5 Foods to Help You Quit Added Sugar

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Not all sugar is created equally.

Sugar is a type of carbohydrate that when combined with fiber, like in fruits and vegetables, has a lower glycemic load and consequently doesn’t cause spikes in blood sugar.

Added sugar, on the other hand, like white sugar and what’s found in refined carbs (affectionately known as junk food), acts quite differently. This is because added sugars are just sugar, no fiber, which has a high glycemic load, causing a rapid increase in blood sugar, followed by a sharp crash.

Added sugar is an addictive substance.

The more you eat it, the more you crave it. As a result, your tolerance for sugar increases, meaning you require more of it to satisfy the craving. If you’ve ever wondered why you used to be satisfied with just one piece of chocolate a day but now you need a whole bar every day, this is why.

5 Foods to Reduce Sugar Cravings

Now you might be thinking, what about artificial sweeteners?

Believe it or not, artificial sweeteners don’t actually reduce sugar cravings.

Just like with sugar, artificial sweeteners stimulate the brain’s reward system, releasing dopamine when consumed. The more you consume it, the more you crave sugar, thus creating a vicious cycle.

Moral of the story is, avoiding artificial sweeteners can help you reduce sugar cravings and quit sugar.

Try these 5 foods instead to help you quit added sugar and take back your life.

1. Protein!

It takes our bodies a long time to properly digest and absorb protein.

As a result, we stay full longer and have more stable blood sugar, meaning no ugly blood sugar crashes to leave you feeling miserable and craving sugar and junk food.

Consuming anywhere from 0.36 to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day can help keep you full between meals and reduce cravings. I aim for at least 20-30 grams of protein at each meal.

Good sources of protein include:

Eggs
Meat
Fish
Cottage cheese
Greek yogurt
Skyr
Nuts
Legumes

Just make sure they don’t contain added sugar! Yes, even the meat. You’d be surprised how many things have added sugar.

These are my favorite high protein snacks:

17 Healthy High-Protein Vegan Snacks

15 High-Protein, Low-Calorie Snacks to Gain Muscle and Lose Fat

2. Fermented Foods

You ever eat a pickle and still crave a cookie?

The same can be said for other fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, and kefir. Just a couple bites and there’s no way in h-e-double-hockey-sticks you’re still in the mood for something sweet.

The flavor alone is enough to stop the sugar cravings, but they also have the added benefit of probiotics, which help fuel the good bacteria in your gut.

The more you feed the good bacteria with fiber and probiotics and starve the bad bacteria by not eating sugar and junk food, the less you’ll crave sugar.

And even better? These are considered zero-calorie foods!

As always, I *highly* recommend reading Fiber Fueled to learn all about gut health (but in a fun, easy to understand way). It gives you a tremendous appreciation for how much your gut health influences the rest of your health.

3. Fruit

Fruit is literally nature’s candy.

I know exactly what you’re thinking: “But I’m craving chocolate and cookies and ice cream. Fruit just isn’t the same!”

And I hear you. Because I’ve said the same exact thing to my husband so many times, I’m surprised he hasn’t shoved a piece of fruit in my mouth to shut me up.

It’s true, fruit is not in the same ballpark as those things, but it also doesn’t cause blood sugar imbalances, plague you with insatiable cravings, cause you to overeat, and make you feel like garbage.

That’s because fruit contains fiber, vitamins, and minerals to go along with the natural sugars, which not only helps fill you up, but also slows digestion and helps keep blood sugar stable.

The more you resist the refined sugary treats and choose fruit instead, the less you’ll crave the junk and fruit will become more appealing.

Just watch out for juice — it does not contain fiber and often times contains added sugar. Stick to fresh, frozen, or canned fruit with no added sugar.

4. Dates with Peanut Butter

I am not talking about a romantic occasion accompanied by nut butter. I am talking about the fruit.

If you’ve never had a date before, you are seriously missing out.

While dates are great on their own, it’s best to combine them with either nuts or nut butter to slow digestion and prevent unstable blood sugar levels. Which is great news, because that’s basically a snickers bar.

The fiber from the date, combined with the protein and fat from the nuts, all help lessen the impact the sugar in the dates has on your blood sugar. More stable blood sugar means you don’t have a blood sugar spike followed by a crash that leaves you craving more sugary and fried foods.

5. Naturally Sweetened Drinks

Keyword here being *naturally*.

Diet sodas do ❌not❌ count since they contain artificial sweeteners.

If you enjoy soda or other flavored beverages that contain sugar or artificial sweeteners, that’s basically like drinking straight sugar (and most likely caffeine as well), which just makes you want them even more.

Yes, even your coffee.

If you’d rather die than drink plain water all day, try these healthier alternatives instead: