Sugar addiction is a real, physiological condition, where the body craves and demands sugar, much like a drug. It's not simply a lack of willpower or personal preference that's to blame. Consuming sugar triggers a dopamine release in our brain's reward center, making us feel good, and setting the stage for addiction to set in.

Over time, we can develop a tolerance to sugar, needing more of it to get the same feel-good effect. The consequences of this addiction can be far-reaching, from obesity and diabetes to heart disease and even mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

The tricky part is that added sugar is not just found in obvious places like cakes, cookies, and candies. It's hidden in many foods we wouldn't suspect, like bread, pasta, sauces, spices, crackers, chips, protein bars, protein powders, keto bars, and even salad dressings. This ubiquity of sugar in our diet makes it incredibly hard to avoid even with our best of intentions.

For those on the sugar addiction spectrum, hidden sugars even in small amounts can trigger cravings. It keeps our minds and bodies in a perpetual state of desiring sweet-tasting foods and drinks. Over time, this wears us down and we relapse. We return to the obvious forms of sugar and feel terrible. Like we failed our diet, failed ourselves. It is extremely common for individuals caught in sugar’s seductive grip to end their day in shame, regret and guilt about their food choices. Slips and relapses can damage our self-esteem, driving us back in the direction of our favourite sweet comfort foods. Ugh!

What is The Ketogenic Diet?

The ketogenic diet, or keto for short, is a low-carb, high-fat diet that has gained popularity for its potential health benefits, including weight loss, improved brain function, and even disease prevention. The human body is able to burn two forms of fuel. One carbohydrate, the other fat. A metabolically healthy body is metabolically flexible. It can burn both carbs and fat and easily switch between the two sources.

After a meal, the body burns carbohydrates first, then transitions over to burning fat. This includes our body fat, keeping us within a healthy weight range. Unfortunately, most people eat so much refined carbohydrate at meal times and as snacks that there is an excess of sugar surging our bloodstream, leading to high insulin levels. Insulin shunts sugar into our cells and converts excess sugars into fat. Insulin tells the body to stay in carb-burning mode and to NOT burn fat for fuel. It shuts off our fat-burning and switches on fat storage.

Keto is a low-carb therapeutic nutritional and some would argue medical intervention that by limiting carbohydrate consumption forces the body to burn fat for fuel instead. By drastically reducing carbohydrate intake the body enters a metabolic state called ketosis, where it burns fat for energy instead of glucose. It takes time for a metabolically damaged body to become fat-adapted but once it is that is where many benefits will be experienced.

Keto is not just about cutting carbs though. It's about replacing carb-rich foods with healthy fats and quality proteins. This includes avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, dairy products, fish, and pasture-raised animal meat. It also includes plenty of low-carbohydrate vegetables such as leafy green veggies such as spinach, cilantro, lettuce, chard, beet greens, parsley, etc., and modest amounts of lower-carb veggies such as peppers, broccoli, etc.

Like all dietary approaches, the ketogenic diet is not a one-size-fits-all. It can be tailored to individual preferences, health goals and lifestyles. It's also not a quick fix, but rather a long-term lifestyle change that requires incredible commitment, patience and self-discipline. Over time it gets easier and the benefits typically make staying Keto desirable. 

“The thought of going back to how you felt before Keto becomes so unappealing that staying the course seems like a no-brainer for most people”, says Florence Christophers, a Certified Health Coach with expertise in sugar addiction recovery. “As hard as getting into Ketosis and staying low carb is it is so much harder to go back to foods that make us feel horrible. In short, the memory of past misery drives continued compliance to keto principles.”

The Link Between Keto Diet and Sugar Cravings

When you first start a keto diet, you might experience what's known as the "keto flu", a period of withdrawal symptoms, including sugar cravings. This is your body's reaction to the sudden drop in sugar and carbohydrate intake. These cravings can be intense and often lead to people giving up on the diet.

However, these cravings are temporary. As your body adjusts to burning fat for fuel, the cravings will subside. In fact, many people on a keto diet report a decrease in their overall appetite and a diminished desire for sweets. The keto diet can actually help combat sugar addiction by stabilizing blood sugar levels and reducing insulin spikes that lead to cravings.

“The keto diet”, says Florence “is not a magic bullet for resolving an addiction to sugar. All addictions require a whole-person approach. Sugar addiction is no exception. But for some going keto can be a game-changer.”

Common Causes of Sugar Cravings

There are several reasons why you might experience sugar cravings on keto. One common cause is not eating enough. When you're hungry, your body naturally craves quick energy, which often comes in the form of sugar. Another reason could be a lack of sleep. Lack of quality sleep can increase your hunger hormone (ghrelin) and decrease your fullness hormone (leptin), leading to increased cravings. Dehydration can also lead to cravings.

Sometimes, our body confuses thirst with hunger, causing us to reach for a sugary snack when what we really need is water. Lastly, stress can trigger cravings. When we're stressed, our body releases cortisol, a hormone that can increase our appetite and specifically our cravings for sweet, high-carb foods.

Are Keto Desserts a Safe Solution to Curb Sugar Cravings?

Indulging in seemingly healthy keto desserts, made with low-carb sweeteners and high-fat ingredients, pose a risk to long-term keto and sugar addiction recovery success. Even though low-carb sweeteners do not spike blood sugar, they can trick the body into thinking that sugar is coming driving a rise in insulin levels. High insulin levels can block fat burning and create a low glycemic state characterized by cravings, fatigue, lightheadedness, irritability and anxiety.

“Many individuals starting out on the keto path, discover that keto treats can keep their craving for sweet tastes alive and drive them back to processed sugars”, states Florence Christophers, a certified health coach with expertise in sugar addiction. “They can intensify their desire for the real thing”.

Low glycemic and artificial sweeteners can also cause overeating, crowd out healthier nutrient-dense food options and act as a crutch. Not to mention some sweeteners such as aspartame may cause neurological harm.

That said, for some people keto desserts can be helpful in the early days of getting fat-adapted. A keto treat is much better than sugary alternatives and can help those who are at risk of giving up on their keto journey to stay the course. Ideally over time, these low-quality and risky food choices are minimized or eliminated.

“Ultimately, the best approach for sugar addicts is to focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods that naturally curb cravings, rather than relying on keto desserts as a substitute for the real thing,” states Christophers. “It is safer and healthier.”

8 Best Practices to Combat Sugar Cravings On Keto

The keto diet can be an effective tool in combating sugar addiction, but it's not a standalone solution. It requires a comprehensive approach.

The following 8 strategies can help you combat sugar/carb cravings which is the #1 roadblock to long-term keto success.

1. Eat a balanced diet. Eat lean proteins, healthy fats, and low-carb vegetables at every meal.
2. Stay hydrated. Drink enough to have your urine run clear or mostly clear all day.
3. Get enough sleep. 7-9 hours is ideal.
4. Learn to manage stress without turning to food. There is an ocean of relaxation techniques that can be more helpful than food in calming your nervous system.
5. Plan and prepare your meals in advance
6. Slow down. Way down. You can only do so much in a day. Feeling rushed and pressured leads to food thoughts. Say no more often, draw boundaries, do less and delegate.
7. Keep keto-friendly snacks on hand for when cravings strike. If you choose to indulge in a keto dessert, make it a rare one-off.
8. Consider professional support or joining a group that can guide you forward and cheer you on.

CONCLUSION

Keto is not for everybody, but for some, it offers near-miraculous benefits. Unfortunately, going keto can be challenging. In the early weeks and months of becoming fat-adapted, individuals can struggle with sugar and carb cravings and consume foods that block ketosis (fat-burning) leading to intense feelings of frustration. Ironically, keto snacks and desserts may be a part of the problem (although for some they can be tolerated).

Follow the advice shared here and before long you will find your cravings have disappeared and you can determine for yourself how your body responds to being in ketosis and whether your experimentation with keto will be a short-term nutritional intervention or a long-term way of life.

If you are looking for more information about the benefits of avoiding sugar, sugar addiction and the keto diet, check out the free 9th Annual KickSugar Summit from October 16-23, 2023. It features 50+ interviews with world experts. It is free and online.