8 ways to reduce sugar cravings and eat less sugar

Most people know a high-sugar diet isn’t healthy — it’s linkedOpens in a new tab to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, cavities, and many other health problems. But that doesn’t make eating less sugar a cakewalk.

Eliminating sugar is hard. We’re wired to crave the sugary, hyperpatable treats that seem to follow us down every store aisle. 

While we can’t rewire our brains to stop craving sugar altogether, we can lower the volume on those cravings. It helps to understand the root causes and triggers, and then let that psychology plus a little science inform the environmental, habitual, and diet changes we can make to reduce the cravings. In this article, I’ll talk through 8 of those changes:

1. Stop the influx of sugar
2. Go low-carb
3. Get enough protein
4. Get more salt
5. Get enough sleep
6. Mind your environment
7. Ride it out
8. Use sugar alternatives

Before we dig into this list, though, let’s start by exploring the roots of sugar cravings. 

The Roots of Sugar Cravings

In past millennia, sugar cravings were useful. They encouraged our ancestors to scarf down sugary foods (like raspberries) and fatten up for times of famine. Humans even evolved a mutationOpens in a new tab that helped them store sugar as fat. The mutation provided a survival advantage, so now everyone has it! 

But while our genes haven’t changed much since paleolithic times, our lifestyles and environments have shifted dramatically. We’re now surrounded by sugar-laden foods and drinks, allowing us to constantly indulge sugar cravings and store fat reserves many of us won’t ever need to tap into.

So which physiological and psychological mechanisms make us crave and overeat sugar? Let’s look at four of them. 

#1: Dopamine

Dopamine is a chemical that gives you a pleasurable feeling. Your brain releases it as a reward to reinforce (and motivate) “positive” actions and behaviors, like checking something off your to-do list or taking a quick jogOpens in a new tab. The body rewards us with a hefty dose of dopamineOpens in a new tab when we consume sugar, motivating us to keep eating sugar and store up for leaner times. And who doesn’t want a feel-good pick-me-up?

#2: Blood sugar spikes and dips

Picture a kid eating candy, bouncing off the walls, then suddenly crashing (and getting hungry) shortly after. These spikes and crashes in energy resultOpens in a new tab from spikes and crashes in blood sugar. Put another way: Consuming refined carbs and sugar spikes blood sugar, and what goes up must come down. 

Worth noting: “Carb cravings” and “sugar cravings” are not exactly the same thing, but they’re close. Sugar is a type of carb, and it’s processed in the body quickly, leading to those blood sugar spikes. Other refined carbs like pasta, white rice, and bagels can cause similar blood sugar fluctuations and cravings, so a lot of this article applies to those “traditional” carb cravings as well. More complex carbs like fruits, tubers, and vegetables contain fiber that bluntsOpens in a new tab blood sugar effects and reduces cravings. 

#3: Hyperpalatability

Sugar is one of three ingredients (along with fat and salt) that makesOpens in a new tab a food hyperpalatable, or super-stimulating to our tastebuds. We’re wired to crave hyperpalatable foods (again, to stock up on the calories), so we overeat them. 

Super’s hyperpalatability is why food manufacturers put sugar in everything: soups, sauces, dressings, sugar-sweetened beverages, and more. The more we’re driven to eat these processed foods, the more we’ll buy. Sugary drinks alone may be the single most significant driverOpens in a new tab of the obesity crisis.

It’s also worth noting that sugar calories don’t fill you up. People who eatOpens in a new tab sugar before a meal consume the same amount of calories afterward as folks who ate a zero-calorie snack before — leading to eating more calories overall.

#4: Habit

Rituals dictate our eating patterns. If you eat a cookie every night at 9:30 PM, the force of habit will stimulate cravings as the clock approaches the appointed hour. The more you consume a flavor or taste (especially a sweet tasteOpens in a new tab), the more you desire itOpens in a new tab.

So, how do you stop desiring sugar? 

8 Ways to Reduce Sugar Cravings and Eat Less Sugar

Understanding the roots of sugar cravings helps you take steps to reduce them. The first tip below is the most difficult to implement, but also the most essential. 

#1: Stop the influx of sugar

Remember how sugar makes your brain release dopamine, motivating future sugar consumption? Getting off the wheel of sugar intake breaks the dependency.

Eliminating sugar won’t necessarily be easy (sugar withdrawal symptomsOpens in a new tab are a real thing). But don’t give up if you’re initially uncomfortable, moody, or headachy. Give it a day or two, and stay hydrated with water and electrolytes to ensure dehydrationOpens in a new tab or electrolyte deficienciesOpens in a new tab aren’t causing your symptoms. 

#2: Go low-carb or keto

Carbohydrates (especially sugar) are quick energy. When carbs are available, your body preferentially burns them over fat. Eating a low-carb diet trains the body to burn fat for fuel, reducing your body’s reliance on carbs. 

Low-carb is a squishy term, though. A low-carb diet can contain up to 26% of daily calories from carbs, while a very low-carb diet like the keto diet generally contains fewer than 10% of total calories from carbs. On a low-carb diet, you’ll burn a mix of carbs and fat. On a keto diet, however, the body is forced to run on fat (a state called ketosisOpens in a new tab). Becoming “fat-adapted” on keto takes time, but both low-carb and keto reduce your reliance on sugar (and carbs in general) for energy. Being in ketosis also reducesOpens in a new tab hunger hormones like ghrelin and neuropeptide Y. Less hunger means less overeating, often leadingOpens in a new tab to weight loss on keto. 

#3: Get enough protein

Speaking of hunger, protein is the most satiating macronutrientOpens in a new tab (calorie for calorie). It triggers hormones that make you feel full and stay full. As such, high-protein diets are well-documentedOpens in a new tab to reduce overall calorie intake and promote weight loss. As protein intake rises, sugar cravings should fall. 

#4: Get enough salt

Sugar cravings are often salt cravings in disguise. When rats are salt deficient, brain cells that typically fireOpens in a new tab to reward sugary tastes fire to reward salty tastes. And sugar withdrawal and sodium deficiency symptomsOpens in a new tab (headaches, moodiness, insomnia) frequently overlap.

If you’re going low-carb to abate sugar cravings, you’ll want to pay attention to your sodium intake. Low-carb folks are at higher risk for sodium deficiency because:

1. Whole foodsOpens in a new tab (typical fare for low-carb and keto folks) contain minimal salt
2. A low-carb diet increasesOpens in a new tab urinary sodium loss

Electrolyte drinks can help fill the gap. LMNTOpens in a new tab contains 1000 mg sodium and zero sugar — enough salt to make a difference, particularly in low-carb folks or sweaty athletes. Aim for the science-backedOpens in a new tab range of 4–6 grams of daily sodium and tweak from there based on lifestyle factorsOpens in a new tab; you can also get an estimate of your daily sodium needs with our sodium intake calculatorOpens in a new tab. 

#5: Get enough sleep

If you aren’t sleeping well, sugar will be irresistible. Why? Short sleep increases hungerOpens in a new tab and impairs impulse controlOpens in a new tab. In other words, you’ll be both ravenous and impulsive when your colleague brings donuts to work. Dangerous combo. 

Shoot for 7–9 hours of sleep per nightOpens in a new tab, and guard this time ferociously. Your body will thank you.

#6: Mind your environment

Proximity and convenience matters. If you’re surrounded by sugar, you’ll eat sugar. If you’re not, you won’t. Ideally, keep sugary foods out of the house so that it requires effort and intention to go grab an ice cream cone, rather than the convenience of grabbing the tub from the freezer. If family or friends bring sugar into your orbit, do your best to hide it. Or find a new roommate. 

#7: Ride it out

It’s a universal truth that no system, organism, or process stays stable over time. This insight applies to life, emotions, aches, pains, and — yes — food cravings. They ebb, flow, and stabilize throughout the day — even when you don’t eat!

Case in point: Researchers found 36-hour and 12-hour fasts affect levels of the hunger hormone ghrelinOpens in a new tab roughly equally. In other words, hunger doesn’t increase infinitely. So, if you’re craving carbs, hang in there, and don’t fuel the urge by eating more sugar. The intensity will subside.

#8: Use sugar alternatives

You can cut out sugar without neglecting your sweet tooth. SteviaOpens in a new tab, monk fruit, and allulose are all great zero-calorie sugar substitutes. 

Let’s Eat Less Sugar

Sugary treats seem to be around every corner these days, but that doesn’t mean we need to listen to our hunter-gatherer instincts and indulge at every opportunity. The more we reduce our collective sugar intake, the more our collective health will improve. It won’t always be a cakewalk in the short run, but the long-term rewards for health and reducing risk of diseaseOpens in a new tab are more than worth it.