Health Coaching Tips to Reduce Your Sugar Cravings

Our last two blog posts discussed how sugar impacts our bodies, the different types of sweeteners and the importance of reading labels to see how much and which types of sugar you’re consuming daily.  With Halloween and all its temptations just around the corner, today we’ll tackle sugar cravings.

Read to the end of this blog for our quick and easy breakfast recipe to help you start your day with protein and avoid the blood sugar rollercoaster.

Why We Have Sugar Cravings

Do you regularly feel the need to eat something sweet? Do you reach for chocolate after lunch? Is an after-dinner dessert a nightly habit? Sugar cravings can be linked to glucose highs and lows, fatigue and poor sleep, stress and even digestive issues if your microbiome is out of balance. Since uncovering microbiome imbalances is a more in-depth conversation, being aware of lifestyle and eating habits is a great place to start unraveling your sugar cravings. 

How to Reduce Sugar Cravings

Whenever you’re trying to make changes in diet and lifestyle, the number one strategy is to be aware of your body. If you find yourself reaching for something sweet, ask yourself if you’re feeling hungry or are you thirsty, tired, bored, sad or distressed?

If you’ve determined that you are hungry, eat protein or a savory food first. Protein slows down glucose absorption and can help you stay full longer.

If you decide that you’re bored, get up and move your body. Go for a walk, play an instrument, pick weeds, organize your closet. Anything to get your body moving and distract your mind.

If you are stressed, take 3 slow and deep breaths. This simple activity will activate your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) to calm your fight-or-flight instinct. Using a meditation app, like Calm or Insight Timer, for just a few minutes will activate your PNS even more.

Change your Breakfast to Reduce Sugar Cravings

Breakfast matters.  Start your first daily meal with protein, not sugar. Eating refined carbohydrates, such as bread and cereal, or adding sweeteners to drinks in the morning can spike your glucose and send you on a glucose-insulin rollercoaster for the rest of the day. Eating protein first helps slow the absorption of glucose into the blood stream because it takes longer to digest. This keeps you from getting on the “rollercoaster” in the first place which helps balances mood, energy and cravings later in the day. Giving yourself or your kids a protein-heavy breakfast on days when candy and/or treats will be offered can help reduce the amount of carbohydrates consumed.

To do this, you may need to change your thoughts about “breakfast” foods. Cereals, breads and pastries contain refined carbohydrates and start the glucose rollercoaster. Healthy protein ideas to eat in the morning are:

• Eggs:
  • Hard-boiled
  • Fried in olive oil or butter
  • Combine with vegetables into a large frittata or small egg “bites”
• Cantaloupe slices wrapped in prosciutto
• Chicken or turkey sausages
• Quinoa topped with berries, nuts, seeds and nut butter
• Organic plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt (if you’re able to tolerate dairy)
• Meat and vegetable “hash”
• Leftovers from last night’s dinner

Be sure to choose high-quality protein sources as much as possible, including grass-fed, wild-caught and organic items. Get creative by looking at your food items through a different lens, not as specific breakfast, lunch or dinner ingredients, but as nutrients for any time of day.

See below for a recipe for Quick & Easy Breakfast Skillet.

Other Tips to Reduce Sugar Cravings:

• Eat more bitter or sour foods to balance the sugar taste buds
• Drink herbal tea that offers a sweet flavor but won’t spike glucose: rooibos or fruit flavors
• Eat whole fruit for more fiber, vitamins, mineral and antioxidants
• Get better sleep
• Resolve digestive symptoms
• Work with our Health Coach, Jill, to engage in a 10-day “no sugar” reset.

Be patient with yourself when trying to reduce your sugar intake. As we explained in this blog series, sugar and sweeteners are prevalent in our society. We consume them to make ourselves feel good, whether we’re celebrating a birthday or distressed over a job loss. Sugar can and should have a place in our lives, but it’s up to us to make the choice on when and how to consume.

Quick & Easy Breakfast Skillet 
Servings: 3 – 4  

Bell pepper, red or green, chopped into 1” pieces 
½ yellow onion, diced 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
½ purple or green cabbage, finely chopped 
1 carrot, shredded 
1 andouille or Kielbasa sausage, sliced into ½” medallions 
Salt and pepper to taste 

1. Heat a large skillet and cook sausage until lightly browned on both sides, then remove from pan. 
2. Add bell pepper and onion, sauté 3 – 5 minutes until they start to get soft. 
3. Add cabbage, garlic and shredded carrots and continue to sauté another 5 – 8 minutes until vegetables are softer but still slightly firm. 
4. Add sausage back to the pan and stir to incorporate; add salt and pepper to taste as needed. 
5. For more protein, add a cooked egg when serving; or for a vegetarian option replace sausage with eggs. 
6. For a shortcut, buy a coleslaw mix that contains cabbage and carrots already shredded.

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Need Help?

If you need help to stop the glucose rollercoaster, consider purchasing our Health Coaching Package to help get you started on your wellness goals. Click here for more Health Coaching information.

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