How to Stop Sugar Cravings Naturally

Constant sugar cravings present a difficult obstacle to a healthy diet. Finding yourself reaching for candy bars, doughnuts or other sugary treats is both demoralizing and detrimental to diet or exercise efforts. Sugar cravings have a biological cause -- the need for energy from sugar. If you have excess sugar in the blood, your body promotes an increase in insulin and absorbs glucose into cells. The rapid decrease in glucose causes the body to crave sugar to replenish sugar levels. You can stop sugar cravings and prevent rapid fluctuations in your blood glucose levels.

• 1

  Eat regular meals to ensure that your blood sugar is replenished at set intervals. Make a note of what and when you eat; if necessary, adjust your mealtimes to accommodate a busy schedule.

• 2

  Ensure that your diet contains a balanced mix of complex carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, fats and minerals. According to the UCLA Health Services Department, proteins and fats take longer to digest, so you feel full longer. Complex carbohydrates also take longer to digest and enter the bloodstream as glucose.

• 3

  Reduce the amount of caffeine in your diet to lessen or eliminate sugar cravings. Caffeine increases insulin in your body in order to absorb blood sugar into cells. The Kansas State University Counseling Services Department recommends no more than one cup of coffee in the mornings.