The first job of any nutritionist is to identify the reasons for a craving or unhealthy eating habit. In the case of sugar binging, it could be:
- Not eating properly, which results in low blood sugar and causes cravings
- Sleep deprivation, which makes you go for sugar for a quick surge of energy
- Emotional stress can cause some people to treat sugar like a vice
The danger of indulging your sugar cravings regularly is that it causes a spike in blood sugar, followed by a release of insulin, and then an energy crash. This cycle significantly increases fat storage, and could potentially cause insulin resistance.
Luckily, it’s easy to beat sugar cravings with a few simple lifestyle changes:
- Eat a meal or snack every 3-4 hours, made up of about 25%-30% fat.
- Get on a consistent sleep schedule, and take steps to ensure that you’re getting both the quality and quantity of sleep your body requires
- Do regular physical activity or meditation to relieve stress
- Throw out all of the sweets in your kitchen, and ban them from your home. Sugar cravings often come on strong but pass quickly, which means you’re more likely to resist if there isn’t a sugary snack immediately available.