Five Healthy Swaps to Reduce Sugar Cravings

Whether you’re trying to clear your skin, reduce pain and inflammation in your body, sleep better at night, or simply get healthier, you might have the idea that excess sugar is getting in the way of achieving your goals. Sugar cravings are extremely common and can often be explained by simple things, like the side effects from certain foods in your diet or that reaching for that sugary snack has become a habit.

But the truth is, refined sugar contains no fiber, no minerals, no protein, no healthy fats, no enzymes, only empty calories. It suppresses our immune system, triggers mood swings, and amplifies pain and inflammation. Sugar wreaks havoc on our bodies.

Sugar cravings can be broken down into two categories: habitual and physiological. Habitual sugar cravings are real and likely will require a shift in mindset to break free from the chains of your processed sweet treats. Below I’ll share some favorite healthy swaps to help you begin the process of retraining your brain.

The physiological sugar craving is actually your body screaming to you “I need energy!” which can be translated into: “I need protein and fat!” Protein and fats slow the release of sugar into your bloodstream and when you don’t consume enough of them your blood sugar can rise and fall at an abnormal rate. The result? Your body craves quick energy from sugar. Ensuring you’re consuming protein and healthy fat, in some form, at every meal and snack, is the first step to reducing these sugar cravings.

Here are some healthy examples of protein and fat:

Protein: wild-caught seafood, pasture-raised meat, eggs, and poultry, unprocessed nuts, seeds, and legumes, and dairy (if tolerated)

Fat: wild-caught seafood, pasture-raised animal fats, egg yolks, unprocessed nuts and seeds, cold-pressed oils from nuts and seeds, avocado, and coconut

Tying this all together: when a sugar craving hits, first determine whether or not it’s habitual or physiological. If it’s the former, perhaps retrain your brain to get yourself out of that bad habit. Maybe you can walk out of the kitchen, do some jumping jacks, or reach for a crunchy carrot stick instead. If your sugar craving is physiological, that’s your body telling you to incorporate more protein and healthy fat in your diet!

Here are 5 healthy swaps to satisfy and reduce sugar cravings:

Craving:  Ice cream —> Swap for:  Banana Ice Cream (recipe)

Craving:  Pudding —> Swap for:  Avocado Chocolate Chia Pudding (recipe)

Craving:  Cookies —> Swap for:  Almond Peanut Butter Cookies (recipe)

Craving:  Brownies —> Swap for:  Black Bean Brownie (recipe)

Craving:  Cookie dough —> Swap for:  Chickpea Cookie Dough (recipe)

Courtney Hasseman is a nurse practitioner and midwife who provides integrative women’s health and gynecologic care.  Specializing in hormonal and menstrual health, Courtney can manage everything from your well-woman exam, gyn concerns, functional lab testing, personalized nutrition programs, and integrative approaches to menstrual disorders. She offers both in-person visits and online consultations based from her Historic Leesburg clinic.

SOURCES:

1.  “The Effects of Sugar on the Body and How to Stop Sugar Cravings.” Parsley Health, 2 Oct. 2019
2.  “The Science Behind Sugar Cravings.” Thorne.
3.  Effects of Sugar, Parsley Health.