Why can't I STOP wanting sugar?!?!

Now, something that I've openly admitted before is that I'm a sugar addict. I'm an outright food addict, we know this. But I think what had me in so much denial about sugar is the same thing that has so many people in denial about sugar, is that you don't have to eat cake and sweet pastries every day to love sugar.

You can be the person that says, “oh, I don't really have a sugar problem” yet come Sunday lunch and you're the first one to dive into the pudding and then say, oh, you will only have a small piece because you don't really like sugar. Karen, I'm going to take the first stick of sugarcane I find and smack you across the head. You're in denial. And you being in denial is making me feel guilt and shame for the exact opposite.

Now hear me out. Most people genuinely enjoy sugar. It's an evolutionary adaptation that helped our ancestors seek out calorie-dense foods. While taste preferences do vary and some people genuinely prefer savoury or bitter flavours, the majority of us have a natural pull towards sweetness. If you find yourself consistently craving it, there's solid science behind why that happens, because sugar creates a dopamine loop. It's that simple. The more you get, the more you want. That's how it works.

Now, in calming the sugar craving, we've got to understand why we're looking for it in the first place. There are various reasons. The most obvious reason is it's a dopamine hit. It feels good. Many additives in food will have the same effect because they're designed to be that way, similar to MSG. It hits a receptor; it makes you want to come back for more.

Now, what could be driving that is anything from stress to a trauma response, or you just desperately want to feel good for whatever reason. It could also be influenced by your gut microbiome. High-sugar diets can shift the balance of gut bacteria, favouring species that thrive on sugar, which may in turn influence your cravings. Sugar also provides fuel for yeast like Candida, though in healthy bodies, multiple regulatory mechanisms usually keep yeast populations in check.

Think about it, kombucha, water kefir, even dairy kefir. What's feeding the bacteria but sugar? In milk, no, you don't add sugar into a dairy kefir, but the sugar in lactose. So, this is why I say coffee is sweet without sugar, depending on the type of milk you have, the sugar in lactose.

So yes, this runs very deep, right? But here is the happy part. You don't have to, like I said, eat five blocks of fudge a day to have strong sugar cravings or struggle with reducing your intake. But there are ways to minimize those cravings.

When we are moving from ultra-processed lifestyles to healthier ways of eating, more whole foods, often the sugars found in whole foods aren't creating the same loops as refined sugars would. I've said it before, you never saw anyone gain 50 kilograms eating boxes of mangoes. The fiber creates a buffer to a certain extent. Think of it as a net that slows down how quickly the sugar gets absorbed.

Dates are the same. If you use dates to sweeten desserts, which become time-consuming to make so you don't have them as often, you've got fiber to buffer the absorption of the glucose.

Now, when you talk artificial sweeteners and additives, and I'm going to paste the list of all of that, the research is mixed on how they affect cravings. Some studies suggest they may not fully satisfy the same reward pathways as real sugar, potentially leaving some people wanting more. Other research shows they can be helpful tools for reducing overall sugar intake. The effects seem to vary person to person, and science is still evolving. And this is what food scientists do, to keep you buying their product. It's math, it's science, it's marketing, it's business, it's profit. And now you know.

When they label says 'no added sugar' or 'sugar free', look for these sneaky replacements.

Aspartame, Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), Sucralose, Saccharin, Neotame, Advantame, Cyclamate, Stevia (steviol glycosides, Reb A, Reb M), Monk fruit extract (luo han guo, mogrosides), Thaumatin, Brazzein, Glycyrrhizin (licorice extract), Erythritol, Xylitol, Sorbitol, Maltitol, Isomalt, Mannitol, Lactitol, Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, Allulose, Tagatose, Inulin, Chicory root fiber, Oligofructose, Fructooligosaccharides (FOS), Galactooligosaccharides (GOS), Apple juice concentrate, Grape juice concentrate, Pear juice concentrate, Date paste, Date syrup, Raisin juice concentrate, Agave nectar, Brown rice syrup, Barley malt extract, Malt extract, Molasses, Treacle, Coconut sugar, Coconut nectar, Palm sugar, Panela, Rapadura, Jaggery, Honey, Maple syrup, Golden syrup, High fructose corn syrup, Glucose syrup, Fructose, Dextrose, Sucrose, Maltose.