9 tips to reduce the desire to eat sweets and eat less sugar

There are physical and emotional causes that explain why you have an appetite for sweet foods. Pressure sensors in the stomach sense when the stomach is empty and request refills, while certain receptors detect whether there are enough nutrients. If the blood sugar level also falls below a certain reference value, the brain sends a signal: hunger!

Our body constantly needs new energy for all its processes and receives it in the form of glucose. The easiest and fastest way for the body to obtain glucose (dextrose) is from carbohydrates, especially the simple ones found in candy, white flour products, and fast food.

The combination of sweet and fatty is very stimulating for the brain, as is the combination of salty, fatty, and umami (lightly smoky flavor). In addition, sugar releases endorphins in the brain, hormones that generate well-being. We feel happy and the brain demands more and more of that feeling. And not only that, dopamine, the neurotransmitter that governs the centers of pleasure and reward, is also involved.

Causes of addiction to sweets

Hunger due to nutrient deficiency

If you eat poorly during the day, you are more likely to crave sweets at night. The reasons are simple, on the one hand, the body lacks nutrients and calories, on the other hand, we can fall into an emotional trap (first we treat each other with mail and then we give each other affection).

With a nutrient and calorie deficiency accumulating throughout the day, the body cries out for survival. If the body gets fewer nutrients and calories than it needs to maintain all vital functions, ravenous hunger is logical.

stress cravings

Stress at work or in private life can trigger food cravings. When you’re stressed, your adrenal glands release the hormones adrenaline, norepinephrine, and cortisol. As a result, blood vessels constrict, the heart beats faster, blood pressure rises, and blood supply to the brain and muscles improves.

The body prepares to flee or fight to escape the dangerous situation. Chronic stress increases the body’s energy needs and one of the ways to obtain it is to consume sweets.

Premenstrual syndrome

PMS is responsible for cravings before your period. It can manifest with different symptoms and to different degrees in each woman. While some women have no problems before their period, others experience headaches, breast tenderness, abdominal pain, mood swings, and cravings.

These cravings are caused by the drop in estrogen and dopamine, a feel-good hormone, in the brain. Through food, especially sugary foods, the body tries to stimulate the production of dopamine in the brain.

slimming diets

When losing weight, cravings they can be promoted by the deficit of calories and by the deficiency of nutrients.

The hormones leptin and ghrelin, which are responsible for satiety and hunger, also play a role. If calorie intake decreases on a diet, the leptin level also decreases and the ghrelin concentration increases over time. As a result, the body receives more and more hunger signals, which triggers cravings.

To avoid this, it makes sense to include so-called refeeding days in the diet: you eat the calories that your body uses for one to three days, and then continue on the hypocaloric diet. This ensures that more leptin is released again and the cortisol level drops.

9 tips against sweet cravings

1. Increase protein intake

The diet must provide a sufficient amount of protein, a macronutrient that is more satiating than carbohydrates. Foods rich in protein are legumes (including those derived from soybeans, such as tofu), nuts, seeds, and yogurts.

2. Choose healthy fats

Fats aren’t bad for you, but many people still believe this and don’t get enough of the essential fatty acids they need, making cravings more likely. Unfortunately, the body cannot clearly convey what kind of nutrient it needs and to satisfy hunger we often choose sweet.

The body needs healthy fats to absorb fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A and E or to produce hormones and enzymes. A certain amount of fat is also satiating and reduces inflammation in the body. Healthy fats are in olive oil, oil and flax seeds, nuts and seeds.

3. Only complex carbohydrates

Bread and other foods made with refined flour only provide simple carbohydrates. This means that these foods are less filling because they do not provide fiber and the blood sugar level will fluctuate too much, which favors cravings.

It is better to choose foods that provide complex carbohydrates: they contain more nutrients, vitamins and minerals, more fiber and therefore keep you full longer. Typical complex carbohydrates are whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits.

4. Magnesium and sodium

Are you constantly craving sugar, chocolate, and other sweets? So your body could be deficient in magnesium. Or is it more of a salty food craving? Then the body could lack sodium.

Magnesium and sodium are two minerals that are quickly lost by the body through sweat. If they are not replenished, a deficiency develops which, in addition to other symptoms, can also manifest itself in voracious hunger. Foods rich in magnesium are:

Sunflower seeds Oatmeal Brown rice Whole wheat bread Dark chocolate Almonds

To make up for a sodium deficiency, often it is enough to add a little more sea or iodized salt to meals.

5. Sleep and regeneration

At night our body rests, cells and tissues regenerate, the brain processes impressions and experiences, and the eating behavior of the following day is shaped.

If you don’t get enough sleep, you release more of the hunger hormone ghrelin throughout the day, so you feel hungry more often. Therefore, it is important to find the optimal amount of sleep. For some it is six and a half hours, for others up to nine hours.

6. Avoid stress

Stress causes energy consumption and increases the tendency to snack. The problem is that snacks often contain too many calories. It is better to take regular breaks and find a balance.

Whether it’s meditating, exercising, getting more sleep, reading a book, or meeting up with friends, do things to break your routine and avoid stress.

7. Sports and exercise

Cravings often have to do with emotions as well. Whether it’s stress, sadness or anger, many people compensate their emotions with food to feel better afterwards. This effect often only lasts for a short time. It is better to keep happy hormones high in the long term, for example through sports.

Find a sport that you enjoy and that gives you everything you need. Those who play sports often eat healthier and are less likely to be hungry.

8. Drink enough

Thirst and hunger are often confused with each other. You should drink 1.5 to 2 liters of water or unsweetened infusions per day. If you play sports or do heavy physical work, you should drink even more.

If you’re not sure if you’re hungry or thirsty, drink a large glass of water and wait a few minutes. If hunger doesn’t improve, have a nutritious snack to help combat hunger.

9. Keep them out of reach

Beyond all the physiological explanations, if we are infatuated and tempted to consume foods that only provide sugar, it is because these products exist and are within our reach. Make sure they don’t come into the house.

Instead, always keep in the fridge healthy and delicious vegetables that you can snack on, such as carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, etc. When you have a craving, turn to them.