How to Combat Constant Sugar Cravings
Who hasn't experienced it? Suddenly you get a craving for something sweet, usually in the evening or directly after eating. We find it hard to resist. This feeling of hunger is particularly unpleasant if you are on a diet. So where does this craving for sweets actually come from? Does it have any special significance? And most importantly: what can you do about it? We answer your questions.
Why does the body crave sweets? The causes of sugar cravings
Sugar is a fast and essential source of energy. When the body detects an emergency, such as low blood sugar or stress, it craves something sweet to generate new energy directly. Habits such as a dessert after dinner also trigger a craving for sweets. However, the most common cause of a craving for sweets are the fluctuations in blood sugar levels caused by eating sugary foods.
If you eat a lot of sugary foods, your blood sugar level rises sharply. The body reacts to this by increasing insulin production. This hormone is produced by the pancreas and not only regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, but also the absorption of sugar into the body's cells. A lot of insulin in the blood therefore causes a rapid drop in blood sugar levels. The body registers hypoglycaemia and sounds the alarm – with a craving for sugar.
Since low blood sugar is not the only cause, but stress, lack of sleep and simple habits can also trigger sugar cravings, it is important to observe your body and behaviour closely. Try to find out in which situations in your everyday life you feel a craving for sweets. This will help you to stop the craving.
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Sugar cravings due to stress
If you are constantly tense and can hardly find any peace, you crave sweets. But how does that happen? Sugar has a positive effect on the reward system and emotion regulation in the brain. [$2] When you are stressed, your body tries to compensate for the high stress level with more energy and positive emotions. You suddenly crave sweets because the body wants to use the sugar to provide more energy and trigger a feeling of happiness in the brain. You quickly fall into the trap of comfort eating. Thus, stress intensifies your urge to eat and can therefore also affect your weight. [$3]
The same applies to lack of sleep. Lack of sleep leads to sugar cravings and thus to more eating, as lack of sleep has a negative effect on the hormonal regulation of hunger and satiety.[$4],[$5] This usually happens in the evening after eating. However, food intake often exceeds the actual need, which means that you eat more than you actually need. Therefore, you should avoid lack of sleep, stress, pressure and other psychological stress as much as possible. This also applies when you are on a diet. If you put too much pressure on yourself with your goals, you can end up achieving exactly the opposite and only get more sugar cravings.
Sugar cravings during your diet
If you are currently on a diet, the craving for sweets is particularly difficult to bear. The annoying thing is that your new eating habits are the trigger for the craving. If you eat less of a certain food or, for example, carbohydrates, the craving for it increases. Therefore, try to start your diet slowly and not give up anything immediately. It is much more difficult to change your diet radically than to change it step by step - ideally with adequate, but low-calorie alternatives. The probability of falling back into old behavioural patterns is much lower and the sugar craving also decreases. You will then also feel less and less need for sugar.
To curb your sugar craving during a diet, you can use various foods to curb your cravings. These include fruits, vegetables, nuts and other healthy snacks. If your craving for chocolate is stronger than your will, choose dark chocolate. This contains significantly more cocoa and less sugar than milk chocolate. Since cocoa is a natural mood enhancer, you can also use it to positively influence emotion regulation in the brain. Due to the intense cocoa flavour and the lower sugar content, dark chocolate can satisfy your sugar craving faster. [$7]
Constant sugar craving after eating
You have just eaten and are actually full, but you still crave something sweet? This can happen often and for various reasons. One reason for this can be the typical cause of sugar cravings: a rapid drop in your blood sugar level. For example, if you have eaten a lot of carbohydrates and sugary foods, your blood sugar level rises, which leads to increased insulin production and subsequent hypoglycaemia. The sugar craving then strikes directly after the meal.
On the other hand, specific sensory satiety can also lead to a craving for sweets, because full is not always full. For example, if you have just eaten a hearty plate of pasta, your hunger for something savoury is satisfied, but your craving for something sweet is not. This means that a slight aversion develops to what you have just eaten. This process is called "psychological satiety". Other tastes are not affected by this and the desire for them increases.
Specific sensory satiety is actually a protective mechanism of the body to prevent a monotonous diet. It is intended to ensure that the diet is varied and that there is no nutrient deficiency. In today's world, where there is sufficient food available, this protective mechanism can, however, have rather negative consequences [$8] - namely cravings. This also explains why you suddenly crave sweets after eating something salty and vice versa. This means that you consume far more calories than necessary.
Sugar craving out of habit
The most elusive cause of sugar cravings is habit. This factor cannot be measured by blood sugar levels, satiety of a certain taste or hormonal changes. Try to recognise this phenomenon yourself, as habits vary. An example is a dessert with dinner. If you always eat something sweet after dinner, your body can get used to it and crave sweets as soon as you have finished your main course. The same applies to snacking in the evening on the sofa in front of the TV. If you always do this, it can become a habit and your body can get used to eating something sweet as soon as you sit on the sofa. Cravings for salty food can develop just as easily if you enjoy a few crisps at the end of the day.
The danger of a sugar craving out of habit does not only lurk at home. Such situations can also occur in the office or on the way home. For example, if you always treat yourself to a small chocolate bar between breakfast and lunch, or with your second coffee in the afternoon at work, your body can remember this. The same applies if you always stop by the snack bar on your way home to shorten the waiting time for the next meal. These are all simple habits that have a great influence on your sugar craving.
Tips to reduce sugar cravings
With these tips to combat sugar cravings, you will know exactly what you can do in the future to satisfy or even prevent your cravings.
1. Protein-rich diet
If you eat a lot of protein, especially at breakfast, you can avoid sugar cravings. [$9] The high protein content keeps you fuller for longer [$10] and has little effect on your blood sugar level [$11]. This means that there are no major fluctuations that give you sugar cravings. Try our MORE PROTEIN protein powder and prepare a delicious, protein-rich breakfast.
2. Drink enough
Drink enough water throughout the day. This keeps you hydrated and prevents you from having an empty stomach, as hunger can quickly turn into a craving for sweets. The next time you feel a sweet craving, try to curb it with a cup of unsweetened tea. Peppermint tea, for example, tastes delicious and makes you feel like you've eaten something sweet. If tea is not your thing, you can also opt for a cup of coffee. The caffeine it contains influences calorie absorption [$12], which means that you eat less after drinking coffee. Do you want to benefit from the caffeine effect, but still drink something sweet? Then try our sugar-free Synergy Energy Drink, for example in the refreshing Iced Tea Peach flavour.
3. Distraction
As soon as you feel a sugar craving, try to do something different. Go for a walk, call friends or tidy up your things a bit. You will quickly forget your sugar craving. A study even found that playing Tetris on your smartphone can stop various types of cravings, including sugar cravings. Three minutes of playing is enough for this. [$13] Have fun gaming to combat your cravings!
4. Sport
No, you don't have to do an intensive workout that completely exhausts you to curb your sugar craving. On the contrary, an intensive workout will only increase your hunger, as you consume a lot of energy. Go outside at a brisk pace or do some light bodyweight exercises. The short physical activity is sufficient to prevent you from snacking. Studies have shown that after a 15-minute walk at work, you only eat half the chocolate you would have eaten without exercise. [$14] So if you crave a chocolate bar or other sweet treat, whether at home or in the office, you can try to curb your sugar craving by getting some fresh air.
5. Avoid hunger
The hungrier you are, the greater the temptation to grab quick energy sources like sugar. It then becomes difficult to resist the craving for sweets. Eat enough and regularly, so that your hunger does not make you reach for sweets. If you always have a healthy snack at hand, you are prepared for sudden cravings.
6. Replace sugar with sweeteners
Another tip to combat sugar cravings is to opt for sweets that do not contain sugar, but are sweetened with sweeteners. Sweeteners do not affect blood sugar levels [$15], so they can prevent further cravings and provide a delicious, sweet taste that you can use to satisfy your sweet tooth. Our CHUNKY FLAVOR flavour powder is ideal for sweetening your meals and drinks. The different flavours provide a lot of variety on your menu. It contains less than 1 gram of sugar per serving and still tastes pleasantly sweet.
7. Brush your teeth
This may sound strange at first, but this trick is your secret weapon against sugar cravings. You probably still remember how food tastes right after brushing your teeth. Indeed, not so good. By the time the taste of the toothpaste has disappeared, you will have overcome the sugar craving in the best case.
8. Healthy lifestyle
When fighting sugar cravings, it is very important to take good care of your body and your well-being. Get enough sleep, avoid stress, eat healthy and balanced, and do things that make you happy. This can nip many sugar cravings in the bud. If you do get a craving for sweets , choose sweet fruits. Dried fruits are also the perfect snack to satisfy cravings on the go. But beware: fruit also contains sugar, so don't overdo it!
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