7 Ways to Cut Those Frustrating Sugar Cravings

By Linda L. Prout

It starts with a chocolate kiss from the candy bowl.  The next thing you know, you’ve got your hands on a bag of M&M’s while plotting a late night with Ben & Jerry’s.

According to a research study at the University of Bordeaux, it was discovered that sugar is more addictive than cocaine.   As you sip your white chocolate mocha, your brain is busy releasing dopamine and opiates, highly addictive pleasure chemicals that trigger urges for more.

We assume a diet of chocolates and soda will keep us happy. Sinking your teeth into a donut does provide momentary pleasure, however, sweets can ultimately leave us depressed and anxious.  Research in 2002 looked at diet in six countries and found the higher the sugar intake, the more depression. It’s worse if your sugary drink is made with fructose, the cheapest version of sugar.

We know sugar’s downside.  It packs on pounds, fuels pain, erodes teeth and drives up the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

And yet the average American enjoys 130 pounds of sugar per year because saying no is not always easy.  A Princeton study found rats suffer withdrawal symptoms when their sugary foods are removed.  The good news is that Eastern wisdom and Western science offer us strategies for curbing our brain’s message and body urges to hunt down sugar.

How to Cut Your Sugar Cravings

1. Have a savory breakfast. This means eggs, turkey sausage or oatmeal.  As soon as you sprinkle brown sugar on your oatmeal or slather jam that has added sugar onto toast, you’ve launched your next sugar binge.
2. Eat cooked leafy greens. Steamed broccoli, grilled asparagus, sautéed spinach, and other greens boost energy and provide anti-sugar craving minerals like magnesium. The slightly bitter taste of greens also thwarts sugar urges.
3. Avoid artificial sweeteners. Studies show diet sodas stimulate cravings for real sugar while packing fat on faster than their sugary counterparts.
4. Get sunlight on your skin. Vitamin D helps us produce serotonin, a feel-good hormone that controls our desire for sweets.
5. Eat fat. Beneficial fats — from nuts, avocado, wild salmon and small amounts of olive oil — help stabilize blood sugar, preventing hunger, while stimulating hormones that keep us from feeling anxious and depressed.
6. Eat protein at each meal. Lean protein helps stimulate energy and mood-boosting neurochemicals, curbing a desire for sugar. Try incorporating fish and eggs a couple of times per week, along with daily helpings of legumes.
7. Sleep 8 hours.   Lack of sleep stimulates ghrelin, a chemical that makes you crave sugar, and suppresses leptin, a chemical that tells you to stop eating. That makes the perfect storm for a sugar binge.

Although it can be challenging, licking the sugar habit comes with big rewards: a flatter belly, thinner thighs, more energy, better skin, and fewer doctor visits.

About the Author
Linda L. Prout, MS, is a nutritionist, speaker, and author of Live in the Balance, The Ground-Breaking East-West Nutrition Program. She has been a nutrition consultant for more than 25 years including at the Claremont Resort and Spa in Berkeley, CA and the Six Senses Spa in Turkey. Her East-West nutrition philosophy influences her nutrition plans and presentations for individuals and organizations around the world via email and Skype. www.lindaprout.com

How to Cut Your Sugar Cravings – Sources
University of Bordeaux, Psychology Today, and Scientific American