Kick Those Sugar Cravings

Why Do We Crave Sugar?

Most people will enjoy and prefer the taste of sweet foods and beverages over the bitter taste of their counterparts. Consuming sugar is pleasurable,  but you may not know that it isn’t only because it tastes good. Have you ever felt bored, anxious, sad, depressed or even upset and reached for something sweet to drown out your emotions (remembering that something sweet can make us feel much better….but only temporarily)? When we consume sugars our body releases endorphins and serotonin which are the two chemicals that regulate happiness and our mood, you can think of these chemicals as the feel-good chemicals of the body. The other reason you may crave sugar is due to years of consuming sugary cereal for breakfast, soft drinks with meals, and homemade desserts after dinner which have left us with a habit of consuming sugars on a regular basis. It should be noted that if you have diabetes, you may crave sugar due to low blood sugar levels, the body will attempt to “regulate” low blood sugar back to a healthy and safe level. 

To understand where all that sugar is coming from we first need to identify the presence of sugar in our foods or drinks. The presence of the following ingredients indicated sugar is present if your food or beverage: 

- Sugar (obviously)

- Fructose

- Glucose

- Sucrose

- Dextrose

- Lactose

- Brown Sugar

- Molasses

- Honey

- Brown Sugar

- Syrup (maple, cane sugar, high-fructose and/or corn)
 

American eat about 152 pounds of sugar a year. That number seems staggering when we consider that sugar has been linked to chronic disease, obesity, and inflammation, yet on average we consume 70% more teaspoons of than recommended by the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

We drink more than a third of our sugar consumption- this includes sugary drinks, most non-diet sodas, sports drinks, sweetened ice tea, and coffee. The rest of our sugar consumption comes from Table sugar, baked goods, candy, fruit drinks, breakfast cereals, and desserts.

Sugar sneaks it’s way into foods that you would never suspect. For example: 

- Salad Dressing

- Ketchup

- Yogurt

- Beef Jerky

- Flavored Nuts

Need to Know:

Cutting sugar entirely out of your diet will be very difficult due to its natural presence in fruits and vegetables. However, here are a few tips to eliminate the excess sugar consumption:

1. Accountability partner- make sure this individual is emotionally stable and may need to have thick skin depending on you feel when craving sweets. They should keep you accountable and give you some respect.

2. Cleaning out your house- remove candy, cookies, ice cream and soft drinks from your cupboards and fridge.

3. Healthy Snakes- This may be the most important tip, keep stashes nuts, jerky and pre-cut and cleaned veggies around as much as possible. We find most of the time we eat a sweet snake it is because there wasn’t an easy and convent healthy option.

4. Eat balanced meals regularly- by eating balanced meals and healthy snacks you can eliminate many cravings.

Remember enjoying sweets now and then isn’t an issue, and treating yourself on a set interval can be helpful when trying to eliminate cravings.  However, be conscious that constant or increased consumption of sugar may lead to many medical problems.

If your cravings are increasing or are more noticeable, you may want to consult with your dietitian or local physician.