Sugar cravings and addiction is something many people struggle with. Addiction to sugar often begins at a very young age due to the Standard American Diet (SAD) of processed foods. You may have heard of a sugar addiction being compared to a drug addiction (cocaine or heroin) --Well, there is truth to that because sugar stimulates the pleasure/reward centers in our brain through the neurotransmitter dopamine in the exact way these other drugs do. (You can read a study here) Feeling short term pleasure from consuming sugar is a primal reaction. However, eating sugar doesn’t trigger the normal satiation cues in our body which leads to cravings and thus, binging. So...sugar makes you want more sugar!

It makes sense as to why it can feel impossible to have just one piece of candy.

Unfortunately sugar is hiding in most packaged foods. Even the packaged foods we are ‘sure’ are healthy.. you’ll even find it in the ingredient list of some of our beloved Kale chips. Overconsumption of sugar can lead to many physical and mental health issues. Here’s a list of some of the imbalances sugar is linked to.

Sugar can:

Increase anxiety, irritability and even depression
Suppress your immune system
Cause mineral imbalances
Stress liver, kidneys, and heart
Cause inflammation
Promote aging
Disrupt sleep
Can cause hormonal imbalance
Cause tooth decay
Lead to diabetes
Increase fat storage
Feeds the ‘bad’ bacteria in our gut which causes a wide variety of GI issues including malabsorption

I hope this list gives you some inspiration to start reducing your sugar intake today!

5 TIPS to BEAT your next sugar craving:

1. Eat/drink minerals - sea salt or bone broth

2. Drink licorice root tea- satisfies craving with the natural sweet taste

3. L Glutamine - this amino acid helps with sugar cravings and gut health

4. Brush your teeth after your meal - to signal to your body you are done eating

5. Move your body - to increase blood flow and oxygen to your brain (breathe deeply, shift your energy, go for a 5 min walk, do 10 jumping jacks)

Ways to AVOID sugar cravings:

Reduce consumption of processed packaged foods - replace with whole foods for a wide variety of nutrients
Eat a protein rich breakfast - the amino acids will support production of neurotransmitters
Increase healthy fats - your body will use fat as fuel instead of sugar
Eat fermented foods - try sauerkraut and fermented veggies to feed your beneficial gut bacteria
Eat more fiber - veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes! (ideally 30-50 grams per day) fiber slows the absorption of carbohydrates and stabilizes blood sugar