Last month, in a viral Instagram video that came straight from her kitchen, actor Saumya Tandon claimed that she had given up sugar and all sugar substitutes, including honey and jaggery, four years ago. The diva shared, “I eat only fruits and dry fruits and sweets made from them. This is a game changer. Effort ! I will keep posting sweets without sugar/honey/jaggery and will assure you all that we can eat sweets without sugar also. Let me know what you thought. (sic).”
Surprising reasons for sugar cravings:
Responding to the same, in an interview with HT Lifestyle, Prachi Chandra, Lead Clinical Nutritionist at Sakra World Hospital, Bengaluru, revealed, “Food cravings, especially sugar cravings, are the biggest enemies of dieters. The type of food each person craves is highly variable. Most of us have a desire to eat sweets after eating. Generally, reaching for sweet snacks is often not due to hunger, but rather due to the desire to give oneself a temporary comfort, by consuming highly processed and tasty foods, especially sweets, which stimulate the brain’s reward system. and activate specific areas of the central nervous system thereby relaxing the body. A feeling of short-term relief, happiness and mood improvement.”
He highlighted, “‘Are we becoming sugarholics or sugar addicts?’ This is the question to be answered: It is okay to have sugar cravings occasionally but it is not a good sign to have sugar cravings when we are stressed. Magnesium deficiency is caused by eating foods that lack nutrients like fiber and protein or due to obesity, hormonal imbalance and poor gut health.
Prachi Chandra explains that WHO recommends that sugar consumption should be less than 10% of total energy – ~40 g for adults and ~30 g for children – per day. He further added, “The side effects of sugar consumption are weight gain, dental caries, cardiometabolic diseases, mood swings and hyperactivity in the child as well as gut dysbiosis etc. Sugar is consumed in the form of glucose, sucrose, fructose or starch (as found in sugar). , honey, jaggery or fruits) provide the same calories (4 kcal/1 gm), so eating honey, jaggery, brown sugar is the same from calorie perspective.
Life-changing tips to reduce sugar cravings naturally:
The nutritionist suggested, “It is a better option to include natural sugars from sweet fruits, vegetables like sweet potatoes rather than consuming ultra-processed sweet meat for the presence of some amount of fiber and micronutrients. “Free sugars are a source of empty calories and provide no nutritional benefits.”
To reduce sugar cravings, Prachi Chandra recommends trying these tips –
1. Include a variety of foods in the diet to get adequate amounts of macro and micronutrients and maintain gut health.
2. Avoid consuming foods that are processed and contain empty calories like chocolate, cold drinks, sweets, juices etc.
3. When cravings occur after meals, opt for naturally sweet seasonal fruits and vegetables like ripe sweet potatoes, pumpkins, etc.
4. Eat soaked dry fruits like raisins, dates, apricots, figs etc.
5. Drink plenty of water as dehydration can cause cravings.
6. Eat small and frequent meals and healthy snacks.
7. Exercise regularly as it releases endorphins that help reduce stress-related cravings.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions you may have about a medical condition.
