7 Habits to Stop Sugar Cravings Now for Good

I’m feeling curious. Do you have a sweet tooth? How many times a day do you crave sugary foods, sugary drinks or processed food? Are you constantly wondering how to curb your sugar cravings or obsessed with stopping sugar cravings?

Before we talk about stopping sugar cravings, let’s just start by saying Natural Sugar is good and a healthy part of the Grown Women Eat Real Food Life. This article on 7 Habits to Stop Sugar Cravings Now for Good is about stopping Processed Sugar and Processed food cravings. Its’ not about avoiding real foods like bananas, mangoes, blueberries, carrots or sweet potatoes. Your body knows how to process Real Food.

I wish I had a dollar for every “stopping sugar cravings” email I get asking How do I stop sugar cravings for good and how do I curb sugar cravings instantly? These are the top two sugar cravings questions I get from women entrepreneurs who want to create the ultimate freedom from sugar cravings and processed foods.

Natural Sugar and Processed Sugar

Remember that we’re talking about processed sugar cravings here (this includes artificial sweeteners and common sugar alcohols). Natural Sugar is great for you because it supports your body to absorb the nutrients it needs to be optimal. We find these natural sugars in fruit, vegetables, and grains, for example, and they contain proteins, minerals and enzymes that do our body good.

When it comes to stopping sugar cravings, processed sugar, however, is a whole different ball game. 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.

The Quit Sugar and Glow Factor

To be honest, I had these same “how to stop sugar addiction” questions when I was at the height of my 40-year sugar addiction. As you know from my personal sugar story, it took me 40 years to quit processed sugar for good and release all the unhealthy hormonal imbalance symptoms right along with it. I’ve been there and I know the damage it causes.

I quit sugar cold turkey and almost died from the side effects (yes, sugar addiction is real and the side effects and withdrawal symptoms are very real). This is why I have developed a holistic, healthier, results-driven and proven approach to support women who are fully committed to being healthier and stopping sugar cravings for good – The Quit Sugar and Glow Factor. It’s the healthy ticket to ultimate freedom from Sugar and Processed Food Cravings.

In my world, it seems like every woman entrepreneur I know is dealing with intense sugar cravings at 3pm or mid-afternoon. But it’s not just women entrepreneurs who are familiar with the non-so-sweet side of processed sugar.

At my last Quit Sugar and Glow Workshop, I hosted women entrepreneurs from all walks of life – doctors, attorneys, teachers, sales professionals, business coaches – who were all struggling with diabetes, hormonal imbalance, chronic heart disease, high blood pressure, premature aging, dry skin, acne, migraines, chronic fatigue, insomnia and unwanted weight gain, all because of the side effects of sugar cravings (and Starbucks).

Perhaps you too can relate to at least one of these sugar cravings aka sneaky weight gain and hormonal imbalance culprits sabotaging women.

Sugar cravings at night.

Sugar cravings before period.

Sugar cravings during period.

Sugar cravings on Keto.

Sugar cravings during pregnancy.

Sugar cravings after quitting alcohol.

Add a cookie partridge and a sweet pear tree and the sugar cravings list would be complete.

And if you’re anything like many women entrepreneurs I work with, then you’ve probably already tried (twice) dieting, cutting out real food, depriving yourself of major food groups, punishing yourself, or doing all of the things you’ve been told are the “how” for stopping sugar cravings.

Yet, nothing has worked so far.

Processed sugar is a one of those toxins that has been linked to insulin resistance, unwanted weight gain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, irregular moods and anxiety for starters. While natural sugar is great, unfortunately, the body normally craves highly processed sugar and foods that feed our sweet tooth. When was the last time you craved carrots?

Sugar Cravings: Why We Crave Sugar and Processed Foods

Cravings are NOT bad. Like anger, they’re just a message from our body that it’s time to listen and give it what it needs. These cravings aka messages show up when we stop listening to our daily body signals and ignoring our body wisdom. So why do we crave sugar and processed food?

Eating Un-Balanced Meals

When we cut out major food groups and eat too much of one thing and less of the other, or skip meals, our bodies send a message that it lacks some nutrients to maintain balance. I’ve seen many women entrepreneurs who experience sugar cravings on Keto, for example.

I understand that busy-ness and unnecessary stress are the new black, but as women entrepreneurs we need to avoid skipping meals. Most women entrepreneurs experience a sugar crash around mid-day or 3pm when the extreme fatigue, headaches, moodiness, and low blood sugar kick in.

We don’t do ourselves any favors when we choose to skip meals in favor of the latest emergency on the to-do list. We end up binging on sugar cookies or chips or Starbucks latte sugar concoction to “get us through the next client call” or meeting. This a significant contributor to high cholesterol, crazy blood sugar issues, hormonal imbalance, unwanted weight gain, dry flaky skin and premature signs of aging.

Dehydration

Not drinking enough water is one of the biggest culprits for extreme sugar cravings. During my sugar addiction, I noticed that if I was dehydrated I had up to 15 times my then-normal sugar cravings. Dehydration sometimes feels like hunger, so drinking one or two glasses of water can give the body the healing it needs at the time.

Avoidance

I know I have done this and many women entrepreneurs I work with experience this too. When we try to avoid the REAL ISSUE and eat our feelings, we crave something to comfort us. We’re definitely not going to reach for the broccoli or celery at this time. We want something that’s going to give us an extreme high – high enough to mask and cover the boredom, anger, stress or emotional rollercoaster.

Hormonal Imbalance

This is one of the most common reasons for sugar cravings. Some women experience sugar cravings during periods or sugar cravings during pregnancy, and even during menopause. Fluctuating estrogen and other hormone levels cause processed food cravings like chocolate, chips, and for me, it was pouring pure white sugar directly down my throat.

So, what gives? How do we stop processed sugar cravings for good, eat healthier, live longer and be happier without spending all day in the kitchen or spending money on expensive, cardboard meal plans that don’t satisfy us?

Let’s dive into 7 Key Habits to Curb Sugar Cravings

Stopping Sugar Cravings Habit #1 – Mindset, Self-Love and Self-Care

Mindset and Self-Care are perhaps the most important keys to stopping sugar cravings and curbing sugar addiction for good.

Most of the things we hear when working on curbing sugar cravings don’t really help. I know women entrepreneurs who’ve tried to everything to curb their constant cravings. They’ve tried to essential oils or spent weeks searching online for the best tea to curb sugar cravings.

When I was at the height of my addiction, I worked out, I took the warm bath, I ate the cookie and still wanted more. So, I ate the whole box and the entire bag of chips, I meditated, I prayed (for the wrong thing), I took hot showers and then cold showers and did jumping jacks. I gave up chocolate for 12 hours. I avoided the dessert aisle in the grocery store. I did All. Of. The. Things. And none of them worked.

I did everything, but invest the time and energy to take care of myself and shift my mindset to create better habits and better health. At the time, I honestly didn’t know that my sugar and junk food cravings were just messengers. I didn’t realize that my body was merely putting me on notice. And that in fact, I NEEDED my sugar cravings because it was the only way to know the engine wasn’t working. I know. I know. Needing sugar cravings sounds counter-intuitive to what we’re trying to accomplish here but hear me out.

Because I wasn’t taking care of my mind and body, the sugar cravings were the only way I could check in with my body. The red light I needed to really see what I was avoiding. What was making me so angry, so bored and so stressed. The things I was avoiding that led me to sugar. The emotions that sugar helped me to mask and cover up so that I could function at work, in life and in my relationships.

It wasn’t until I chose to really tune in to the cravings and listen to my body that I created the mindset shifts necessary to thrive and be healthier.

Over the years, I had developed the habit of overeating sugar and processed foods- orange juice, cereal, bagels, potato chips, cheese curls, any kind of milk or almond chocolate, all candy, etc., when I was bored, emotional, angry, stressed or scared. I had convinced myself that that it’s not safe to feel angry or have emotions, and I used sugar and processed food to sugar coat my “sensitive” feelings.

Sugar and processed foods were my mask to show up “like I got it all together” without having to really feel and be vulnerable.

I decided that before rushing to find the next magical Stop Sugar Cravings in 21 days program, I had to learn how to BE OKAY with my feelings AND handle stress in healthier ways.

And I took the time to learn how to process my emotions and face the things I was avoiding; the conversations I was scared the have, the boundaries I was scared to create, the unhealthy habits I had to let go of, so that I could think clearly, breathe, meditate, pray and live fully, aka create outrageous joy in my life without unwanted weight gain, anxiety, pre-diabetes, insomnia, brain fog, fatigue, depression and fibroids, endometriosis and other consistent hormonal imbalance.

Bottom line?

Before you chase the next Stop Sugar Cravings hypnosis program or spray or magical unicorn Stop Sugar Cravings pill or supplements or tea, I invite you to Be honest and identify what you really want. Peace? Joy? Love?

Identify and address the Why behind your sugar and processed food cravings so You can BE FREE.

Stress fuels sugar cravings. Learn how to handle stress in healthier ways. This is imperative and non-negotiable. Healthier ways of navigating stress create better hormone balance. Healthier ways to deal with stress prevent the Cortisol hormone from going up and screwing up the other hormones (including Estrogen) – adding more fat to your tummy area and adding unwanted weight.

Focus on how you let stress affect you, NOT how much stress you have. Create stress reduction habits like hydration, mirror work, meditation, gratitude journaling, breathwork, visualization, walking through nature, playing with your pet, taking a warm bath or shower, or whatever works for you. I invite you to consider working with a coach to create the powerful belief system that supports your thoughts to take the actions and create the low stress life, health, body and business you want is key. It’s true that our thoughts create our reality, but Mindset, Belief and Identity work hold the key to this transformation.

Make a Conscious decision to Be healthier. Believe that you’re worthy and deserve to live a long, full, and fabulous life. Without making decision and commitment, sugar and processed foods will always be your crutch.

Be patient, kind and compassionate with yourself and take (consistent) naturally nourishing small steps. Remember that small hinges swing big doors.

Focus on adding in, rather than deprivation (you’ll see how below). Deprivation is the first step of self-sabotage.

You can find a few of the Mindset and Self-Care practices (prayer and meditation, journaling and visualization) I use daily in my freebie. Get it FOR FREE right here.

Stopping Sugar Cravings Habit #2 – Add In (Eat More) 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 fog daze.

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

When it comes to fat, it’s important to know that healthy fat is not the weight gain culprit. Processed sugar is what makes women gain unweighted weight. Healthy fat support your body to balance hormones and keeps you from craving processed sugar. My go to fat pleasure is Avocado with wild-caught salmon. Avocado, salmon and sweet potatoes curb my sugar cravings and help me glow.

When you choose to eat clean or real food, 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.

Real Food Formula = from God to 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.

Nourishing real food supports you to Ditch the Diets. Don’t skip out on your healthy fats and quality proteins. “Fat-Free” or “Low Fat” is just code for added sugar and sodium. Incorporate more healthy fats from whole foods including avocados, fish and nuts, which feel you up and keep cravings away and support your body to do its job.

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

For more information on nutrient dense foods that help curb sugar cravings, read 21 Habits to Lose Weight and Look Younger: Add Foods that Curb Sugar Cravings and Reset Your Hormones (Part 2).

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).

Stopping Sugar Cravings Habit #3 – Add In (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.

Don’t confuse dehydration for sugar cravings. Stay well hydrated. When you are well hydrated your organs work at their best level, which boosts your metabolism and supports you to burn more calories quickly, supporting healthy weight loss and maintaining a naturally healthy weight.

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.

Stopping Sugar Cravings Habit #4 – Know How to Read Labels and Find Hidden Sugar

We know sugar hides in many labels and sometimes we need to be detectives just to be healthy. It’s no secret that added sugars are present in cookies and junk food. If you’re trying to cut out sugar by skipping dessert. Here’s the real toothache.

You’ll find added sugar in many savory foods like pasta sauce, dressings, canned foods, cans of salmon, and in your morning cereal, granola, protein bars, juices, low fat yogurts, smoothies, sports drinks and dairy free milk. Hidden added sugar is what makes cutting out sugar more challenging than it needs to be.

Why do we have hidden sugar in everything? To make it taste great and trick your brain into wanting more and more and more. Plus adding processed sugar, additives and preservatives help extend the shelf life. Have you ever wondered why some things don’t expire for months or even years????

How long will fresh apple last on your counter? A few days? How long will processed apple sauce or dried sweet apple last? 100 years? If it’s designed to last forever, how is your liver supposed to process it? Give your liver the break it needs to naturally detox your body and be PURE – create Perspiration, Urination, Respiration and Excretion.

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 might sound like 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 Find Hidden Sugar. You’ll learn how to detect hidden sugar like you’re Columbo.

Stopping Sugar Cravings Habit #5 – Add In (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, curbs cravings, 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.

Stopping Sugar Cravings Habit #6 – Add In (Get) Regular Exercise

Regular exercise not only helps you curb cravings and lose weight, but it also strengthens and tones, as well improves your overall health. It’s finally time to get that body moving, strong and fit.

Yes, even with all the great nutrition, sleep, water and self-love, you still NEED to add in exercise that is pleasurable and fun for you (this is important for consistency and thriving).

Why? Because working out is vital to your digestion, keeps you healthy and strong, kills belly bloat, keeps you looking and feeling younger, gives you clearer skin and more energy, and you lose unwanted weight.

You’ll also sleep better, lose the backaches, ease cramps and pelvic pain, and enjoy sex more. So, pull out your sneakers or yoga clothes and get your heart pumping for at least 30 minutes a day with movement (dance, yoga, walking), or exercise (running, climbing, jumping) or HIIT and strength training (best for increasing muscle mass, boosting your metabolism, and balancing those pesky hormones).

Here’s the workout problem that stalls weight loss for most women entrepreneurs, especially women over 40. The type of exercise you do MAKES A DIFFERENCE. And, just doing exercise and not changing anything else makes it harder to reset your hormones and lose the unwanted weight.

Let’s talk about the types of exercises that work best. I invite you to focus MORE on muscle building exercises aka resistance training for at least 15 minutes a day. This includes body weight workouts like push-ups, planks, and squats. These build muscle tone, which burns calories 24-7 without spending all day in the gym or on a treadmill or bicycle. They are also great for creating a flat tummy.

Feel free to use weights if body weight workouts are not your cup of tea. Switch up your resistance training and gain some cardio benefits too.

Bottom line? Choose the movement that works for you and start (after consulting with your physician, of course). Intentionally move your body for 20-30 minutes every day to cut stress, boost your energy, and improve your sleep.

Stopping Sugar Cravings Habit #7 – Add In More Fruits, Vegetables and Dark Leafy Greens

How much fruit and veggies per day help with stopping sugar cravings? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only 1 in 10 adults meet the federal fruit or vegetable recommendations.

The CDC notes that “[d]epending on their age and sex[,] federal guidelines recommend that adults eat at least 1½ to 2 cups per day of fruit and 2 to 3 cups per day of vegetables as part of a healthy eating pattern.”

Add natural sugar with sweet fruits and vegetables like apples, mangoes, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, onions, apricots, blueberries, and strawberries during your regular meals.

Not only will you curb sugar cravings, but you’ll also increase your chances for maintaining a naturally healthy weight and lower the risk for chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

One of my favorite parts about adding more fruits, veggies and dark leafy greens is the added fiber. Whether it’s in your favorite smoothie, celery juice or your go-to Kale salad, or just anytime, the fiber in whole produce gives you a happy gut and improves your mood. And keeps you full longer, which is a key part of stopping sugar cravings.

Aim for at least 5 servings of fruits, veggies, and dark leafy greens every day with your clean eating lifestyle. Incorporating this into your clean eating meal plans will support you to be healthier.

Bonus Mindset Tip for Stopping Sugar Cravings Now

I’ve got to be honest with you. Your relationship with Sugar or Cookies or Lattes or any kind of processed food AND your relationship to your body is way more powerful than you might believe. Relationship is the root.

These two relationships impact your health and your life even more than the Sugar or processed food of choice that you eat or drink. Whatever beverages or foods you’re craving and eating or drinking are just outward manifestations of what’s really going on inside. Your relationship to your body (your health) lasts a lifetime and is the longest relationship you’ll ever have.

So, while these small shifts like drinking more water, eating healthier snacks, and laying off the processed foods are important, the MOST important thing is your MINDSET. What you believe when you relate to food and your body is the key to creating a healthier life and body, and is more important than what you eat or drink.

Grown Women Eat Real Food. So, I invite you to connect with the truth of what your body is asking for. This is the not-so-secret secret to help you lose the excess weight for good, maintain a naturally healthy weight, balance your hormones, look and feel great naked, look younger and enjoy your best and healthiest life yet.

Is NOW right time for you to stop processed sugar cravings for good? Learn more about the MiMi Mindset Quit Sugar and Glow Factor.

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