Sometimes people on a Keto Diet may still find that they are craving sugar. There can be many reasons why you may still crave sugar on a keto diet.
Being on a keto diet should help you not to crave sugar. But some people who are on a keto diet may still crave sugar. There could be many reasons you still crave sugar, including eating hidden sugars in your foods and drinking too much diet soda. Or your keto diet includes too many carbs, or you are addicted to sugar.
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You Are Eating Hidden Sugars
Many people on the keto diet claim they are no longer eating sugar, but in reality, they are eating a lot of hidden sugars. Many foods you purchase in the supermarket are labeled keto friendly but may not be sugar-free.
Here are some ways that people on a keto diet may still be eating sugar:
- Eating processed foods that still have a lot of hidden sugar.
- Drinking milk which contains a lot of sugar.
- Buying candy that says Keto candy but is not sugar-free or keto friendly.
- Drinking sweetened almond milk which has a lot of sugar.
- Eating fruit that has a lot of sugar.
Any of these things can keep the sugar in your system so that you continue to crave sugar.
Drinking Too Much Diet Soda
Diet soda is usually allowed on a keto diet, but drinking too much diet soda will affect your sugar craving. Many of the sugar substitutes in diet sugar will trigger your sugar cravings.
If you are doing everything right, try to cut out diet soda and see if your sugar cravings will go down. Here are a few things you can try to drink instead of diet soda:
- Plain Water – Water is a great natural resource, so you should drink much water on the keto diet.
- Soda Water – If you want something with a bubble, try to get used to plain soda water. It is a healthier alternative to soda.
- Soda And Lime – One of my favorite drinks is soda water with freshly squeezed lime juice. The Thais are masters at this kind of lemonade. You can learn to omit the sugar, or if you feel you need a bit of sugar, add a bit of monk fruit that will not trigger your sugar cravings.
- Sparkling Water – Sparkling water is also a great drink, and today there are many choices at the supermarkets.
As you can see, many choices exist instead of drinking diet soda. Any of the drinks above are better for you than diet soda.
Listen To Our Podcast About What Does It Mean If You Crave Sugar On Keto? by clicking here.
You Are Eating Too Many Carbs
Sometimes when we are on a keto diet, we will underestimate the number of carbs we are eating. This is very true if you are not in ketosis.
Here are some ways that you can learn if you are eating too many carbs:
- Check Your Ketones – One of the easiest ways to do this is to check your ketones. If your ketones are over 0.5, you are in ketosis and are not eating too many carbs.
- Count Your Carbohydrates – Just like counting calories; you can also calculate carbohydrates. You can get a program like MyFitnessPal that will also show your carbohydrate intake for food.
If you are eating too many carbs, your body produces sugar, which can easily trigger your sugar carvings.
You Are Addicted To Sugar
It can be that you are addicted to sugar. At least 75% of all Americans are addicted to sugar. That means you have a 3 in 4 chance of being a sugar addict.
Chances are you are addicted to sugar, and it is an addiction you will need to learn to overcome, just like an alcoholic will need to overcome alcohol consumption.
Your craving may not be cravings due to the keto diet but maybe a sugar addiction. Most people have some sugar addiction, some worse than others, but a considerable portion of the world’s population struggles with sugar addiction.
If you are addicted to sugar, you need to also deal with your sugar addiction. If you stress about sugar, drive out of your way to get sugar, dream about sugar or have a hard time walking past your favorite candy bar or sugary treat in the grocery store, there is a chance you are addicted to sugar.
Bakeries, cookie stores, and even grocery stores know this. That is why they often pipe out the smell of their cinnamon buns or cookies while baking. They know that when you smell that smell of a cookie baking, it will trigger your sugar carvings.
That is why many people advise that you do the following to help get your sugar addiction under control:
- Go Cold Turkey – Quitting sugar bit by bit can be challenging, as when you eat some, you want more. Most of us addicted to sugar can not stop at one cookie or piece of candy.
- Find Other Things To Do – Find other things to do besides eating sugar. Go for a walk or exercise.
- Give It 3 To 4 Weeks – Sugar will not leave your system in a few days or weeks but could take about a month. So give it time for your body to get the sugar out of its system.
- Find A Sugar Addiction Support Group – Find a support group for your sugar addiction. There are many springing up all over, similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. Find a group where you can support each other in your sugar addiction.
If you want to learn more about this genuine phenomenon known as sugar addiction, you can read the blog “Are You A Sugar Addict.” to help you decide if that is something you are struggling with.
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Related Question
What Are Normal Blood Sugar Levels?
Most healthcare professionals will look at several blood sugar level tests to check if your blood sugar levels are normal. The three significant tests are the A1C blood sugar level, the fasting blood sugar test, and the glucose tolerance test. All these tests have different numbers that help show if you have a normal blood sugar range.
You can read more about What Are Normal Blood Sugar Levels? by clicking here.
How Blood Sugar Levels Correlate To A1C Values
If your blood sugar levels are high, your A1C test results should also be increased. The A1C blood test is the standard test that healthcare professionals use to see if your body is prediabetic or in a state of diabetes. Because the keto and low carb lifestyle do not have sugar or carbohydrates as part of the diet, many people have found that when they are on the keto and low carb lifestyle, they see their A1C test results improve.
You can read more about How Blood Sugar Levels Correlate To A1C Values by clicking here.
