One of my biggest challenges, not only with my own personal goals, but also with many clients, is to get to the bottom of the age old obscurity of sugar cravings. It’s not rocket science, right? Just don’t eat it ! Right? But oh we all know it, and live it day after day, it is just not that simple.  Why? Because the physiological response to sugar is like an addiction. Sugar temporarily elevates the levels of various neurotransmitters and endorphins. The “feel good” chemicals, serotonin and dopamine are released when sugar is metabolized, giving a sense of pleasure.  Sugar cravings therefore, are best explained as an addiction to endorphins which is a reaction similar to the high of a drug addict.

So is this addiction a serious or dangerous for that matter?  The answer is both yes and no. Our bodies do need sugar. The required fuel for the brain, is in fact glucose.  The metabolism can thus effectively metabolize what we eat and provide the energy source required thereof.  The key phrase here is “amount required.” The danger takes effect when the amount of sugar that is consumed is way more than required for the optimal source of energy. Furthermore, sugar that is refined has no nutritional value resulting in empty calories. Calorie dense yet nutrient free foods if make up most of ones diet, will lead to an array of health problems from overweight and obesity to diabetes and cardiovascular disease, just to name a few.

As noted, sugar is used an energy fuel which is needed by the brain. The down side is that it causes blood sugar to rise, and as quickly as it rises, it plummets back down, resulting in the physiological need for more sugar to get it back up, and the vicious cycle of craving sugar begins. It is like a rollercoaster set in motion, swinging from hyper to hypoglycemic reactions (a pendulum of high to low blood sugar levels). This is the body’s homeostatic response to stable blood sugar, in other words, trying to keep the body in balance. Unfortunately the physiological overcompensation is what causes our uncontollable cravings.

This does not mean to say that you should be on a low carbohydrate plan to avoid cravings, in fact, it is quite the opposite. For one thing, it has already been stated that the required fuel for the brain is carbohydrates in the form of glycogen, so avoidance of carbs is unhealthy in itself. It is it the amount of carbs that is relevant, as well as the type of carbohydrates eaten, that will reduce sugar cravings.

Trying to cut calories by reducing carbohydrates tends to increase sugar cravings.  Sugar substitutes like Splenda and sugar alcohols are use by manufacturers to enable them to market lower sugar or lower net carbs on the label seemingly offering a more attractive product for dieters. Be wary – firstly the jury is still out on the long term safety of these substitutes. And secondly, sugar alcohols have been found to actually have a negative effect on blood sugars. We are then back to square one; the pendulum swing in blood sugar in a day is what leads to the vicious cycle of cravings, trying to satisfy them with foods that trigger and result in more cravings.  In other words, sweet things make you want to eat more sweet things, and although artificial sweeteners are calorie free, they are not helping with reduction in cravings whatsoever. Furthermore, sugar alcohols have a tendency to cause gastrointestinal distress in that they induce diarrhea and flatulence.

Net carbs is also a marketing “con” so to speak. Supposedly, net carbs, a term coined by Atkins Nutritionals, is defined as the net value of carbs once fiber has been removed. According to the Food and Drug Administration, there is no such value: carbohydrates are carbohydrates, whether they are made up of refined sugar, starch or fiber, and every gram of carb has four calories.  So do not let low carbohydrates fool you in your endeavour to reduce cravings. Manufacturers have simply replaced regular carbs with sugar alcohols and sweeteners.

Craving sweets is often an indication of a deficiency in certain nutrients. Chromium, carbon, phosphorus, sulphur and tryptophan are often the culprits and eating a rainbow of color is a simple solution.  Broccoli, grapes, legumes and chicken (chromium), Fresh fruit (carbon), fish, eggs, legumes and chicken (phosphorous), cranberries, cauliflower, kale and cabbage (sulphur) and turkey, liver, lamb, sweet potato and spinach (tryptophan).

One last point on preventing the energy swing which is the main culprit of sugar cravings has to do with timing of intake. Waiting too long to eat or grazing all day (not waiting long enough to eat) has a similar effect to that hyper and hypoglycemic response mentioned earlier. It is during the steep peaks and valleys in energy that one feels lethargic and emotional. At these times the physiological response is to eat sweet things. Furthermore, we justify allowing ourselves to eat the treats and sweets that stimulate a pleasurable response, with stress and emotions (as if we deserve the pleasure). This only leads to guilt and depression. Evening out the peaks and valleys is the solution to curb those debilitating cravings.

In summary, the details thus far reflect on the amount of carbs, sources of carbs and timing of meals in combination as a solution for erasing sugar cravings. Practically worded, eat fresh fruits to satisfy a sweet tooth, get the refined sugars out of the body to aid in stable blood sugars,  avoid high sugar or processed products, like candy, soda, fruit drinks, pastries, etc., replace the “processed” products with foods that come from the earth (grains, legumes, potatoes)  and avoid artificial sweeteners. Make sure you get a rainbow of color in your daily intake. All the colors found in fruits and vegetables represent the vital vitamins and minerals that if lacking, will stimulate cravings.