How to Curb Sugar Cravings

When we consume simple carbohydrates—think white bread, pasta, cakes, or chocolate—the body responds by releasing a hormone called insulin. This is a perfectly normal and essential function; insulin’s job is to help move sugar from the bloodstream into our cells, where it can be used for energy. However, problems begin to arise when we consume large amounts of these simple carbs in one go. The body responds with a surge of insulin, rapidly clearing the sugar from the blood.
While this might seem like a good thing at first, it often results in a sharp drop in blood sugar levels. This dip, known as reactive hypoglycaemia, can leave you feeling tired, moody, and craving more sugar—cue the next trip to the snack drawer. And so, the blood sugar rollercoaster continues.
Over time, this cycle can put significant stress on your body, contributing to energy crashes, mood swings, poor sleep, and even hormonal imbalances. The key to breaking the cycle is learning how to balance blood sugar levels more effectively throughout the day.
This is where diet and lifestyle play a powerful role. Choosing whole foods rich in fibre, protein, and healthy fats, along with incorporating natural blood sugar support, can help stabilise your energy and reduce those pesky sugar cravings. If you're struggling with blood sugar dips or gut-related symptoms, it may be time to buy gut health supplements specifically designed to support metabolic function and promote more consistent energy levels.
With the right tools and choices, you can take control of your cravings and support your body’s natural rhythm—helping you feel more energised, focused, and balanced each day.
Insulin in high amounts is something that we want to avoid as this is a hormone that likes to hold onto fat and if insulin is frequently released by the body, it will inevitably lead to weight gain.
In addition to the constant roller coaster of cravings and crashes, Sugar also lights up addictive reward pathways in the brain and long term consumption can cause a true addiction, so giving it up cold turkey without a plan can lead to failure
Steps that will kick the cravings
- Eat protein with every meal. Eat the size and thickness of your own hand (without the fingers) of protein with every meal. If you are not eating animal meat, ensure you are mixing foods to gain a complete protein from plants with every meal
- Eat fat with every meal: fat slows down absorption of the food, slowing down the release of insulin and fat makes you feel full for longer. Make sure you are including healthy fats such as avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, cream and milk, full fat cheese (if you are having dairy), walnut, avocado oil, seeds and nuts. Protein and fat will make you feel full from less food and help crowd out the carbohydrates that raise insulin
- Take zinc and glutamine. Zinc helps the body metabolise insulin and glucose and a zinc deficiency can cause sugar cravings. Glutamine is an amino acid that balances blood sugar, which can help reduce and/or stop cravings all together. REPAIR contains both zinc and glutamine in adequate dosages formulated to help with sugar cravings
- Physical or emotional stress triggers the release of hormones that can cause high blood sugar levels, and what goes up must come down and with low blood sugar comes cravings. When these cravings surge due to stress, take 5 minutes out to re-group by breathing in counting to 5 and breathing out counting to 5, going for a walk, call a friend.
- Get enough sleep as low energy and fatigue make your body crave a quick energy boost in the form of simple carbohydrates such a sweet treat or drink.
- Fibre helps you stay fuller for longer, supports detoxification and can reduce candida (candida can cause sugar cravings). Include pulses, nuts and seeds (flaxseeds are a great addition in your smoothie or on your breakfast) and lots of vegetables in every meal. FEED is high in prebiotic fibre which will support your detox and help curb those cravings.
- Drink enough water and possibly add in some electrolytes to ensure you are hydrated, the brain sometimes confuses being thirsty with being hungry. This is because your body needs water to metabolise glycogen and lack of water makes this process difficult, making your body crave sugar for a quick boost of energy. Drink at least 8-10 glasses per day of water per day in the form of sparkling water with lemon/lime/apple cider vinegar, plain water and herbal teas.
- Start training your tastebuds to like sour and bitter foods when you eat more of these foods, the sweet taste will be less appealing and you will stop craving it. Bitter foods are foods like broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, radishes and arugula, dandelion greens, cocoa, coffee, green tea. Bitter foods also help with detoxing the liver so they are a great inclusion. sour foods such as apple cider vinegar, lemon and grapefruit can increase the digestive juices helping break down foods and thereby improve the overall digestion.
Quick hacks:
- Take REPAIR and FEED in the afternoon to stop the cravings
- Clear your pantry and the drawer at works of all refined sugar foods
- Replace snacks with guacamole, pre-cooked meals or salads
- Prepare for the crisis/crash and have a plan ready in the form of healthy alternatives
- Use stevia (no calorie and no rise in blood sugar) as a sugar substitute in tea of coffee.
- Do some form of exercise: exercise will release endorphins, which can help turn off the cravings
- Have a piece of fruit; fruit is sweet and may be enough to satisfy the craving, try not to have more than 1-2 pieces of fruit per day and aim for low sugar fruit such as berries and apples
- Call someone or chat to someone in the office
- Ask yourself: am I hungry? If so eat a healthy meal
- Avoid certain triggers like walking past your favourite chocolate outlet
- Find other ways of treating yourself like watching your favourite show. (this works if your cravings are at night
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- Tags: Sugar Cravings
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