If you find yourself asking, “Why am I craving sweets?” at seemingly random and frequent times, you’re not alone.
While a freshly baked pie or piece of your favorite candy is naturally irresistible, consistent sugar cravings indicate that you may be experiencing negative side effects related to your diet. From learned habits to mineral deficiencies in the body, this article covers sugar cravings and how to curb them to improve your health.
Why Am I Craving Sweets?
Nutrition is the main reason you may be craving sugar, but other factors at play — both mental and physical — make that slice of cake even more tempting.
Formed Habits
Each hemisphere of your brain contains a caudate nucleus, which influences reward-seeking behavior. This part of the brain is also responsible for forming new habits — good and bad — including snacking while you work at your desk or having dessert after dinner every night, even if you’re full.
Sugar cravings can be a direct result of a learned habit, and when this happens, it’s the flavor and even just the thought of sweets that raise the dopamine levels in your brain.
Gut Health and Gastrointestinal Issues
Poor gut health, inflammation, and other G.I. tract issues are other reasons you may be craving sugar more than you’d like. Pathogenic gut bacteria in your body use sugar as one of their primary nutrient sources. Cravings can be an indicator that your body is lacking in the beneficial bacteria necessary for optimal gut health.
Lifestyle and dietary changes like eating high-fiber foods, adding probiotics, and avoiding foods that reduce inflammation can help your gut health.
Low Serotonin Levels
There is more at play in this category, such as stress and anxiety. These feelings can negatively impact your serotonin levels, and this, in turn, leads to increased sugar cravings.
Serotonin plays a vital role in regulating your appetite, food intake, and emotional well-being. When you’re having a tough day at work, experiencing a drastic life change, or stressed about something, you’ll find that indulging in sweets seems more appealing than usual.
A Lack of Sleep
As you may know, sleep deprivation is at the center of most health and mental issues, but did you know it can also be a contributor to your irregular sugar cravings?
Lack of adequate sleep causes your body to increase production of the hunger-stimulating hormone ghrelin and decrease the production of the appetite-suppressing hormone leptin.
Naturally, this imbalance makes you want to eat more calorie-dense foods in higher quantities.
From a mental perspective, being tired makes it hard for you to want to cook healthier foods at home, and unless you have healthy alternatives at the ready, convenient snacks like chips and fast food are more appealing options.
What Deficiency Causes Sugar Cravings?
Have you ever heard someone tell you that the reason you’re craving sugar is because your blood sugar is low?
Indeed, fluctuating blood sugar levels make it so you want to give your body more fuel to keep your levels stable. Still, many factors contribute to fluctuating blood sugar levels, the most common of which is a deficiency in specific vitamins and minerals.
If your body is low in the following minerals, you’ll find that you will crave more sugar than usual:
- Magnesium: This natural ingredient helps support insulin sensitivity and maintain a healthy blood pressure.
- Chromium: This ingredient is crucial for healthy glucose levels and enhances the effects of insulin.
- Zinc: This mineral helps metabolize glucose, proteins, and carbohydrates to support healthy blood sugar levels.
These minerals help with bodily functions such as carbohydrate metabolism and hormone production and regulation.
These processes control the way you think, move, and feel, and deficiencies are the reason you experience a reaction to sweets, whether you’re smelling a baked good or imagining your favorite candy bar.
The best way to address these mineral deficiencies — aside from supplements — is by adding healthier foods to your diet.
Healthy Foods To Address Sugar Cravings
There are a range of foods you can eat to satisfy your sugar cravings, including:
- Fresh fruits: Fruits contain natural sugar that satisfies cravings and gives your body the necessary micronutrients, fiber, and antioxidants.
- Nuts and seeds:If you’re not getting enough protein in your diet, nuts and seeds are packed with it, along with healthy fats, fiber, and nutrients to keep you feeling full so you can avoid dealing with excessive sugar cravings.
- Greek yogurt:Yogurts are an excellent source of protein, gut-friendly probiotics, vitamins, minerals, and calcium. These minerals help regulate your blood sugar levels and support a healthy metabolism.
- Dark chocolate:Surprisingly enough, you don’t have to give up your favorite treats like chocolate if you’re trying to curb sugar cravings. Dark chocolate is lower in sugar than milk chocolate and gives your body antioxidant protection.
- Whole-grain crackers and cheese: Another snack that can help curb cravings combines carbs and everyone's favorite food — cheese. This combination comes packed with protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates that will satisfy your hunger.
And if you want to be thorough about curbing cravings, a supplement that can help you support healthy blood sugar levels alongside these foods will go a long way.
Kick Sugar Cravings With SucraLow
Changing your habits and finding healthy foods to satisfy sugar cravings are a great way to take control of your health, but SucraLow™ is the — metaphorical — icing on the cake.
With just one capsule a day, you can address the adverse effects that come with sugar, including low energy levels, vision problems, intense cravings, brain fog, uncontrollable weight gain, and numbness in your legs and feet.
Get your bottle of SucraLow™ today and start turning carbs and sugars into energy that will help you live life to the fullest.
