Many people suffer from sugar cravings. It is that feeling when a bar of chocolate appears in our minds eye and we want to devour one right away. People who suffer from sugar cravings usually have diets that contain a lot of food made of refined sugar, processed food and fast food. Sugar cravings are also linked to deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals.

In extreme cases certain people may have a condition called hypoglycaemia. This is a condition where the body’s blood glucose level is very low. People who have this condition crave sugar even more and over time this can lead to serious health complications.

The problem with eating too much refined sugar in your diet is that it causes an imbalance in your blood sugar levels. It can create this seesaw effect that when you eat a candy bar or a slice of cake your blood sugar level shoots up giving you a quick energy boost. The only problem is this energy boost is short lived. Your blood glucose level suddenly drops, making you feel tired and lethargic. This will make you crave even more sugar to get a boost. This turns into a vicious circle where your blood sugar levels reach extreme highs and lows.

The only way to stop this happening is to cut out sugary and processed foods from your diet and replace them with healthier alternatives. This can be done the cold turkey way when you cut out all sugar from your diet immediately. This way you will probably feel more side effects. You can be less extreme and gradually wean yourself of the sugar over a period of 2 weeks.

As you wean yourself off your dependency on sugar you need to introduce healthier foods in to your diet. These foods need to be high in nutrients, vitamins and minerals to balance and regulate your blood. Particular minerals that help with balancing the blood and reducing sugar cravings are iron, manganese and chromium. These can be taken as liquid supplements are naturally in green leafy organic vegetables.

Other foods that can help you stave off those sugar cravings can be found in foods that are high in wholegrain and vegetables. Particular good ones are sweet potatoes. These are a root vegetable but unlike the common potatoes they are orange in colour and are low in starch. They also have a sweet taste and taste absolutely delicious when they are roasted in the oven. Even though they are called sweet potatoes they actually do not increase your blood glucose level and therefore, help to lessen your sugar cravings.

If you have a health condition or you are on medication always seek the advice of doctor before making any changes to your diet