How to Stop Sugar Cravings: Everything You Need to Know

You’ve probably been told to avoid sugar by your parents, your dentist, and your coworkers. Though it seems like overkill, the truth is that too much sugar can affect your health. There's a reason why everyone and their brother is talking your ear off about how they gave up sugar for New Year’s!

But it's easier said than done. Sugar is in everything. So how do you kick the silent killer without rigorously scanning the back of every cereal box for its sugar count?

It won't be easy, but following some of these tips might make avoiding sweeter treats come more naturally. Whether you want to curb sugar cravings for your health, weight, teeth, or something else, we have the best tips on cutting cravings and feeling better. 

What Causes Sugar Cravings?

We know humans can develop a dependence on sugar, and some even say it's an addictive substance. What does that mean exactly? When most people mention sugar as addictive, they're referring to the cycle of eating or binging, experiencing withdrawal, and craving more. The withdrawal effects of cutting sugar cold-turkey or coming down from eating high amounts of sugar can give you fatigue, headaches, and poor mood, some of which match up with withdrawal from a drug. Anyone who's ever tried to quit sugar entirely will tell you how lousy they felt for the first few days.

Sugar cravings can also stem from blood sugar imbalances. Low blood sugar is your body’s way of telling you to eat, but when you immediately jump to a sweet or starch, your blood sugar may jump, which will cause it to quickly get low again. It's also easy to mistake thirst or hunger for a need for sugar, especially if you're used to filling up on sweet foods.

Last, consistent sugar cravings can be a sign of more serious issues. We always recommend discussing your health concerns with a doctor to find a cause and rule out any other conditions.

How to Stop Sugar Cravings

Now that you know why you might be craving sweets, learn how to halt those cravings. When you're working on avoiding sugars, sweets, and starches, it's important to remember that you may experience withdrawal. Take it one moment at a time, and remember that you'll feel better in the long run.

1. Nourish Your Body

First things first, examine your diet to see where you're missing nutritional foods. It may be that you're not getting enough protein, causing you to get hungry more quickly and immediately reach for the sweets.

Make sure you have enough protein in your diet, specifically meat, poultry, and fish, and good fats from nuts and avocado, which can give you those healthy omega-3 fatty acids. You can also opt for better, more natural sugars: fruits (especially berries), sweet potatoes, and dark chocolate are a few easy ones.

If you find yourself struggling to pick the right foods, try an OnMi Healthy Weight Patch. Formulated with brindleberry, yerba maté, bitter orange flower, and arabica green coffee, the patches are designed to transport long-chain fatty acids to help you feel full and give you enough energy to make healthy choices.

2. Drink More Water

It seems like every piece of health advice involves drinking more water, but it does make sense. In the case of sugar cravings, you may be feeling thirsty and mistaking the sensation for a need to eat. That's when you head to sugar to fill an empty belly. Next time you find yourself reaching for a saccharine snack, drink a glass of water. It might be the reset button you need to make a better choice and kick your cravings.

3. Head to the Gym

Like drinking water, exercise is every wellness coaches' favorite suggestion. And like hydrating, exercise might be a helpful reset for you to make a better snack decision. One small study found that just 15 minutes of walking reduced the hunger for sugar in particular. Starting a daily exercise regime is an excellent choice for a long-term solution to sugar cravings while also helping you beat the urges right when they arise. Struggling to start your workout? Put on an Energy Patch in the morning to boost energy with natural caffeine sources.

4. Get Better Sleep

When you sleep poorly, you're more likely to make unhealthy decisions in other areas of your life. Bad sleep affects everything, from your stress levels to your working memory, and that includes your healthy food choices.

To see how better sleep can affect your cravings, try maintaining a stricter sleep schedule to get to sleep at the same time every night, start an exercise routine, avoid using your phone before bed, and be careful about drinking coffee in the afternoons. If you’re still waking up tired, a Sleep Patch might be the extra help you need.

5. Lower Your Stress

For many people, the connection between stress and sugar cravings is cyclical. Stress causes cortisol levels to escalate, increasing cravings. Simultaneously, eating sugar can change cortisol levels during stressful periods.

Similarly to poor sleep, high stress levels cause you to make harmful decisions for your health, making you even more stressed. It seems pretty unfair, right? We understand the impact of stress on full-body wellness, which is why our team designed the Relax Patch, offering a blend of naturally derived ingredients chosen to reduce symptoms caused by stress and help soothe your body and mind so you can tackle your cravings.

6. Opt for a Crave Less Patch

We know cravings are something everyone deals with - and they’re tough to kick. Our Crave Less Patch is designed to help you combat cravings with brindleberry, rockweed, oarweed, and green tea extract. Feel more focused, energized, and satisfied so you can knock out cravings and make healthy choices all around.

Curb Cravings with OnMi

Sugar cravings are natural - everyone feels cravings off and on. But that doesn't make them fun. If you feel like cravings are getting in the way of making healthy eating decisions, affecting your self-image, or causing you stress, it could be time to change your routine.

The patches we offer at OnMi might be what you need to help block cravings and feel supported in your healthy lifestyle. Try our Crave Less Patch, Healthy Weight Patch, Energy Patch, Sleep Patch, or Relax Patch to deal with sugar cravings at the source, whether that's experiencing stress or feeling unfocused.

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