me, sugar is woven into your earliest memories. Every aspect of growing up is surrounded by sugar snacks.
• Birthdays and weddings mean cake
• Skinned knee or broken heart, eat some ice cream
• Spring is chocolate eggs
• Summertime is a cooling iceblock
• Halloween equals bags of candy
• Thanksgiving, pie, pie, and more pie
• Christmas is the season of cookies/fudge/cheesecake/trifle and all of the above.
Whatever the family tradition, the many holiday season is basically a glutton’s paradise.
Did you know that you are probably consuming about a ¼ cup or MORE of sugar every day? That may not seem like a small amount, but it adds up quickly.
9 Reasons Why We Crave Sugar And How To Beat The Cravings.
First,
Why Do We Crave Sugar?
There are many reasons why we go for sweet things.
Carbohydrates stimulate the release of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin. Sugar is a carbohydrate, but carbohydrates come in many forms, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, which have fiber and nutrients your body needs.
The carbohydrates we choose make all the difference.
Some carbohydrates stimulate more sugar cravings while others help reduce the sugar cravings. I will talk more about these differences later.
The taste of sugar also releases endorphins that offer a natural feel-good “high,”
Sweets just taste good, too.
And that preference gets reinforced when you reward yourself with sweet treats, which can make you crave it even more. 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 overdo it and constantly feed our sugar cravings. This is easy to do when sugar is added to many processed foods, including bread, yogurt, juices, and sauces.
The American Heart Association’s (AHA) recommended daily sugar intake is 36 grams for men and 25 grams for women. (6 teaspoons) per day. And children ages two to 18 should limit their added sugar consumption to less than six teaspoons (25 grams) per day
But I know many women and children who are consuming far more than the 6 teaspoons a day.
The average American adult consumes 77 grams of sugar per day. 3x more than recommended. This adds up to around 60 pounds of added sugar annually. And it’s much worse for our children. American kids consume 81 grams per day, equalling over 65 pounds of added sugar per year.
What’s So Bad About The White Sugary Stuff?
Since it is so ingrained into the fabric of most cultures around the world, it is hard to think of life without sugar. That is until you begin to realize what sugar does to your body…This I had to find out the hard way.
High Intake Of Sugar Can Cause Weight Gain. Rates of obesity are rising worldwide and added sugar, especially from sugar-sweetened beverages, is thought to be one of the main culprits. A high-sugar diet may lead to obesity and insulin resistance, both of which are risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
High-sugar Diets Have Been Associated With An Increased Risk Of Many Diseases, including heart disease, the number one cause of death worldwide
Sugar Can Mess With Your Immune System. Since bacteria and yeast feed on sugar, causing them to grow, illness and infection soon follow. Eating excessive amounts of sugar may increase your risk of developing certain cancers.
Sugar Can Accelerate The Skin Aging Process. Wrinkles are a natural sign of aging. They appear eventually, regardless of your health. However, poor food choices can worsen wrinkles and speed the skin aging process.
When Your Body Has High Levels Of Glucose It Will Produce More Insulin. Insulin inhibits the release of the hormone leptin, which is an important hormone that tells your stomach when it’s full. The higher your insulin levels, the more you want to eat…
This is a vicious cycle, one that millions of other people can willingly participate in on a daily basis.
Why Do We Crave Sugar And How To Beat The Cravings?
Our bodies are complex and yet sophisticated, you may have one or many of the below reasons WHY you are experiencing sugar cravings and sugar addictions.
Here are 9 Reasons Why We Crave Sugar And How To Beat The Sugar Cravings
Our Food Manufactures.
Unfortunately, we’ve been living in a lie produced by the food manufacturers for the past few decades and we are now seeing the true effects of this lie. We have become the most unhealthy, obese humans that have ever lived.
This is not our genetics at fault this is the big food companies influencing our education system, media, and advertising.
Here are some of the lies we have been exposed to:
Fat is BAD…eat a low-fat diet for good health.
Eat lean protein only.
Eat Low Fat labeled Products to lose weight.
For good health consume 6-11 servings of bread, pasta, cereal, and rice, plus 2-4 servings of fruit per day.
Reduce calories to lose weight.
Monitor your calorie intake daily.
Exercise more, and eat less to lose weight.
Have you been following any of these principles?…
2. Nutritional Deficiencies Can Cause Sugar Cravings.
Did you know that the foods you crave are often associated with an indication of nutritional deficiencies?
According to many health experts, food cravings in some cases may be a sign that you have deficiencies in certain minerals such as zinc, chromium, iron, calcium, and magnesium may lead to sugar cravings
Our body is complex and amazing. If we are prepared to listen our body is telling us a lot. When something is missing in our diet it may show up in different ways for example. Thirst is the first sign of dehydration. Tiredness and fatigue show when you might not be getting enough sleep, or vitamin B12.
If you’re constantly craving sweets, get more magnesium, chromium, and tryptophan in your diet.
These nutrients are found in whole, natural foods, such as broccoli, dried beans, liver, eggs, poultry, and legumes, just to mention a few or you can get them via a quality natural supplement.
Are you craving bread? This may indicate a nitrogen deficiency, so instead of reaching for that next loaf of bread try eating more fish, meat, and beans. Craving fatty foods may mean you are not eating enough calcium; this mineral can be found in dairy and greens.
Are you chewing ice…yes this is a thing! You may be iron deficient. Red meat cravings are similar and caused by iron deficiency, to fight these cravings eat more leafy greens, black cherries, fish, and chicken, and have some red meat.
Our body is a sophisticated and complex system and these cravings are error messages that need to be actioned on to get us back to full working order. Don’t ignore these warning signs.
Learn to Listen to it.
The best support I found for preventing deficiencies is supplementing with natural
Our Adrenal glands can have a massive effect on our sugar cravings. If we keep going without enough rest, we can exhaust the Adrenal Glands and this leads to constant fatigue and uncontrolled eating. Adrenal glands produce hormones that help regulate your metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, response to stress, and other essential functions.
As mentioned before many sugar cravings stem from a blood sugar imbalance. When your body ingests sugar, your blood sugar spikes, and your body releases insulin to lower it to a safer level.
If the insulin brings your blood sugar level a bit too low, as often happens, your body craves foods that will raise it. And the ‘Roll A Coaster’ ride of sugar Cravings continues.
Other effects of excess sugar on our hormones are:
4. Stress
When we are stressed, Cortisol is released and this stimulates sugar cravings, and sugar causes dopamine to be released – which is why we turn to sweet things when stressed. However, sugar makes the dopamine receptors in your brain less effective, so you crave more. And the cycle continues.
Another reason to manage your stress levels is that when we are stressed the hormone ghrelin (the hunger hormone), which controls appetite, is released when people are stressed.
5. Sleep
Try to get seven to eight hours of sleep because lack of sleep causes the hunger-stimulating hormone ghrelin to increase, which causes you to eat more sweets and sugary treats.
6. Menstrual Cycle
You are not going mad…yes! The cravings are real.
The sugar cravings are usually down to changes in our hormones. Before our periods begin there is a drop in the hormone progesterone and a rise in estrogen, which can cause blood sugar levels to drop. When blood sugar levels drop the brain sends signals to replenish sugar, and therefore cravings occur.
7. Not Drinking Enough Water
Dehydration can also derail you. Dehydration is probably the most common cause of sugar cravings. … A lack of fluid intake can make it more difficult for the body to metabolize glycogen (stored glucose) for energy, so our bodies crave sugar to provide us with a quick source of energy when we actually just need to drink a little more water.
I cover this topic in more detail in upcoming modules.
8. Boredom.
The after-dinner cravings. A lot of the time, cravings can be caused by boredom, anxiety, or other emotions. When you feel a craving for something sweet, find an activity that will distract you and take your mind off of food.
9. Conditioning and Behaviours
What you eat — along with when, why, and how much you eat can be because of behavior patterns.
What you crave can be the result of classical conditioning: behaviors you’ve adopted over time because they feel rewarding.
In short, you may crave sugar because your mind and body have been trained to crave it.
An intense craving can feel a lot like a compulsion or a habit-forming experience…you may have positive or negative associations from years ago that link sugar with a pattern.
How To Beat The Sugar Cravings.
One of my favorite reason for following a Nutritional Ketosis Lifestyle is you get to reap the health and weight loss benefits while enjoying amazing flavor full meals, desserts, and treats.
You don’t feel like you are missing out on that chocolate cake, biscuit, or cheesecake….and you can Quit Sugar Cravings and reclaim your health and waistline for good.
I know this can all seem a little confusing but it doesn’t have to be. Custom Keto Meal Plan takes care of all the work for you.
Custom Keto Diet, you will get an 8-week customized meal plan designed specially by experts.
There is a panel of fitness trainers, chefs, and nutritionists making sure that the plan is designed only after taking into account your overall health, and YOUR choice of foods.
The plan includes foods you can eat and avoid. And no, it is not about eating less.
It is about eating food properly, avoiding high-sugar carbs, and sticking to healthier alternatives in your diet.
This makes your diet more delicious, and enjoyable allowing you likely to stick to it for longer.
The meal plan is customizable as per your taste. It comes with instructions that help you keep your diet in order and make it free from any sort of confusion.
There are several recipes in the Custom Keto Diet program, and each recipe that is designed comes with detailed instructions.
You can even make this food at home, with little to no chef experience. The plan also provides a list of groceries that you can easily purchase from your local stores.
You need not worry about having a limited choice in planning out meals, as there is a wide variety of plans listed in the program that you can choose from.
Get Your Custom Keto Plan Here
The Five Powerful Quit Sugar Cravings Principles
Knowledge is Powerful: The more you understand what is happening to your body the more control you have to make the necessary changes
Know Your Personal Compelling WHY. This is a powerful exercise, that will help to keep you accountable for the long term.
Re-Train Your Brain. Cravings can be driven by your brain’s need for a “reward” — not always by your body’s need for food.
Follow A Healthy LCHF Plan. Make easy delicious well designed full-flavored foods to enjoy, this will help prevent the feeling of missing out. When starting follow a prepared shopping list.
LIFESTYLE & IDENTITY: Creating a food choice lifestyle and Identity being Sugar-Free.
By following these principles, you can Quit Sugar Cravings while enjoying delicious mouth–watering meals.
“This Blog does not provide medical advice It is intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial your emergency number.
This post contains affiliate links.”
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Should you buy something resulting from one of those links, I might get a small commission for the referred product. And that is why I wrote this disclosure – to empower you to make an informed decision before clicking on an affiliate link. There should be no question that I feel comfortable with a product or service I refer to because I will only endorse products I truly believe can help empower.
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It will always be useful to read content from other authors and use something from their websites.
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Hi, I’m Leanne
"As part of my own personal health journey, I discovered what I believe to be the KEY PRINCIPLES to ignite energy, crush cravings, and achieve long-term weight loss and wellness. I hope to inspire and educate you, so you can regain your health and happiness while enjoying delicious meals and sweet treats"
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It will always be useful to read content from other authors and use something from their websites.