The most recent Australian Health Survey (2011-12) found that we Aussies consume an average of 14 teaspoons of free sugars, each day. A whopping 52 grams of this comes from added sugars and 7 grams from honey and fruit juice. Ninety percent of Australians were ignoring advice to follow a diet of less than five percent sugar, for optimal health.

We are a nation addicted to sugar and it’s not hard to see why. Sugar is everywhere – hiding in the grain-stuffed diets promoted by dietary authorities, and foods marketed as ‘low fat’, Ubered to our doorsteps in the form of our favourite fast foods and sweetening our daily chai …

Learning how to stop sugar cravings is vital. A 2017 study, published in the Lancet medical journal, founds that carbohydrates (sugar!) and not fats, are a major mechanism in the development of heart disease.

Why is sugar the villain?

The effects of a high-sugar diet are wide-ranging. You might consider sugar as something you can ‘burn off’ with exercise (hands up if you never follow through with that extra workout). Not so – weight gain is just the icing on the cake (pun intended) – an outward symptom of underlying chaos, caused by too much of the sweet stuff. Let’s look at sugar’s multiple ill-effects, and you’ll be eager to learn how to stop sugar cravings for good:

Sugar is Addictive

Our brains are hardwired to crave sugar. Our bodies can handle it in moderation but, in today’s world, sugar is present in most of our meals. We reach for convenience foods to get through our busy lives. Even the savoury kind contain excess sugar to distract you from how painfully bland they’d be without it. A Big Mac from McDonald’s contains 9g of sugar, or roughly a third of the recommended daily intake!

When humans eat sugar, the reward centre of the brain lights up like Christmas. Our strung-out brains be like: ‘me like sweet stuff, must get more!’. Surplus sugar increases dopamine production, which is associated with short-term reward. Once that short-lived sugar high troughs, the brain wants another hit. Eventually our junkie brains NEED another hit of dopamine to function, as excess has become the norm.

Cutting down on sugar can be a mental and physical battle – headaches, feeling rundown and moodiness are common. This is because you are recalibrating your body chemistry and rewiring your brain – no mean feat! It’s normal to reside in Struggle Town, while your body adjusts, but make no mistake – once you know how to stop sugar cravings, you’ll feel much better in the long term!

Science is still determining the effects of sugar on the brain, but this much is fact: sugar stimulates the same reward pathways in the brain as heroin. Some research has found sugar to be more addictive than its illicit counterpart. Marketing is deft at creating cultural norms – we would never give a child heroin, but we have normalised sugar consumption and give it to our children often. Although it is wildly unhealthy, parents who don’t give sugar to their children, are perceived as odd, or cruel.

Sugar gives a leg-up to harmful microbes

Excess sugar creates an acidic environment in the body. Krebs cycle metabolises dietary sugar into energy; the more carbohydrates pushed through this cycle, the more lactic acid we produce. A buildup of lactic acid leads to a change in body pH – an acidic pH allows pathogenic (bad) bacteria and fungi to flourish in the gut and impairs immune function. Forever falling ill? That’s a telltale sign of a sweet tooth, acidic insides and an off-kilter microbiome. Learn how to stop sugar cravings and you’ll enjoy greater wellbeing and quality of life.

Sugar drives inflammation

An acidic body is an inflamed one. A high-carb diet promotes an abundance of inflammatory, hormone-like lipids, called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are made at sites of tissue damage or infection and control processes, like inflammation, white blood cell production (to deal with infection) and formation of blood clots.

The metabolism of carbohydrates and proteins drives lactic acid production, but dietary fat does not. Hence, the big shift towards low-carb, high-fat diets, like paleo and keto. These are much more than fad regimes, rather, they are grounded in the science of human metabolism and what our species evolved eating.

Sugar uses mind control to keep you hooked

Excess sugar leads to high blood sugar, impairing how our brain cells (neurons) communicate. When your blood sugar dips, after a sugar high, you may feel confused, grumpy or agitated. People joke about being ‘hangry’, but our hangry episodes are a symptom of low blood sugar. Learning how to stop sugar cravings will curb that emotional rollercoaster.

If you’re addicted to the sweet stuff, you’ll be driven to get your next fix. Do you create social gatherings around high-sugar foods? Don’t feel full until you round out a meal with a saccharine treat? Perhaps, once you’ve had a hit of sweet, sweet candy you’re no longer hungry for nutritious food? You’re a bona fide junkie, my friend, and it’s time you showed sugar who runs things around here.

Sugar and weight gain

Your cells can accept only so much glucose (sugar) at one time, until they’re overloaded, which disrupts the body’s optimal functioning. If you continually max out the cells’ sugar capacity, they will eventually say ‘enough!’, diverting the glucose to your organs and abdomen to be stored as fat. It is well-established that this visceral fat is a precursor to heart disease and cancers; it contributes to a hardening of the arteries and impairs organ function. Yikes!

Sugar, insulin-resistance and diabetes

Insulin resistance and diabetes are diet-related – the root cause is excess sugar intake. The pancreas produces insulin to help your body metabolise sugar. When you eat too much sugar, for too long, your body becomes flooded with insulin. Your cells no longer recognise peaks in insulin, which alert them to the task of accepting glucose and converting it to energy. The cells need more and more insulin to perform their role and they are already bursting with glucose, so begin diverting it to dangerous places. Chronic insulin resistance will lead to diabetes. It’s a slippery slope – but you can reverse the process, at any time, by changing your diet.

Okay, so the sweet stuff is killing me softly, tell me how to stop my sugar cravings …

If you’re still with me, I know you’re serious about curbing your sugar intake and transforming your health. You don’t have to change your entire diet and you can still enjoy an occasional treat – it’s about introducing more of the right foods and subbing out refined carbs for blood sugar balancing goodies.

Add healthy fat to each meal

Healthy fats keep you fuller for longer, helping you avoid the need to seek sweets and, unlike carbohydrates, metabolising them won’t produce inflammation or lactic acid.

Opt for low-GI swaps

Start with simple swaps that won’t send your body into shock. Remove processed, white products and add in whole foods. Swap white bread and rice for sourdough spelt and wholegrain basmati rice. Instead of bingeing on a donut, break off a few squares of high-quality dark chocolate, like Pana. Sweeten coffee or tea with coconut sugar or stevia. Be wary of products labelled gluten-free, as many are high-GI. You needn’t remove gluten from your diet unless you are intolerant, or celiac.

Nutrients

Chromium, magnesium and vitamins B3 and B6 support stable blood sugar. It’s important to eat foods high in these nutrients, rather than supplementing. Some of us carry genetic variances, which cause supplements to produce negative effects in the body. Eating a well-balanced diet should supply your body with adequate nutrients. Supplements may be needed to support those who don’t properly absorb vitamins and minerals.

Exercise more

Aerobic exercise (sustained, low-impact training) causes your body to burn fat as fuel, releasing weight that your high-carb diet had you clinging to. Another benefit? Aerobics cause your cells to respond quickly to insulin, where excess sugar intake has impaired the insulin response.

It’s wise to avoid short bursts of high-intensity exercise when you’re recovering from unstable blood sugar. High blood sugar equals high amounts of lactic acid in the body, putting you at increased risk of injuries. Avoid heavy weight training and sprints, in favour of brisk walks, cycling and swimming. These types of activities increase the brain’s access to blood sugar, curbing its hankering for more.

Do more of what you love

Doing what you love increases serotonin in your brain. Serotonin keeps you content and makes it less likely you’ll crave sugar for a hit of dopamine. Catching some rays, grounding your bare feet in the earth, listening to waves crash, devouring a book, spending time with people who give you the warm fuzzies … Whatever lights you up, make time for more. Discover activities you enjoy, which don’t involve indulging in food and alcohol. Go for a hike, catch a yoga session, or plan a beach day with friends, instead of penciling in dinner and drinks.

The painless path to curbing sugar cravings

Now you know how to put a stop to your sugar cravings. These simple steps don’t sound too painful, do they? Start small, and when you’ve mastered one positive change, implement another and so on – the process needn’t be fraught with overwhelm. If you would like professional support on your path to better health, I’d be honoured to aid you in your journey. You don’t have to do this alone.

If you are concerned about your blood sugar levels and would like to learn more about how you can stabilise them for long-term health, please check out my new ebook The Balance my Blood Sugars Guide.