January 25, 2024
Pramod Pathak
1. Find the sweetness in your life.
The common thread in people who suffer from sugar cravings is a lack of self-nurturing. They are often the types who take care of everyone else and put themselves last. So, their reward to themselves is the sweets. But what is really missing is finding the sweetness in their lives. Creating space for themselves. Finding time to do things they really love to do. Often, the people who are most susceptible to sugar cravings are working stressful jobs, living stressful lives, completely out of balance. They have disconnected from what their passions are in life, and life has become a series of obligations rather than enjoyment. So, taking the time to create space and find the sweetness in life is a great long-term strategy to avoid sugar. If the person is satisfied in all aspects of their lives, there is less reason to reach for the sweets when stressed.
2. Drink apple cider vinegar.
Apple cider vinegar helps to change your taste buds to the point where sugary foods taste too sweet. I have found people to crave less junk when they sip apple cider vinegar throughout the day.
3. Take the "sugar destroyer" herb.
Gymnema sylvestre is an herb in the milkweed family and known as a "sugar destroyer" in ayurvedic medicine, as it desensitizes our taste buds to sweet items. It can help promote healthy blood sugar levels and reduce cholesterol due to supporting a healthy pancreas and liver function. It helps regenerate beta cells in the pancreas, which secrete insulin in order to take up sugar into the cells for energy. It also helps make cells more sensitive to receiving insulin. We tend to crave sweet items when we're low on energy (perhaps not enough insulin or cells are resistant), stressed (increased cortisol causes the body to use sugar so we need to replenish), or poor sleep (also increases cortisol), for example, and gymnema helps balance spikes in blood sugar that could additionally be triggered by a poor diet. A few drops on your tongue before a meal can offset desiring sugar and last for about three hours, especially in conjunction with a nutritious diet and the desire to quit sugar. However, caution should be used if someone is taking oral medication or insulin, as it can alter prescription dosages.
4. Become a sugar detective.
One of the best ways to quit added sugar is to get really good at learning how to find it. Simply looking at the grams of sugar will not cut it since sugar can come naturally through dried fruit. The industry has gotten very good at masking sugar and calling it by other names. I usually teach my clients two important rules: 1) if it ends in "-ose," it's sugar, and 2) if it ends in "syrup" it's also a sugar. Some frequent ones that appear healthy but are still sugar are brown rice sugar, date sugar, and of course, sucrose, fructose, and lactose.
5. Know that sugar replacements won't satisfy your cravings.
Don't try to replace sugar with fruit and expect to be satisfied. Seltzer is not cola, and a banana is not a cookie—and that's totally OK. Let those non-sugar items be their own awesome things instead of consolation prizes, and take this opportunity to try new stuff and find something new you like. Rather than focusing on what you can't have, think about what you can have as well as some foods and beverages you've been curious to try. For example, maybe your colleague's favorite ginger tea always smells amazing, but you've been in a rut with your sugary coffee drink. Now is a great time to give something different a shot. You might find something you love, and the novelty can help distract you from sugar FOMO.
6. Eat almond butter.
The most helpful tip I know of for quitting sugar is to keep your blood sugar stable with almond butter. Keep a jar on hand at work, at home, and in your bag, and feed yourself a spoonful about a few times throughout the day. This will ensure steady blood sugar, warding off any blood sugar crashes that can make you go scavenge for a hit of sugar.
7. Train your taste buds to like bitter.
Train your taste buds to like the taste of bitter—it really does a lot to suppress the cravings for sugar. Try to eat as much plain, unflavored Greek yogurt as possible, in addition to bitter greens like watercress and bitter melon. Within 30 days, your taste buds will reset and you'll crave less sugar.
8. Add nature's candy to healthier homemade dishes.
Since most commercial dressings have loads of added sugar, our taste buds have been trained to crave a pop of sweetness in our salads. I used to add a handful of dried cherries or cranberries until I discovered that even those are usually sweetened further with fruit juice concentrates. Now it's all about that root-veg base. Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and parsnips become nature's candy when baked at high temperatures in the oven until crispy—hello, healthy fries! But they're also great for topping salads. Caramelized onions or crispy coconut oil fried shallots are another great sweet addition.
9. Eat fermented foods whenever that sweets craving kicks in.
I have the biggest sweet tooth, despite being a health food editor, and I've tried everything to eliminate my own (rather persistent!) cravings. I've found that fermented foods work best for me—a few tablespoons of sauerkraut, fermented beet, or a gut shot will quell a craving in seconds. Whether it's the friendly little bacteria eating those sugar-desiring yeasts in my gut or just the strong, sour flavor on my tongue, it's become my go-to. Just make sure your fermented product is raw (not pasteurized!), so all those good bacteria are intact.
DOPAMINE PATHWAY
Dopamine - the molecule of feeling good plays an equal role in our craving for sweet.
This molecule is released when you ingest sweet and a peak dopamine release is achieved with the first ingestion of sweet substance.
This peak is followed by a crash.
Once you have your favourite oreo shake, you feel a big win . On finishing the drink, sometime later- a feeling of crash (pain) arises , and this leads to a greater craving of the drink that brought that dopamine peak in the first place.
Ways to blunt the sugar spike-
•Consume foods that are high in protein and fibre to prevent blood sugar spikes. Protein and fibre both work to slow down the absorption of sugar into the body.
•Drink water: Water can aid in the body's removal of sugar, which can lessen the surge in blood sugar.
•Consume healthy fats: Healthy fats, such as those in avocados, nuts, and olive oil, can also aid in reducing the rate at which sugar is absorbed into the body.
•Consume food slowly to give your body time to absorb the sugar you are ingesting and prevent a spike in your blood sugar levels.
•Choose low-glycemic index foods: Foods with a low glycemic index, such as whole grains and legumes, are broken down more slowly in the body and can help reduce the sugar spike.
"The glycemic index is a way to measure how fast a food makes your blood sugar go up. Some foods, like candy, make your blood sugar go up really fast. But other foods, like whole grains and beans, make your blood sugar go up more slowly.”
Personal advice
•The order in which you eat your meal is important. for eg. eat protein first in a meal packed with carbs and fats.
•Maintain your protein goal as we discussed in our previous release. (1 g protein per kg of body weight)
•Stick to whole fruits rather than fruit juices - as the fibre content is lost in juices.
A side-note on fructose - fruit sugar
“eat more fruits and vegetables”
Fructose, which is a type of sugar found naturally in fruits and vegetables, has sometimes been blamed for contributing to the development of chronic diseases.
However, research indicates that the amount of fructose found in fruits and vegetables is relatively low when compared to other sources of fructose, such as high fructose corn syrup, and that eating these foods may actually help to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.Overall, as part of a healthy and balanced diet, it is important to consume fructose in moderation.
Summary
•Sucrose is made up of glucose and fructose, and when consumed, the body breaks it down into these components.
•A study with mice revealed that even when their ability to taste sweet was impaired, they preferred a bottle of glucose over water. This is thought to be due to the gut-brain axis and the ability to detect glucose presence.
•Dopamine release, which is associated with feelings of pleasure, also plays a role in cravings for sweet substances. However, the initial dopamine release is followed by a crash, which can lead to an increased desire for sweet substances.
•Fructose, a sugar found in fruits and vegetables, has been linked to the development of chronic diseases in the past. Consuming fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy and balanced diet, on the other hand, may help to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and should be included in the diet in moderation.
