Ceri Perkins. Rich Joseph, MD. Jessica Migala. Dominic D'Agostino, PhD. The glycemic index provides insight into how particular foods affect glucose but has limitations. Stephanie Eckelkamp. Ami Kapadia. Being aware of these causes of inaccurate data can help you identify—and avoid—surprising and misleading feedback.

Joy Manning, RD. Inside Levels. Levels Co-Founder's new book—Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health—releases May 14; available for pre-order today.

Metabolic flexibility means that your body can switch easily between burning glucose and fat, which means you have better energy and endurance. Jennifer Chesak. Written By Barbara Brody. Reviewed By Austin Perlmutter, MD. Article highlights Sugar acts on the same brain reward pathways as addictive drugs which is why cravings can be so strong.

Environmental cues like smells and sights trigger the brain's dopamine system which makes us crave sugar. Stress causes short-term mood boosts from sugar but leads to a vicious cortisol-craving cycle in the long run.

Time, replacing cues, mindfulness, balanced diet, and stable blood sugar are ways to break the brain's sugar craving cycle.

While controversial, research shows cutting sugar for 4 weeks can retrain your brain and dissipate cravings through deconditioning. Get updates, new articles, exclusive discounts, and more. Email Required. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. More on Cravings.

Nutrition Metabolic Research Roundup Why do we crave sweets, and how can we stop? The Latest From Levels. Nutrition Ultimate Guide Is the glycemic index useful? Metabolic Basics The Explainer 7 things that can falsely impact glucose readings Being aware of these causes of inaccurate data can help you identify—and avoid—surprising and misleading feedback.

Inside Levels Announcement Announcing: Dr. Metabolic Basics The Explainer What is metabolic flexibility, and why is it important? If it was a while ago, this sleep deprivation could definitely be contributing to your sugar cravings. Some pointers for getting a better night's sleep : Get regular exercise, but don't exercise two to three hours before bedtime; avoid taking daytime naps longer than 20 minutes especially naps later in the day , try to wake up and go to bed at the same time every day; and don't use your phone an hour before sleep time.

If you find yourself feeling dizzy without sugar or having chronically strong cravings, it's time to tap a professional, as it could indicate a deeper nutritional problem. For instance, intense and seemingly unchangeable sugar cravings may stem from a blood-sugar imbalance, like hypoglycemia.

But don't jump to conclusions just yet: When your body lacks certain minerals that are involved in regulating insulin levels, that could also affect your hankering for sweets.

For instance, if your body doesn't get enough magnesium , it will have trouble bringing energy into the cells and crave sugar to help raise energy levels. Whether it's nutritional deficiency or a deeper health issue, it's best to consult a professional. They can help determine what you're lacking, how much you need, and ensure the lack of nutrients doesn't lead to further problems.

Fortunately, there are a ton of healthy foods you can munch on when you feel a sugar craving coming on, from fresh fruits and nuts, to Greek yogurt and dark chocolate. Stouffer MA, Woods CA, Patel JC, et al. Insulin enhances striatal dopamine release by activating cholinergic interneurons and thereby signals reward.

Nat Commun. Greer SM, Goldstein AN, Walker MP. The impact of sleep deprivation on food desire in the human brain. Dubey P, Thakur V, Chattopadhyay M. Role of minerals and trace elements in diabetes and insulin resistance. Barbagallo M, Dominguez LJ.

Magnesium and type 2 diabetes. World J Diabetes. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content.

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Use limited data to select content. List of Partners vendors. By Brittany Gibson is a freelance writer primarily covering shopping, beauty, fashion, health, and other topics.

Brittany Gibson. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines. Fact checked by Tusitala , for two years. Isaac Winter is a fact-checker and writer for Real Simple, ensuring the accuracy of content published by rigorously researching content before publication and periodically when content needs to be updated.

Highlights: Helped establish a food pantry in West Garfield Park as an AmeriCorps employee at Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center. Interviewed Heartland Alliance employees for oral history project conducted by the Lake Forest College History Department.

Editorial Head of Lake Forest College's literary magazine, Tusitala , for two years. Our Fact-Checking Process. Trending Videos. Quelling Sugar Cravings Isn't Always Easy I've never questioned my voracious sweet tooth until my doctor told me that my excess sugar consumption could lead to a slew of health issues, including cavities, inflammation , diabetes, and heart disease.

Red Alert: These Are the 4 Worst Foods That Cause Inflammation. Chocolate Banana Bites. The Best Stress-Fighting Foods You Can Eat, According to Doctors. Are Honey and Maple Syrup Really Healthier Than Sugar? We Asked Nutritionists.

Gum or mints that are made with artificial sweeteners taste sweet but contain a minimal number of calories and no sugar. Although results are mixed, some studies have also found that chewing gum could help control hunger, cravings and the intake of carb-heavy foods later in the day 14 , 15 , 16 , In addition to helping you fight the urge for sugar, chewing gum after your meals is good for your teeth Summary Chewing sugar-free gum can provide you with a sweet taste that may help curb your cravings and control your food intake.

Legumes like lentils, beans and chickpeas are great plant-based sources of fiber and protein. In fact, 1 cup grams of lentils provides you with around 18 grams of protein and 16 grams of fiber Both these nutrients are thought to increase feelings of fullness. Thus, in theory, including legumes in your diet could help you feel fuller and reduce hunger-driven sugar cravings.

In line with this, a recent review found that eating lentils may aid weight loss This may be partly due to the short-term beneficial effects that legumes can have on your appetite 21 , Summary Legumes like lentils, beans and chickpeas are good sources of protein and fiber.

Including them in your diet could help curb hunger, leaving you less likely to get a craving. Additionally, some studies have suggested that yogurt could be a good snack to help regulate your appetite and control your cravings 23 , 24 , 25 , In fact, one study found that healthy-weight women who had high-protein Greek yogurt for an afternoon snack were less hungry and ate less later in the day, compared to those who had a lower-protein snack or no snack at all Summary Yogurt is a high-protein snack that could help you control your appetite and cravings.

Even though they have been dried, they are a great source of fiber, potassium, iron and beneficial plant compounds. Having a few dates instead of a soda or some candy can give you a sweet fix and also provide you with healthy nutrients. You could even try pairing them with nuts like almonds for a sweet and crunchy treat.

However, remember that dates are very sweet, so stick to one portion at a time, or about three dates. Summary Dates are very sweet, so they can fix your craving for sugar while providing you other beneficial nutrients too. Sweet potatoes are nutritious, sweet and very filling.

They contain mostly carbs but also fiber and a number of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium. For a delicious treat, try them roasted with cinnamon and paprika like in this recipe.

Including a source of protein like meat, poultry or fish in your meals may help prevent sugar cravings 28 , In fact, if you are trying to lose weight , eating adequate amounts of protein may be very important for managing your food intake, cravings and weight 30 , 31 , 32 , Summary Good sources of protein like meat, poultry and fish may help keep you full and prevent cravings for sweets.

The sweetness of the fruit combined with the filling effects of yogurt can satisfy your need for something sweet, all while providing lots of beneficial nutrients. Summary Smoothies made with whole fruits and yogurt can combat your cravings for sweets. Soda is extremely sweet, and drinking high amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages has been linked to a number of diseases, including heart disease and diabetes 36 , 37 , Switching to a sugar-free version can help you get a sweet fix without the added sugar and calories.

Summary Switching out your high-sugar drinks for ones made with artificial sweeteners can give you a sweet taste without all the added sugar. Prunes are dried plums.

This means you can reach for them as a healthy alternative to candy when you just have to have some sugar. Their high fiber content and naturally occurring sorbitol also mean they may help relieve constipation. Sorbitol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol that tastes sweet but is absorbed slowly in your gut Summary Prunes are sweet, nutritious and high in fiber, so they can be a healthy food for satisfying cravings for sweets.

Eggs are another high-protein food that may help keep your appetite and cravings in check. In fact, research has shown that having a high-protein breakfast like eggs may reduce hunger and help people eat less throughout the day 41 , 42 , This may be partly because a high-protein breakfast suppresses the hunger hormone ghrelin and increases some of the hormones that make you feel full, including peptide YY PYY and glucagon-like peptide-1 GLP-1 44 , 45 , This suggests that an egg breakfast could keep you feeling fuller for longer and keep the cravings at bay 43 , Summary Eggs can be a good choice, especially for breakfast.

Trail mix is the name often given to a snack containing dried fruit and nuts. Nuts contain healthy fats, proteins, fiber and plant compounds. Eating them has been linked to a number of health benefits , including improved risk factors for heart disease and diabetes Summary Trail mix combines the sweetness of dried fruits with nuts.

This gives your sweet fix some added nutritional value. Fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, kombucha and sauerkraut are sources of beneficial bacteria. This makes it possible for your gut bacteria to influence your food intake in a number of ways. At Parsley Health , we often guide members through an elimination diet to help remove foods that are uniquely irritating to them and help balance their inner ecosystem.

Other tips for balancing the ratio of good bacteria in your gut include consuming fermented vegetables think kimchi and pickled veggies , probiotic liquids such as coconut kefir and some kombucha , and healing bone broth. Pro tip : A good quality probiotic can also help rebuild healthy gut bacteria levels, protect intestinal integrity and boost immune function.

As the old saying goes — drink lots of water and get plenty of sleep. Quality sleep is crucial when talking appetite control. Pro tip : Create a bedtime routine.

Leave room in your day before bed for restoration and relaxation time, and focus on making sleep a priority. Cravings are much harder to manage if you let your blood sugar spike in the morning, only to drop again a couple hours later. Incorporating protein in your breakfast is part of the important game plan for controlling appetite throughout the day.

Consuming some form of protein at every meal, especially breakfast, increases satiety and has a stabilizing effect on blood sugar. This improves our appetite control and can help prevent us from reaching for a sweet snack mid-morning and will keep mindless munching at bay throughout the day.

Pro tip : A strategy is to double up on unsuspecting protein sources in the morning — think chia seed pudding with almonds or a smoothie with our famous plant-based Rebuild Clean Protein.

Our bodies digest simple carbs very easily, which in turn creates a craving for more sugar in attempts to energize the body once again. This yoyo-ing deprives our body of maintaining equilibrium and is totally unsustainable. Healthy fats serve the body well and aid in hormonal balance, boost the metabolism, and regulate blood sugar.

Eating a source of healthy fat along with or in place of a carbohydrate will slow down the absorption of glucose in the bloodstream, preventing undesirable sugar highs and lows and curb sugar cravings.

Healthy sources of fat include nut butters, avocados, eggs, coconut oil, and high-quality animal protein such as wild caught salmon.

Pro tip : Try adding a teaspoon of coconut oil to your morning coffee or our High Fat Morning Glory Coffee. It helps to stabilize your blood sugar and keep you alert and focused. Label reading involves some common sense and some unfortunately not-so-common-sense.

Make it a habit to read the ingredients on nutrition labels before purchasing an item to avoid artificial sweeteners and hidden sugars. Studies have also shown that artificial sugars may lead to type 2 diabetes. Some manufacturers will actually divide a designated gram amount of sugar in the form of more unrecognizable sugars, in attempts to list them lower on the ingredients list, making the consumer believe the total amount of sugar on the label is lower than it actually is.

Opt for naturally sweet foods as they provide balancers. Fruit, for instance, contains natural sugars accompanied by fiber, which slows digestion and enables the natural sugar to be more easily digestible by the body resulting in no major sugar spikes. Carrots, berries, apples, sweet potatoes, coconut, and chestnuts are all great examples of naturally sweet foods with no added sugar.

Pro tip : Start buying unsweetened versions of staples like yogurt and nut milk so your taste buds can get used to sugar free foods. Ceri Perkins. Rich Joseph, MD. Jessica Migala. Dominic D'Agostino, PhD. The glycemic index provides insight into how particular foods affect glucose but has limitations.

Stephanie Eckelkamp. Ami Kapadia. Being aware of these causes of inaccurate data can help you identify—and avoid—surprising and misleading feedback.

Joy Manning, RD. Inside Levels. Levels Co-Founder's new book—Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health—releases May 14; available for pre-order today. Metabolic flexibility means that your body can switch easily between burning glucose and fat, which means you have better energy and endurance.

Jennifer Chesak. Written By Barbara Brody. Reviewed By Austin Perlmutter, MD. Article highlights Sugar acts on the same brain reward pathways as addictive drugs which is why cravings can be so strong.

Environmental cues like smells and sights trigger the brain's dopamine system which makes us crave sugar. Stress causes short-term mood boosts from sugar but leads to a vicious cortisol-craving cycle in the long run.

Time, replacing cues, mindfulness, balanced diet, and stable blood sugar are ways to break the brain's sugar craving cycle. While controversial, research shows cutting sugar for 4 weeks can retrain your brain and dissipate cravings through deconditioning.