Sometimes willpower is just not enough. Nobody’s immune from the thoughts of that chocolate bar calling to you from the cupboard! But changing your behavior around food can be a great start to breaking down those sugar cravings.

Cravings can be a good thing, as they can be a sign of an imbalance in your body. In Chinese medicine, they talk about the Yin-Yang balance which suggests if you’re eating too many Yin foods (sugar) you start craving more Yang foods like meat, and vice-versa.

How to stop sugar cravings?

Sugar cravings can occur for a number of reasons including lack of sleep or food. Have you ever felt that pull towards something sweet in the afternoon when you’re feeling a boost is needed? Sugar is what our bodies naturally go for when we need a quick energy lift, and we know it’ll give us that instant boost we need.

Eating a more balanced diet throughout the day and also more regularly can help keep your blood sugar stable and not cause that afternoon crash. Also getting plenty of sleep at night will help make sure your appetite hormones are working efficiently!

What deficiency causes sugar cravings?

Sugar cravings beyond the normal urge of fancying something sweet could be caused by zinc or magnesium deficiencies.

You can find Zinc in foods including almonds, oatmeal, chickpeas, beef, and pork and it can help you recover quicker from the common cold.

According to Harvard Health magnesium helps to regulate blood sugar levels. It’s quite common that most adults don’t get the proper amount of magnesium in their diets, but extreme deficiency is rare. Magnesium can be found in dark leafy greens, unrefined grains, and legumes.

3 healthy habits to start today

Creating healthy living habits doesn’t have to mean restriction or overthinking. Making small changes one at a time is a great step forward to sustainable changes that make a real difference. Here are three little changes you can add to your day-to-day routine.

1. Drink water: Sometimes we feel hungry or crave foods when we’re actually just dehydrated. Try to keep sipping water throughout the day. Take a bottle with you if you’re out and about or keep a glass with you at home or at your desk.
2. Eat more: If you find you get cravings mid-morning or late in the afternoon try eating smaller meals and spreading them out, or make sure you have a healthy snack to hand like fruit, some nuts, or carrot sticks. Everybody is different, some people can eat just three meals a day, while others need to eat more regularly. Listen to your body and take your cue from it. Keeping healthy snacks on hand means there’s less temptation to grab some processed junk food!
3. Healthy snacks: Try swapping your afternoon snack with a piece of fruit, an energy ball, nuts and raisins, or carrot sticks and hummus.