Managing Sugar Cravings for a Good Mood

Is “SUGAR” public enemy number one?

Should we be avoiding or “Quitting” all sugar?

Is there a way to reduce cravings for sugar?

It seems that sugar has been lumped into one category in the minds of a lot of us and that category could be summed up as the “Bad” category.

Today we are going to look at what sugars to avoid and which ones to include for improving mental wellbeing and we will also look at managing sugar cravings.

You would have seen or heard of many schools of thought around sugar such as :

– All sugar is bad, and we should avoid it completely.

– Sugar doesn’t affect mood.

– Sugar causes diabetes.

– Sugar always gives you energy.

– Sugar leads to weight gain.

Well the truth from a science perspective is that there is some truth in all of these statements but you can’t lump all of it into the sugar is “bad” category.

To understand why this is the case we need to understand a bit about sugar, as not all sugar is equal.

Simplified Categories of Sugars

To keep it brief we will divide sugars into 3 categories.

Natural Sugars: Sugars that are found naturally in food such as in our fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains and dairy. We will call these our “Natural sugars” as they are naturally present in the food.

Natural sugars or carbohydrates are found in these foods

Added Sugars: Sugars that are added to food that are highly processed, we will call “Added sugars”. This could include white sugars, raw sugars, coconut sugar, rapadura sugar, brown sugar, monk fruit sugars and stevia. They are all sugar that is used to add sweetness to a product. You will often find them in a lot of processed foods, drinks, cakes, biscuits and desserts.

Artificial Sweeteners: Then the third group we will consider are the “Artificial Sweeteners”. These are created through chemical extraction and processing techniques to give us the sweetness of sugar without the excess calories associated with other sugars. They are divided into 2 categories as well. Some of these are known as Non-Nutritive Sweeteners meaning zero calories. Others are nutritive, which means they do have calories, but they are often quite low. Researchers continue to look into the effect of these on our health and our mental health.

Some of these, especially Aspartame may have detrimental health effects and it may be safer choosing a different option until we know more. Generally speaking, most artificial sweeteners are safe to use. There are quite a few that will cause an upset stomach in large doses, so remember moderation is still a good rule of thumb.

There is some debate about whether using these can increase sweet cravings. This is not proven, but I would also caution that it would be wise to choose less foods that are sweetened beyond the sweetness of fruit. The higher the palatability or desirability of a food, the harder it is stop eating it. It also may mean that the person having it is not hungry for the more nutritious foods.

Breaking down the myths:

Is All sugar bad?

Our body does need sugars, which are a carbohydrate, for energy production. The trick is choosing ones that are beneficial.

You should have noticed by now that not all sugars are bad for us. Those that are in the Natural Sugars category do provide energy and nutrients that our body absolutely needs. One of the main issues is that we will often have too much of the added sugars in our diet. The key is to identify the natural sugars and focus more on these and having less of the added sugars.

Does sugar affect our Mood?

Well, yes and no. One of the ways that sugar can affect our mood is through energy peaks and troughs. These peaks and troughs occur to a greater extent depending on the types of sugars you are consuming. Sugar that is part of a natural food product like fruit, milk, vegetables etc, contains other factors that slow down the absorption of the sugars, which then results in lower peaks and troughs in energy. With these you should have a more consistent amount of energy over time. This is the ideal situation. Your mood will be less affected in this case.

If you are having highly processed foods and sugars, these can be absorbed very quickly and result in very high peaks and then sudden drops in energy. Both extremes can affect your mood due to energy levels.

Research has also linked highly processed foods, which includes added sugars and artificial sweeteners, to anxiety and depression (1). The reason for this effect is not entirely clear and a lot of research is currently underway to understand this. One of the reasons might be related to the reduction in the nutrients that we get through eating whole foods rather than highly processed foods. Highly processed food won’t have the abundance of nutrients that you get from whole foods (foods that have had very minimal or no processing). Our neurotransmitters and hormones rely on these nutrients to do their job. So if we are not eating enough of them we may be depleted in certain vitamins and minerals and thus our mood may drop.

Does sugar cause Diabetes?

Sugar doesn’t cause diabetes, but too much sugar can lead to weight gain and it is the weight gain that can affect the production of insulin and then lead to diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is not in the same category and it is not related to weight gain.

Does sugar give us energy?

We have already talked about how sugar gives us energy. The type of sugar will determine if it is sustained energy or not.

Does sugar lead to weight gain?

Excess sugar can lead to weight gain. But as you would expect, there is way more to the puzzle than just sugar. Think about metabolism, muscle mass, fats, timing of meals, fibre content and the list goes on. Even too much natural sugars can lead to weight gain.

3 Strategies to reduce sugar cravings

If you regularly have sugar cravings and feel a pull towards the added sugars, or a sense of addiction to it, there are steps you can take to minimise this pull, while still satisfying the sweet cravings. Here are a few ideas and options to move to better sugar choices.

1. The “All In” option: I know for some people they prefer to completely stop having added sugars in their diet and swap to natural sugars. This can be a good option. After a week or so, of doing this, many people find that the sugar cravings lose their grip and are not as difficult to resist. You can find sweetness in fruits – fresh or dried. Also, try finding recipes that use fruit or veggies for sweetness like my French Toast recipe or Pumpkin Pie Parfait. The main question you should ask yourself is “Can I sustain this forever?”. If you don’t think you are ready for a complete lifestyle change like this, a better option is to move to a gradual approach.
2. The “Gradual” option: For those that want a more gradual approach to reduce sugar cravings, again use fruit for sweetness, but don’t be afraid to add a little bit of maple or honey or other low GI sweetener. Have a look at my list below for other sugar choices. You could also consider an artificial sweetener that you feel comfortable with if you need a bit more sweetness. Another option is to slowly reduce the quantity of sugar you are adding to food. For example if you use a heaped teaspoon of sugar in tea or coffee, reduce it gradually until you get to the level you are happy with.
3. The “Simple swaps” option:
  - Swap some of the high sugar foods for low sugar options. You will likely need to check the ingredients list of any pre-made foods. If some form of sugar is one of the first few ingredients, it is likely to be high in sugar. See my list below for other names for sugar. Look for some sweet food options that are not super high in sugars like dark chocolate to help with cravings. With chocolate, the darker and less sugar added the easier it is to stop eating it. Also offer some fruit that is pre-cut and ready to eat with a few pieces of dark chocolate. It will still look like a treat, but it will be doing good, not harm. Mango and vanilla yoghurt is a delicious Summer time snack that for some people will hit the spot. A few roasted nuts like almonds, will add some texture and crunch as well as adding protein and fibre, making it more satisfying for longer.
  - Also swap the type of sugar you are currently using in cooking to a lower GI option. Again, see my list below.

I hope this has given you a few ideas to start with. If you would like to share what has worked for you to reduce the sugar cravings, please leave a comment. You never know, your idea might be just what someone else needed to hear!

Sugars that I use.

My list of sugars that I am happy to use in small amounts based on the Glycemic Index rating (2) are: :

Coconut sugar (GI of 54 – just in the low GI range)
Honey (GI ranges a lot but some low options are Ironbark 48, Pure Capilano 58, Jarrah Platinum 46, Stringy Bark 44, Yellowbox 42% fructose 52, Yellowbox 46% fructose 35)
Pure Maple Syrup (GI of 54)

There are other potential candidates for low GI sugar but most of them don’t have an official GI rating. I have seen some low numbers for Agave Syrup, but no references as to where the numbers came from. The ones I have given you are from the University of Sydney Glycemic Index Research and GI News.

Other low or no GI sweeteners will include most of the artificial sweeteners and the natural non-nutritive sweeteners (which just means they give you virtually no calories). They are also listed below.

For your reference:

Low GI is less than 55.
Medium GI is between 56 and 69.
High GI is 70 or over.

Other names of sugar

Other names of sugar you may see on ingredients lists on packaged food in Australia are:

Agave
Brown sugar,
Coconut sugar,
Cane sugar,
Corn syrup,
Dextrose,
Fructose,
Fruit juice concentration,
Glucose,
Golden syrup,
Honey,
Maltodextrin,
Maltose,
Maple syrup,
Raw sugar,
Sucrose

Click here to see how to read food labels.

Sweeteners Found in Australia: (3)

The numbers below are a code that you may see on a label that may be used instead of the name.

Natural Non – Nutritive Sweeteners (zero calories)

Stevia (960)
Monk Fruit

Stevia and monk fruit

Artificial Non – Nutritive Sweeteners (zero calories)

Acesulphame K (950)
Alitame (956)
Aspartame (951)
Cyclamate (952)
Neotame (961)
Saccharin (954)
Sucralose (955)

Nutritive Sweeteners (do contain calories)

Isomalt (953) – may have a laxative effect
Erythritol (968) – may cause diarrhoea, wind and bloating if eaten in large amounts.
Lactitol (966)- may cause diarrhoea, wind and bloating if eaten in large amounts.
Mannitol (421)- may cause diarrhoea, wind and bloating if eaten in large amounts.
Maltitol (965)- may cause diarrhoea, wind and bloating if eaten in large amounts.
Sorbitol (420) – may cause diarrhoea, wind and bloating if eaten in large amounts.
Xylitol (967) – may cause diarrhoea, wind and bloating if eaten in large amounts.
Polydextrose (1200) – may have a laxative effect if eaten in large amounts
Thaumatin (957)

Final thoughts:

Making dietary changes can be a challenge. I would suggest that you keep an open conversation going to help your family understand why you are introducing changes to what they will find in the pantry. Try to get some buy in from everyone who will be affected by the changes you are introducing. If they see that it will benefit them in the long run by say, helping with concentration, or just help them have the energy and emotional benefits they desire, they may understand and want the same thing. If you can’t get their support, remember who does the shopping. If they want to buy their own food it is up to them (I am not talking about the extreme selective eaters here. You will still need to supply some of their “safe” foods).

If you need further support or guidance, feel free to book in for a consultation or join my Private Facebook group where you will be able to ask questions of me and receive support, in a safe environment.