I don’t recommend giving up sugar cold turkey, or really at all. You might be surprised to hear a nutritionist say this, but in my experience, nearly every client I’ve worked with who attempted to completely give up sugar ended up either miserable, or over-indulging due to feeling restricted. Like I said before, sugar is more than just a thing we eat that tastes good. Sugar is how we celebrate, grieve, soothe, remember, indulge, and enjoy life. It’s how we show love. We need balance between the nutrient dense whole foods and the yummy stuff too, and it’s my belief that striking a healthy balance keeps us on track with our healthy habits. Here are some tips on how to stop sugar cravings:
Balance your blood sugar
I have another blog about this topic that you can read more in depth. For now, I’ll give you the short version. Starting your day with a quality breakfast that includes quality proteins (such as organic eggs), complex carbohydrates (like bell peppers and onion) and a healthy fat (like avocado) can set the stage for blood sugar balance and hence healthy choices throughout the day. Focusing on fueling your body with these three components at every meal will provide more balance and less cravings as your blood sugar stabilizes.
You can even purchase blood sugar testing kits or continuous glucose monitors to learn more about how foods affect your blood sugar. It can be really eye opening to see, and might just be the nudge needed to make a change in what you eat.
Get quality sleep and manage stress
Sleep is important for addressing our cravings. Quality sleep is different than quantity. You can sleep as much as you want and still not feel rested. Ensuring you get enough deep sleep and enough sleep cycles in a night is what will help you feel rested. You can set the stage for quality sleep by reducing or avoiding screen time, alcohol, caffeine, and sugar too close to bedtime, and instead having a calming nighttime routine with low-lighting and perhaps a nice cup of herbal tea. You can enhance your sleep by incorporating stress management during the day or at night such as deep breathing, a soothing bath, meditation, or something else that helps you relax. Less stress and better sleep will help you minimize your cravings for blood sugar spiking foods.
Balance your gut bacteria
Instead of feeding the bad bugs more sugar, try feeding the good bugs what they need to thrive. Probiotic supplements and/or fermented foods are great to incorporate on a daily basis. Try a forkful of fresh sauerkraut each day with dinner, or start your day with some unsweetened Greek yogurt and berries.
In addition, fiber can be helpful for supporting gut health. You can’t just supplement with probiotics and continue to eat sugary food – it doesn’t really work that way. You want to set the stage for the probiotics to be able to change the environment of your gut, so getting plenty of fruits, vegetables, and fiber in the form of flax, chia, nuts and seeds can be a great way to support good gut health.
Don’t give up the sweets
I’m not a proponent of depriving yourself, but of finding balance with all things. If you enjoy sweets, try to find a healthy balance to have them in your life in the context of a healthy diet. Try making your own desserts that use quality ingredients such as coconut oil, cacao, nuts and seeds, and experiment with alternative sweeteners like monk fruit or stevia. These desserts can in fact be very satisfying as they are more nutrient dense and tend to be richer. One dessert I really love is fresh berries topped with homemade coconut whipped cream (just get a can of full-fat coconut cream, scoop out the cream portion, and whip it with a few drops of stevia). Dark chocolate can also be a satisfying and even healthy treat.
After enjoying sweets, one tip I often provide is to go for a walk or do some movement after. This will help the body be able to process the sugar more efficiently, getting it to the muscles to burn for fuel rather than storing it away as fat.
Recognize what you use sugar for
Do you reward yourself with food? Try finding non-food rewards, such as treating yourself to a movie, getting a new pair of shoes, or spending time doing a favorite craft.
Do you use sugar to cope with or avoid difficult emotions? If so, try to find other ways to sooth your feelings so that you can separate the sweets from their emotional hold over you. For instance, after a stressful day, go for a walk, or diffuse some essential oils, or call a friend. If you’re really struggling with sugar addiction and/or binging, speaking to a therapist can be really beneficial.
Gaining control of your sugar cravings can take time and patience and may involve some investigating of the role sugar plays in your life. With the support of a nutritionist or even a group of friends for accountability, we can find a healthy balance of sugar in our lives, which will promote long-term health. If you’d like support in regaining control of your sugar cravings, set up a consult with our nutritionist!
