Stop Your Sugar Cravings (Recipe Included!) - Mary Vance, NC (2024)


Sugar cravings have many causes, and when it comes down to it, willpower usually doesn’t win. But you can overcome sugar cravings and avoid falling victim to a sugar binge once you determine what’s causing your cravings.

Let’s look at the ways sugar wrongs us

  • suppresses your immune system
  • Excess sugar consumption is linked to cancer and tumor growth (source)
  • promotes weight gain and obesity
  • disrupts the mineral balance (causing stress in the body)
  • contributes to depression, anxiety and mood swings
  • promotes gut dysbiosis and fungal overgrowth (candida) in the gut
  • contributes to insulin resistance and diabetes
  • can cause hormonal imbalances
  • increases risk for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
  • disrupt the body’s pH balance
  • can cause hypoglycemia
  • will reduce good HDL cholesterol and increase bad LDL cholesterol
  • prohibits weight loss

Some people are more sugar sensitive than others, and part of that depends on your genetics. Regardless, you can bio-hack your diet by manipulating certain macronutrients, like protein and fat, to balance your blood glucose levels and ward off cravings.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you start your morning with coffee and a pastry. You probably feel pretty good because that sugar is plugging up feel-good receptors in your brain, and maybe you get a little high as your blood glucose levels spike. But a few hours later, you crash when your blood glucose plummets again, and then you’re hungry, jittery, anxious, moody, irritable. You eat lunch, probably too much because you’re starving and you miscalculated your hunger needs, and then you may feel tired as all your energy is diverted into digestion. You may crave sugar in the afternoon, because your body knows it gives you a quick energy boost. Does that rollercoaster sound familiar?

Instead, try a breakfast rich in protein and fat and low in carbohydrate grains and starches, like 2 eggs scrambled with avocado, a protein smoothie, or chicken sausage and greens. Clean burning, steady energy and happy mood! Click here for my breakfast suggestions.

What Causes Sugar Cravings?

Sugar cravings are more than just a mental struggle: There is typically a physiological reason you crave sugar, and once you’re on the rollercoaster, it’s hard to overcome. Sugar cravings are more powerful than willpower. The most common causes of intense sugar cravings include the following:

  • You’re not getting the amounts of protein or fat your body needs. We all have different macronutrient needs. Some of us need more protein; some need more carbs. In particular, sugar sensitive people (those who struggle with hypoglycemia and sugar cravings) do best on a lower carb, high protein or higher fat (but not both) diet. Genetic testing can tell you your ideal macronutrient needs, or if you struggle with sugar, try cutting out refined carbs (white flour), bread, pasta, pastries (basically gluten-containing foods) and up your protein and vegetable intake. Read more about this here.
  • You may have low dopamine and serotonin levels. Sugar raises your feel-good brain chemicals, and if you’re not producing adequate amounts, you’ll seek outside substances, like alcohol, drugs, or sugar, to give you that boost your body should be providing for you, but can’t. Read more about that here.
  • You have candida overgrowth or dysbiosis. Sugar is candida’s fuel source, and it’s a driver of intense sugar cravings.
  • You have nutrient deficiencies, like magnesium (drives chocolate cravings especially), zinc, or trace minerals, such as chromium.
  • You’re eating too many carbs. Even healthy carbs, like whole grains, can drive cravings in sugar sensitive folks. These types of physiologies do best on a higher protein lower carb diet.
  • You’re drinking alcohol, which lowers blood sugar and drives cravings.
  • You’re not eating enough food. This is very common among the women with whom I work. They are desperate to lose weight and overly restricting food. Sugar is a quick and calorie dense energy hit, so your body drives sugar cravings in an attempt to get you to meet your daily energy/calorie needs.
  • You’re not getting enough sleep, which affects hormones that cause cravings and weight gain.
  • You have high cortisol or stress levels, which increases appetite and carb cravings.

Sugar & Insulin Resistance

Your brain and body need glucose to survive. When your body perceives that blood sugar is getting too low, it sends you a signal that it needs fuel. You get hungry, or maybe you crave sugar because your body knows it’s a calorie dense and efficient way to give you a fast boost. When you eat sugar, white flour (breaks down quickly to glucose), alcohol, sodas, candy, cookies, pastries, etc, your body uses a hormone called insulin to transport the glucose to your cells for usage. When you eat too much sugar, your pancreas releases a whole lotta insulin to usher all that glucose into your cells, and blood glucose levels drop again (because the glucose has entered your cells), and your blood sugar levels drop too low, so you crave sugar again to bring the levels back up.

The problem with this cycle is that eventually, your cells stop responding properly to insulin. They already have enough glucose, so they lock the door and don’t allow insulin to escort glucose into the cell. Your pancreas is overworked as it continues to churn out insulin in response to all that sugar you’re eating, but now you have become insulin resistant because your cells don’t want all that excess sugar. This causes your blood sugar levels to rise, setting you up for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Tips to Smash Sugar Cravings

Note that you don’t have to and may not need to completely avoid sweet foods. Sweet is one of the 5 basic tastes, and some people find that completely avoiding sweet foods intensifies the cravings.Others, however, find sweet foods triggering.

Treat yourself to sugar free treats made with monk fruit or stevia, like this cashew cake batter pudding. Or even a piece of fruit with nut butter. Some people avoid binge behavior by just satisfying cravings for sweets with some dark chocolate or something sweet. This is not true for everyone, however: Some people may experience serious binge reactions if they eat sweet foods.

Here are some tips to keep blood sugar stable and cravings in check:

  • Start your day with protein and good fat: Avoid refined foods such as cereals, bagels, croissants, or pastries. These foods contain refined sugars or break down quickly into sugar, causing an initial blood glucose spike followed by a crash. When your blood glucose drops too low and you crave sugar, what you actually need is protein. Read more here about why grain-based breakfasts are not ideal for sugar sensitive folks. For breakfast, have an egg-veggie scramble, a protein smoothie, or organic chicken sausages sauteed with spinach and topped with avocado. Click here for my best easy breakfast recs.
  • Although intermittent fasting is all the rage, it may lead to binge behavior until your blood sugar levels are more stable (and your metabolism can be fixed!).
  • Eat every 4 hours to maintain stable blood sugar. Fill up on healthy foods periodically so you’re never ravenous and hypoglycemic. And while you’re at it: avoid refined sugars (the white granulated stuff). The more you eat sugar, the more you’ll crave it. Here’s how to avoid hypoglycemia.
  • Save desserts for special occasions, not every day. One thing you can and should eat every day is good ole dark chocolate. It has myriad health benefits. This one is my absolute fave and doesn’t contain soy or other fillers.When baking, use unrefined sweeteners such as molasses, honey, or grade B maple syrup. I also love using xylitol, which doesn’t feed intestinal bad bacteria or spike blood sugar.
  • Focus onprotein at breakfast and lunch especially. Protein gives you energy and satiety and helps keep blood sugar balanced.
  • Before parties, eat a protein-based snack like organic turkey slices wrapped around avocado, hard boiled eggs, or apple with almond butter. Don’t show up ravenous!
  • Go easy on or eliminate the booze. Alcohol is metabolized as sugar and can lead to hypoglycemia, making you hungry, likely to overeat, and prone to making poor choices when you do eat. Drink water between cocktails and try to cap it at 2 drinks. Or, have a mocktail such as sparkling water with lime.

If you overdid it: The day after a sugar binge, start off with 8 ounces hot water and the juice of 1/2 a lemon to detoxify, and drink green vegetable juices if you have access (celery, parsley, green apple, cucumber, ginger makes a nice blend) to alkalize the body; sugar is very acidic. Then stick to protein & veggies & plenty of good fats, like avocado, throughout the day to reset yourself.

If you’ve got it really bad, here is supplemental support

  • 500 mg – 1000mg of glutamine really helps some people. Break open the capsules and empty under your tongue, then swallow with water. This does not work for everyone.
  • certain minerals like chromium help arrest sugar cravings–you can often find them in blood sugar balance blends with other herbs or nutrients to help stop sugar cravings. Examples are gymnema, alpha lipoic acid, and even cinnamon. Body Ecology Ancient Minerals is awesome.
  • Try this crave arrest to help balance brain chemicals that can cause cravings.
  • Have a cup of green tea. It may sound preposterous, but we sometimes mistake hunger or craving cues for thirst, and the minerals in green tea give you a boost. Minerals in general also help stop sugar cravings. Drink lots of green juices–very high in minerals!
  • Have a protein snack using suggestions above. As I mentioned, when blood sugar is low, you actually need protein, not sugar.

Stick to dark chocolate —it has health benefits–or truffles over hard candy, and bring treats that don’t contain refined sugars to parties. It’s ok to treat yourself every once in a while, and I often recommend sugar busting snacks in the afternoon, like coconut butter or coconut oil melted with almond butter and a bit of honey– that can satisfy a craving. Remember that indulging in too much sugar every day will only make sugar cravings worse, so save the treats for parties and special occasions.

In the meantime, here is my favorite awesome refined sugar free indulgent fudge recipe that will wow your friends.

Vegan Fudge

Stop Your Sugar Cravings (Recipe Included!) - Mary Vance, NC (2)

Vegan Fudge (No Added Sugar)

Stop Your Sugar Cravings (Recipe Included!) - Mary Vance, NC (3)Mary Vance, NC

no bake, no added sugar, healthy vegan fudge recipe!

2.50 from 2 votes

Course Dessert

Equipment

  • Food processor

Ingredients

  • 1 - 1.5 cup blanched almond flour
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 cup raw carob or cacao powder
  • 1-2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup raisins or dried turkish apricots, soaked (this is about 4-5 apricots, chopped)
  • 4-5 tbsp water, from apricot/raisin soak

Instructions

  • Place raisins or chopped apricots in small bowl and cover with boiling water, about 2 inches above raisins/apricots.

  • Soak 5-10 minutes. Do not drain.

  • Spoon out of bowl and reserve water and fruit separately.

  • Add almond flour, carob, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, fruit to food processor; blend well.

  • Add 4-5 tbsp of water from fruit soak and blend again. Add more for desired consistency; mixture should be thick like cookie dough.

  • Transfer to 7x7 glass pan.

  • Refrigerate until coconut oil sets the batter like fudge.

  • Cut into small squares. Keep refrigerated; lasts for weeks and freezes well.

Keyword vegan, chocolate, fudge

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Stop Your Sugar Cravings (Recipe Included!) - Mary Vance, NC (4)

Mary Vance, NC

Mary Vance is a Certified Nutrition Consultant and author specializing in digestive health. She combines a science-based approach with natural therapies to rebalance the body. In addition to her 1:1 coaching, she offers courses to help you heal your gut and improve your health. Mary lives in San Francisco and Lake Tahoe in Northern California. Read more about her coaching practice here and her background here.

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  1. Stop Your Sugar Cravings (Recipe Included!) - Mary Vance, NC (5)

    Anne LaFleuron 21 January, 2021 at 2:16 pm

    Hi Mary,
    This was a great article! I’m dealing with a sugar addiction, and have started taking L-Glutamine which really works. Your tips and information was very well-written. I’m going to try your vegan fudge recipe, and have shared your website with my daughter. Thank you!

  2. Stop Your Sugar Cravings (Recipe Included!) - Mary Vance, NC (6)

    Mary Vance, NCon 28 January, 2021 at 7:39 pm

    Glad you found the info useful, Anne! Enjoy the fudge!!

  3. Stop Your Sugar Cravings (Recipe Included!) - Mary Vance, NC (7)

    CuriousBakeron 17 June, 2021 at 5:19 pm

    Stop Your Sugar Cravings (Recipe Included!) - Mary Vance, NC (8)
    Does the fudge end up having a raisin/apricot taste? What other fruit could be used in place of that for those who don’t like raisins/apricots?

  4. Stop Your Sugar Cravings (Recipe Included!) - Mary Vance, NC (9)

    Mary Vance, NCon 23 June, 2021 at 11:52 am

    CuriousBaker: it does not have a fruit taste from the raisins. I haven’t tested it using any other dried fruit so I’m not sure, but maybe dates?

  5. Stop Your Sugar Cravings (Recipe Included!) - Mary Vance, NC (10)

    Donnaon 11 November, 2021 at 6:16 am

    I find this disturbing (yet not surprising) coming from someone in the field of nutrition. Raisins are mainly sugar— the exact same stuff that’s in table sugar. Eating dried fruit is akin to eating candy. Fructose is the problem with sugar. You have a potentially useful platform here— please read the researcher David Lustig on fructose and educate yourself so you can do a good job educating others.

  6. Stop Your Sugar Cravings (Recipe Included!) - Mary Vance, NC (11)

    Mary Vance, NCon 11 November, 2021 at 11:52 am

    Donna, perhaps you misunderstood, and it’s also clear you are misinformed. This post is not advocating for removing every molecule of sugar from one’s diet. I am educating on the dangers of excess refined sugar and how that affects one’s health. In fact, avoiding all forms of naturally occurring sugars can lead to disordered eating patterns (there are always caveats to this).
    And no, raisins are not the same stuff as table sugar, which has zero nutrients and is high on the glycemic index. Raisins have a relatively low glycemic index and contain fiber, polyphenols, and antioxidants, all factors which actually contribute to blood sugar control.
    Yes, dried fruit contains sugar and fructose, but in this fudge recipe, one can use 1/3 cup dried raisins or turkish apricots, which is around 28g of sugar. Once you cut the squares into 10-12 pieces, that amounts to about 2.8g (or less) of sugar per piece. This recipe also contains healthy fats and fiber to slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream. Nowhere in this post am I ‘using my platform’ to miseducate anyone about sugar, and the topic here is not fructose. This post is filled with beneficial information to educate people about the detriments of excess refined sugar in the diet and how to combat sugar cravings and support the body with more nutrient dense options. Next think twice time before you slam people out there offering a free service to educate those looking for information to better their health.

  7. Stop Your Sugar Cravings (Recipe Included!) - Mary Vance, NC (12)

    Iraon 21 May, 2023 at 11:22 pm

    Stop Your Sugar Cravings (Recipe Included!) - Mary Vance, NC (13)
    I didn’t like the taste! There was a terrible cocoa powder aftertaste after one bite. I thought it was just me but a family member had a taste and said they experience a bad aftertaste. I rechecked the ingredient list to see if I had missed something while making it. Just cinnamon, vanilla, and dried apricots alone didn’t provide enough sweetness to the fudge. I hate to throw food away but it was just awful.

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Stop Your Sugar Cravings (Recipe Included!) - Mary Vance, NC (2024)

FAQs

What really works to stop sugar cravings? ›

Here are 19 foods that can help you fight your sugar cravings.
  • Foods to eat. A wide range of foods and beverages could help you fight your sugar cravings.
  • Fruit. ...
  • Berries. ...
  • Dark chocolate. ...
  • Snack bars. ...
  • Chia seeds. ...
  • Sugar-free chewing gum or mints. ...
  • Lentils.
5 days ago

What foods flush sugar out of your system? ›

5 Superfoods to Lower Your Blood Sugar
  • Berries. Don't make your trip to the store fruitless. ...
  • Go nuts. That's right—go ahead and snack on almonds, cashews or even pistachios. ...
  • Leafy greens. ...
  • Non-starchy vegetables. ...
  • Whole grains.

How to completely detox your body from sugar in only 7 days? ›

7 tips to detox from sugar
  1. Eat breakfast. Eating breakfast with proteins, complex carbohydrates, fiber-rich foods, and healthy fats can keep blood sugar balanced and prevent sugar cravings throughout the day.
  2. Start small. ...
  3. Eat more healthy fats. ...
  4. Add protein. ...
  5. Snack on fruit. ...
  6. Swap your drinks. ...
  7. Stay hydrated.
Apr 23, 2021

What vitamin reduces sugar cravings? ›

Overall, B vitamins are regarded as essential supplements to curb sugar cravings. Zinc is an essential mineral that plays a vital role in your metabolism and energy, as well as the digestion of your food.

What drink stops sugar cravings? ›

Infusing water with slices of fresh fruits like strawberries, citrus fruits, or cucumbers adds a subtle sweetness and refreshing flavour without any added sugars. Fruit-infused water is hydrating, low in calories, and packed with vitamins and antioxidants, making it an ideal choice for satisfying sugar cravings.

Which vitamin deficiency causes sugar cravings? ›

Vitamin B deficiency causes cravings for sweets

Sweet cravings when the mood is tense, moody, sad can also be because your body is seriously lacking in B vitamins. B vitamins including B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid) are vitamins involved in the production of energy.

What happens after 2 weeks of no sugar? ›

Stabilized mood

Sugar highs and lows can affect your mood, leading to irritability and mood swings. A diet low in sugar can help stabilize your mood, reducing anxiety and depression symptoms. By adhering to a 2-week no-sugar diet, you can experience these benefits, leading to improved overall health and well-being.

What is the hardest day of a sugar detox? ›

You may experience: Fatigue, cold- and flu-like symptoms, low blood sugar, or self doubt. Day 3 is the beginning of some of the hardest days for most folks! Your best bet: Realize that you are likely not experiencing a real cold or flu but the effects of detoxing from sugar.

What should I eat the first 3 days of sugar detox? ›

So for the first three days on a sugar detox, Alpert recommends no added sugars – but also no fruits, no starchy vegetables (such as corn, peas, sweet potatoes and butternut squash), no dairy, no grains and no alcohol. “You're basically eating protein, vegetables and healthy fats.”

What to snack on instead of sweets? ›

10 Healthy Alternatives To Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth
  • Fruit. Fruit is nature's candy, after all! ...
  • Greek Yogurt. Start with plain yogurt (no added flavors or sugars) and then build up from there. ...
  • Peanut Butter and Banana Ice Cream. ...
  • Chia Pudding. ...
  • Low-sugar Popsicles. ...
  • Nut Butter. ...
  • Baked Pears or Apples. ...
  • Chocolate Dipped Banana Bites.
Jan 9, 2023

What to eat instead of sugar? ›

List of Healthy Alternative Foods for Sugar Cravings
  • Fruits.
  • Dark Chocolate.
  • Chewing Gums (sugar-free)
  • Berries.
  • Chia Seeds.
  • Oats.
  • Hummus.
  • Sweet Potato.
Feb 1, 2024

What should I eat if I crave sugar? ›

What to eat when you're craving sugar
  • Apricots and almonds. Dried fruits and nuts can help you have a healthy snack on hand when you're on the go. ...
  • Greek yogurt and cinnamon. ...
  • Peanut butter and an apple. ...
  • Cottage cheese and blueberries. ...
  • Hummus and raw veggies.
Aug 11, 2022

How do you break a sugar craving cycle? ›

If you realise you are craving sweet food in relation to your inner world, try one or more of the following and see what's helpful:
  1. Talking to someone who understands.
  2. Writing it down (you can destroy it afterwards)
  3. Getting active/engaging in physical activities.
  4. Create another way of treating yourself.

Is there a pill to stop sugar cravings? ›

Experts also say that FDA-approved medications like varenicline, a prescription medication sold under the brand name Champix that treats nicotine addiction, can act in the same way when it comes to sugar cravings. Varenicline operated as a neuronal nicotinic receptor modulator.

How long does it take to detox from sugar? ›

Drop your sugar intake at once. The Ohio University Medical Center determined that a sugar detox will take between 3-10 days. The more sugar you are normally taking in, the longer the detox will take. The good thing is, unlike other addictions, the intensity of the symptoms will decrease as you go on.

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