21 Habits to Lose Weight and Look Younger: Add Foods that Curb Sugar Cravings and Reset Your Hormones (Part 2)

When working with female entrepreneurs who are struggling with sugar cravings and want to lose weight, I get lots of questions about foods that curb sugar cravings or foods that decrease sugar cravings, and one of my favorites, how to stop sugar cravings instantly?

I’ll start by saying something that may sound controversial. Sugar is good for you. I’m talking Natural Sugar here. The sugar that supports your body to absorb the nutrients it needs to be optimal. We find these natural sugars in fruit, vegetables and grains, among others, and they contain proteins, minerals and enzymes that work with our bodies for good.

Processed sugar, however, is a whole different ball game. And that’s the sugar craving many women want to curb. It doesn’t have the fiber, minerals and enzymes found in natural sugars and doesn’t add any nutrients to the body. It goes straight into the bloodstream and raises blood sugar, depletes energy and sucks the health, life and youth out of you.

That’s why Curbing Processed Sugar Cravings lands on our list for #2 of 21 Habits to Lose Weight and Look Younger.

Sugar Cravings Causes

For healthy, safe and sustainable weight loss, understanding the WHY of the constant processed sugar cravings is crucial before getting to the how to kick it part. And we’ll talk more about the WHY later below.

As for foods, it is also simpler to add in delicious healthy foods than to struggle with deprivation or diets that cut off major food groups. If you’re a woman entrepreneur with life, business, family and health on your busy plate, you may resonate with this scenario. Raise your hand if you’ve ever reached for the cookie or any other processed sugar treat at 3.30 or anytime during the late afternoon slump.

Everyone has a craving at one time or another for some type of food. While craving food itself is NOT bad, it can lead to unhealthy habits of eating foods that rob our bodies of the nutrients they need to get the job done. And let’s be honest. I’ve haven’t met anyone yet who constantly craves broccoli and asparagus. When was the last time you experienced intense sugar cravings right before your period or late at night and reached for some celery sticks?

In my experience, our cravings are not for healthy food. And the biggest culprit is, you guessed it, Sugar cravings. Those sugar cravings are not just falling out of the sky. There’s a reason your body desperately wants them and there’s a way to kick them to the curb for good.

The world is addicted to Sugar. And who can blame us? It shows up everywhere and it’s hidden in almost all packaged food, including so-called healthy foods from breakfast cereals to health bars to savory favorites like spaghetti sauce. If you’re wondering how to know where to find hidden sugar, read How to Read Labels and Detect Hidden Sugar.

Here’s the toothache truth for all of us women entrepreneurs. Adult American women eat almost 80 grams or 22 teaspoons of sugar every day, which is almost 4 times the recommended amount. The American Heart Association recommends that women consume or 6 teaspoons – 25 grams or 100 sugar calories per day.

Sugar Cravings and Your Health

Eating more than the recommended amount of sugar is linked to multiple health issues from obesity to diabetes, heart disease, tooth decay, chronic fatigue, poor sleep habits and hormonal imbalance. And excess sugar rapidly ages you; yes, it ages you faster than the crow’s feet visible on your face. I know because I’ve seen it over and over again and it happened to me too.

It’s no wonder women have so many health issues, struggle to lose weight and drown in hormonal imbalance symptoms. Here’s another scary statistic. Another to Fedup.com, 80% of the 600,000 items sold in grocery stores have added sugar. If you’d love to learn more about how Sugar Cravings and Sugar Addiction affect your hormones, read Sugar Cravings and Hormonal Imbalance: How Sugar Cravings and Sugar Addiction Affect Hormone Health.

Perhaps you’ve been dealing with hormonal imbalance symptoms related to sugar cravings and you’re searching for foods that decrease sugar cravings, or foods that cut sugar cravings. Or maybe you just want to find foods that give you energy or foods that reduce inflammation.

When it comes to our bodies, hormones run the show. That’s why understanding how sugar and food in general, interacts with our hormones is important to being healthy, maintaining a naturally healthy weight, looking younger and enjoying youthful glowing skin, having more energy and better focus, and balancing our hormones. As a busy woman entrepreneur, anything that messes with your hormones, messes with your business because your health is your business.

Why Am I Craving Sugar?

But First, it is important to understand WHY we have persistent sugar cravings. And I’m not just talking mineral deficiencies and the chronic stress. I’m referring to the root cause of the whatever we’re trying to cover up with sugar or junk food. Whatever discomfort we are trying to avoid by drowning in cookies and sugar lattes. The how to curb it part is just the band aid over the symptoms.

Without addressing the WHY, we stay stuck in a vicious cycle of overeating sugar – riding the sugar high – crashing and craving more sugar -raising our blood sugar and spiking insulin – storing more fat – sabotaging weight loss and a healthy body and causing more hormonal balance. Sleep. Wake Up. Repeat.

When we start digging into the WHY, clients create clever “willpower” responses like I skipped breakfast or I’m on my period or I only ate a salad for lunch. That’s fine and that may be the physical part that made you want the sugar fix, but it still doesn’t answer ‘Why am I really craving Sugar?’ I was a sugar addict for 44 years of my life and it wasn’t because I skipped breakfast or had a salad for lunch.

I’ve said this before and it’s worth repeating. The body always sends us signals and it’s up to us to listen before the dis-ease shows up. My sugar cravings were a signal that I was not dealing with my painful emotions. I was addicted to Sugar because it made me feel great when I was sad and allowed me to avoid the discomfort of feeling pain, emotional loss and dealing with unresolved guilt and anger. It ran deeper than this, but it’s a start.

Even with all the health challenges I was facing, I still overindulged. Because it made me happy and safe. That was my WHY, but I had to dig past my crappy (it’s pms or I’m stressed) stories I was telling myself and get to the truth. Only then was I able to finally stop eating processed sugar. I didn’t need to avoid the discomfort because I allowed myself to sit in it (without getting lost in it) and I no longer to “fix” my life with sugar.

My invitation to you today, if you’re looking for how to curb to curb this craving, is to get some support around the WHY so that the how doesn’t become another fix, like jumping from one diet to another and wondering why nothing ever works. For REAL support, check out the Quit Sugar and Glow Factor.

Foods and Habits That Curb Sugar Cravings

Now, let’s dive into different kinds of foods that curb sugar cravings and balance our hormones – without making us feel like we’re suffering or deprived, and we’re not stuck pushing salad and kale around our plates. No one needs that.

Before getting into specific foods, let’s talk creating healthier habits that will actually support you to eat foods that curb sugar cravings. For more on this read, 7 Habits to Curb Sugar Cravings for Good.

Eat Delicious Nutrient Dense Food

And by this, I mean consider eating whole food, real food. A lifestyle of eating meals full of proteins, healthy fats, healthy carbs, lots of fiber, fruits, and vegetables, or eating clean. This was the key to stopping my processed food sugar cravings in their tracks – after 44 long years. Real food keeps you full longer and you don’t get that insulin spike that has you grabbing another cookie in another low energy and brain foggy daze.

Protein sources like fish, eggs, nuts and beans and hummus fill you up faster, curb cravings and keep you satisfied longer than snacking cookies.

When it comes to fat, I tell my clients that fat doesn’t make you gain weight. Processed sugar is what makes you fat. And I’m talking healthy fats here. Fat supports you to balance your hormones and keeps you from craving sugar. Indulge in that yummy Avocado. It will help you glow and is one of the best foods to curb sugar cravings.

When you choose to eat clean, you’re focusing on eating nutrient dense whole foods or minimally processed foods that are made from REAL ingredients. This means that you’re eating foods closer to their original source, with little to no manipulation between the source of the food and your plate.

Nutrient dense foods have a ton of nutrients, taste delicious and are relatively low in calories compared to lower nutrient options like fast food. They include eggs, broccoli, wild-caught salmon, avocado, and sweet potatoes.

To learn all about clean eating and how to enjoy all the benefits, read 7 Clean Eating Tips to Lose Weight, Feel Great and Reset Hormones without Stress, Frustration or Overwhelm.

And if you’re looking for yummy recipes (including simple meal plans, shopping lists and a bonus food diary), then download my Free Guide, 4-Day Weight Loss, Metabolism Boost and Hormone Reset Guide (more details on the FREE gift below).

Drink More Water

Water can be a healthy alternative to other soft drink, juices and beverages that contain processed sugar. Water reduces cravings, balances hormones, reduces inflammation, balances blood sugar, flushes out toxins, and slows down signs of aging.

Stay well hydrated to lose weight naturally. When you are well hydrated your organs work at their best level, which boosts your metabolism and supports you to burn more calories quickly.

Experts say that it’s best to drink half your body weight in ounces every day. If you’re not a ‘water person, consider starting with 1 or 2 cups of warm water (with lemon slices or grated ginger) in the morning, and then slowly working your way to at least 6 more cups throughout the day.

Adding lemon slices, grated ginger or any of the other garnishes listed below will boost the taste and give you a great tool for ditching belly bloat, painful gas, indigestion, nausea, and other unwanted conditions. A few natural, simple, and clean flavors you can add include, Fresh lemon juice, Fresh lemon slices, Fresh ginger slices, Fresh mint leaves, Fresh cucumber slices, Fresh slices of pineapple or Fresh basil or cilantro.

Know Your Sugars and Learn How to Recognize Sugar in Disguise

Sugar hides in many labels and we need to be detectives. We know that added sugars are present in cookies and junk food. However, you can also find added sugar in many savory foods like pasta sauce, dressings, canned foods, cereal, protein bars, juices, yogurts, dairy free milks and even cans of salmon.

Why? To make it taste great and trick your brain into wanting more and more and more.

On a food nutrition label, you won’t easily find the hidden sugars in it. There are some manufacturers who add 74% of sugar to their packaged foods on grocery shelves in your local supermarket. So, while skipping dessert is a good idea, you may still be eating foods with even more sugar than a dessert. There are over 50 different sugars added to your food under hidden names. For the extensive list of hidden names and valuable information on how to read the labels and play detective, read, How to Read Labels and Detect Hidden Sugar.

Get Enough Sleep

There’s nothing like a good night’s rest. I cannot count how many women entrepreneurs, especially those struggling with hormonal imbalance or sugar cravings, tell me they toss and turn all night and must double up on sugar, caffeine and Tylenol just to get through the next day. A stressful day doesn’t translate to ‘I’m so tired that I’m going to fall asleep as soon I hit the bed.’ Sleep deprivation triggers sugar cravings. Lack of sleep leads to lack of energy, which leads to craving and loading up on sugar.

If you’re dealing with restless nights, then I invite you to take back control and make restful sleep a priority. Enjoying deep, restful sleep regularly slows down the signs of aging, repairs the body from daily wear and tear, reduces stress and renews your skin. It increases your energy, clarity and focus on your business, and helps you to make better, more profitable decisions.

Consider laying off the caffeine after 2pm and ditch your phone at least 2 hours before bed. Yes, that means no social media or late nights shopping on amazon. Relax with some evening yoga or meditation and/or enjoy some chamomile tea (or your favorite healthy beverage of choice). Create a regular sleep time pattern that works for you and your life and stick to it. You’ll kick sugar cravings to the curb, get more energy, look younger, feel calmer, have more clarity, and enjoy beautiful skin.

Foods that Curb Sugar Cravings

Apples (Yummy it up with a tbsp of almond butter). Apples are rich in chromium, which helps curb sugar cravings. Other foods rich in chromium are broccoli, oats, sweet potato, tomato, eggs, and green beans.

Nut Butter – Protein is a great way to stabilize blood sugar and lessen sugar cravings. Look for Nut Butters without the added sugar.

Steel-Cut Oatmeal– Rather than overeating simple carbs that break down into sugar and instantly spike blood sugar levels – think cookies, sugar cereals, muffins, etc., try good old steel-cut oatmeal, which is great for maintaining energy and decreasing sugar cravings. Add some fruit or flax seeds or both.

Cinnamon – is one of those spices that helps you control your sugar craving and end sugar addiction. It regulates blood sugar and minimizes insulin spikes that keep you in the vicious sugar, hormone imbalance and weight gain loop. Sprinkle it over applesauce, yogurt, or baked apples, or on anything healthy when the craving strikes.

Fruits – Avocado, Banana, Apples, Strawberries, Grapes, Blueberries, Raspberries, Grapefruit, Oranges.

Vegetables – Celery,Kale, Spinach, etc.

More – Eggs, Broccoli, Wild-Caught salmon, Sweet Potatoes and Olives.

Healthy Snacks

Always have healthy snacks on hand. Prepare a variety of healthy snacks that can help curb your sugar cravings or beat that 3pm fatigue slump.

Here are a few options to get your started today.

• Hummus with celery sticks

• An apple with almond butter

• Almonds, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds in a small bag – easy to bring to work or stash in your purse or car

• 1⁄4 cup raw seeds or nuts

• 1-2 Tablespoons sunflower seed butter, almond butter, hemp seed butter, or pumpkin seed butter on celery sticks

• 1 sliced cucumber with sea salt + a dash of cayenne

• Fresh figs + ½ cup dairy or non-dairy yogurt

• 1 apple, 1⁄2 banana, 1⁄2 cup grapes, grapefruit, kiwi, orange, pear, persimmons, or tangerine

• 1⁄2 avocado with sea salt + watercress + dandelion leaves

There you have it! A good start to adding in foods that curb sugar cravings to support you to lose weight and look younger in less than 30 days.

As always, please check with your doctor or physician before trying anything new with your (non) diet. What soothes one person may be hormone imbalance hell for another.

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