You may struggle to pass over dessert every night, or often open the pantry to snack on candy, soda, or ice cream.
If any of this sounds familiar, you may have signs of a sugar addiction, where your actions are controlled by your cravings.
Sugar cravings are more common than you think! The average person in the United States eats too much sugar daily.
Though most of us know that too much sugar can be harmful, its addictive nature can make it harder to kick the habit.
Fortunately, some methods can help, including certain supplements that can help curb your sugar cravings.
You’ll find seven of these supplements in this post, including the signs that you are consuming too much sugar, and more tips on how to stop sugar cravings.
Are You Consuming More Sugar Than You Need?
If you suspect that you are consuming a lot of sugar, you aren’t the only one. The average adult diet contains 22 teaspoons of sugar a day.
This is much higher than the recommended guidelines, which are five teaspoons per day for women and nine teaspoons for men.
The CDC also advises curbing sugar consumption to under 10% of the calories from your daily diet.
If you eat 2,000 calories a day, this would equate to a maximum of 200 calories from sugar. It isn’t surprising that most of us are consuming too much sugar.
Sugar-filled food and beverages are everywhere we go, from the breakroom fridge at the office or the checkout aisle at the store.
Eating too much sugar can lead to a dangerous cycle that is hard to break. Here are some indications that you are consuming too much sugar:
Hard to resist sugary products when they are around you
Feeling like you have no control over the foods you consume
Regularly eating dessert daily
Highs and lows of energy
Often eat sugary foods whenever you feel low
Looking for comfort foods wherever you feel irritable, stressed, or bored
Having to eat more sugary items to get the same pleasure
If you try to cut out sugar or eat less of it, you might notice withdrawal signs like:
Depression
Cravings
Headaches
Tiredness
Dizziness
Anxiety
Brain fog
Is Sugar Addiction Real?
Scientists differ over whether sugar should or shouldn’t be thought of as an addictive ingredient. Here are the points that we know are facts.
Sugar does activate the brain’s pleasure centers. These are the areas that make us feel good when we engage in certain activities.
Consuming sugar makes people feel good, so we then want to repeat the action of consuming the sugar to feel the same way once more.
These pleasure centers are also activated when we consume alcohol and drugs.
As is the same with these substances, people often experience withdrawal symptoms when they attempt to eat less sugar.
Overall, what we do know is that most of us consume too much sugar, our brains make us want to eat more of it, and that sugar consumption is linked to poor health.
No matter if sugar is an addictive substance or not, it’s a good idea to be aware of sugar cravings and try to lower our intake.
How To Stop Sugar Cravings?
You can implement lifestyle and dietary changes that can help you succeed in lowering your sugar intake.
Before we get onto the supplements that can help with this, here are some of the best ways to help you stop sugar cravings and reduce your intake.
Keep Blood Sugar Stable
Regulating your blood sugar can help you reduce sugar cravings, and improve your overall health too.
Our blood sugar levels spike after we consume sugar, but they soon drop again after.
Once blood sugar levels drop in this way, the body doesn’t appreciate the drop, so it will start to want more sugar to get the blood glucose levels up to where they were.
This makes you crave more sugar, so you end up consuming sugar-laden products once more. The cycle then continues as your blood sugar spikes and drops again.
Keeping your blood sugar levels stable can help you avoid these highs and lows, which can help you curb sugar cravings as a result.
Eat A Balanced Diet
The foods you eat can affect your appetite and your sugar cravings.
If you eat a meal that’s packed with sweet foods and refined carbohydrates, you won’t feel full and your blood sugar will rise considerably, leading to more cravings.
If you eat a meal that contains protein, healthy fats, and fiber, you’ll remain full and your blood sugar won’t rise as high, helping you lower your cravings.
Make sure that you eat foods from several food groups. Having meals and snacks that contain protein, fiber, and fat can help you stay full and avoid blood sugar spikes.
You can also eat smaller meals throughout the day so your blood sugar doesn’t crash in the time between meals.
Lower Stress Levels
Stress makes the body release hormones that affect the way we feel and how our body works.
One of these hormones is cortisol, a hormone that can increase hunger pangs and energy cravings.
Stress can also lead to us looking for relief in comfort foods, leading to emotional eating periods when we experience stress.
Managing stress levels can help you create better eating habits and avoid sugar cravings from occurring.
Prioritize Sleep
Sleep is important for a lot of body functions. If we do not get enough sleep, the body can quickly become imbalanced.
One issue related to poor sleep is hormonal imbalances linked to appetite and hunger. These disparities can cause sugar cravings and overeating.
Ensuring that you get enough quality sleep will support overall well-being and health over your whole body.
7 Supplements To Curb Sugar Cravings
Now that we’ve covered some of the things that can help stop sugar cravings, we can get into the supplements that may also help with this process.
Remember that there is no magic supplement that will automatically fix your cravings.
What supplements can do is help balance your body and encourage better health, which can help your system run in the right direction once more.
You should also remember to check with your doctor before starting a new supplement, as some may be incompatible with your current circumstances.
Vitamin D
Poor vitamin D levels can make you feel more hungry, as this hormone aids in lowering your appetite.
If you often feel like you need to eat, this is a sign that you aren’t getting enough Vitamin D.
The body receives this vitamin from sunshine exposure, but if you live in a location that doesn’t get enough sunlight, it’s a good idea to take a Vitamin D supplement when you’re on a sugar detox.
An explanation may be that the body naturally wants to store more fat and food once the months get darker during winter.
Other than a supplement, you can increase your intake of foods rich in vitamin D. Examples include salmon, eggs, tuna, cod liver oil, fortified plant milk, and fortified cereals.
Magnesium
Magnesium is an important mineral present in our body, as it is responsible for over 300 cell exchanges with our muscles, brain, and bones.
Magnesium helps stabilize insulin and glucose levels, including dopamine, a hormone that makes us feel good when we consume sugar.
Chocolate cravings may be a result of magnesium deficiencies. Magnesium is present in nuts, spinach, and whole grains.
The recommended daily intake is 400mg, so if you aren’t eating a lot of these foods, taking a magnesium supplement may help curb your sugar cravings.
Chromium
If you are on a sugar detox, this supplement can help to stabilize your blood glucose levels.
Chromium aids glucose metabolization, the way your body uses glucose for energy. This supplement can help stop cravings so you stick to your diet plan.
Other than supplements, you can also eat chromium-rich foods, like beans, hazelnuts, turkey, broccoli, and pork.
Some studies have shown that chromium can improve lean body mass, so there’s an extra incentive!
L-Glutamine
L-glutamine is an amino acid that transforms into a neurotransmitter that can help stop sugar cravings.
The body creates this amino acid naturally, but these supplies can start lowering if you experience stress.
Try taking a 500mg supplement or have another dose if you experience a sweet craving.
This vitamin can aid carbohydrate uptake, so your body will efficiently use its supply of available carbohydrates.
A Vitamin B deficiency can lead to sugar cravings as the body attempts to get more of the vitamin from consuming carbs.
All the various B vitamins work in tandem alongside each other, so it’s best to opt for B complex supplements.
Foods high in Vitamin B are chicken, avocado, sesame seeds, tuna, sunflower seeds, and turkey.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
These oils help to stabilize general brain function and are responsible for your mood.
They can also lower insulin resistance, helping the body use your present glucose supply more efficiently, and curbing sugar cravings as a result.
Fish oil supplements often contain Omega 3 fatty acids. They are also present in fish, like tuna, sardines, and salmon.
They are also found in walnuts, sunflower oil, and chia seeds.
Zinc
Zinc is an important mineral that supports the body’s utilization of insulin and glucose. As a result, a zinc deficiency can be linked to cravings for sweet food and beverages.
Zinc can also help imbalanced hormones, improve immune function, fight off colds, and support liver health.
Foods that are high in zinc include lamb, eggs, chickpeas, and grass-fed beef.
The Bottom Line
Kicking the sugar habit can be difficult, so it’s important to implement lifestyle changes that can help you succeed along your journey.
Other than prioritizing diet, sleep, and stress levels, certain supplements may help you curb your sugar cravings.
While no one supplement can eliminate all of your cravings, you may find that they give you a helping hand, particularly during the first few days of your sugar detox.
Always remember to consult a doctor before taking any new supplements.
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