Raise your hand if you feel like you have an insatiable sweet tooth.

If your hand is up, you know you’re not alone. Just about every woman I work with struggles with them, too. Heck, I’m not a woman or over 40 and I had ice cream last night because I “needed something sweet.”

Sugar has gotten a pretty bad rap lately…poor guy.

Everywhere you look, someone is telling you to cut it out completely. Others are telling you it’s more addictive than drugs. It sounds pretty serious.

Now let’s be real…we all agree excess sugar from candy, cookies, cake, ice cream, and soda isn’t doing your health any favors.

But here’s the part most people don’t tell you…

Sugar (or carbohydrates) is a necessary fuel for your body.

GASP

(I can hear the keto lovers sharpening their pitchforks.)

Now before you swear off sugar forever, let’s talk about why sugar cravings happen and why cutting sugar entirely often makes them worse, not better.

Let’s rewind…not a few years ago…but waaaaaaaaay back.

Picture the cavewoman version of you. There you are, wearing your loin-cloth, and making noises that somehow were your way of communicating.

As bad as this life sounds, what’s worse is that you’re hungry. And not just any type of hunger…

You’re hangry.

Your cavehusband has been hunting with no luck.

You’re this close to considering whether rocks are edible.

You step outside your cave for fresh air and stumble across a bush filled with bright red berries.

Your eyes light up, your mouth starts watering, and you start shoveling them into your mouth.

They’re sweet, you get instant energy, and they taste like pure survival bliss.

Here’s the thing…

Even though life looks very, very different now with food being everywhere, your body is still running on that same ancient survival software.

When your body senses low fuel, it does two things to keep you alive:

Thousands of years ago, that kept you alive.

Today, especially for women over 40, it backfires.

You already lose muscle more easily with age and hormonal shifts. The last thing you want is to accelerate that by under-fueling.

And you don’t need more stress…life is already doing plenty of that.

The big promise of keto is:

“Your body burns fat instead of sugar.”

This sounds like the best thing ever…on paper

But here’s what they don’t tell you about it. In a healthy body, carbohydrates support:

• Brain function – your brain uses ~120g of glucose per day
• Muscle function – carbs help you feel strong and energized
• Liver function – carbs help regulate blood sugar and stable energy

Now imagine you cut carbs to lose weight…what’s going to happen?

Your brain starts feeling foggy. Your muscles feel weak and flat. Your liver scrambles to make sugar from other areas of your body disrupting sleep (hello 2–3am wakeups!)

Low-carb is a stressful state.

Your body doesn’t interpret it as “fat loss”…It interprets it as “we’re starving.”

And what does a stressed body crave? Any guesses?

It’s sugar.

So if you struggle with sugar cravings, it doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means your body is trying to protect you.

Did you know there are two types of cravings?

So before you start playing whack-a-mole with cravings, it helps to know which kind you’re dealing with.

I like to break them into two types:

Your body doesn’t need sugar but your brain wants it.

Here are some examples where you might’ve had situational cravings:
• You’re bored watching TV
• You smell donuts your partner brought home
• You’ve had a stressful day and want comfort

This is where yor body genuinely needs fuel.

Examples:
• Poor sleep increasing cravings
• Blood sugar issues (including diabetes)
• You’re actually under-eating and truly hungry

Snickers wasn’t wrong with “you’re not you when you’re hungry.”

Because your body is truly changing when you’re hungry!

Change the pattern, not just the food.

Bored?
• Stand up and stretch
• Go for a short walk
• Do a few squats or push-ups

Tempting foods in the house?
• Put them out of sight
• Or have an honest conversation about support

Rough day?
• Call a friend
• Take a walk
• Have a warm bath

Cravings are often tied to your environment and emotion. When you change those, the craving often fades.

This is about nourishing, not resisting.

Trouble with blood sugar?
• A 10-minute walk after meals can significantly lower glucose

Poor sleep?
• Stop eating and drinking 2–3 hours before bed
• Reduce caffeine and alcohol
• Get morning sunlight (no sunglasses)

True hunger?
• Drink water first (dehydration often mimics hunger)
• Then eat — don’t white-knuckle it

And here’s the big one…are you ready for it?

Don’t cut carbs…just add better ones like these:

• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Potatoes
• Rice

One of the biggest drivers of sugar cravings is simply not eating enough of the right foods.

Be cautious here…

When your tongue tastes sweetness, your body expects nutrients to follow.

Artificial sweeteners deliver the sweet without anything else.

Your body responds with: “Something’s missing. I need more!”

That’s how cravings escalate.

These sweeteners to watch out for includes:
• Sucralose
• Aspartame
• Saccharin
• Ace-K
• Even stevia for some people

So if you’re trying to calm cravings, these can make things worse.

If you’re used to ultra-sweet, processed foods, real food may taste “meh” at first. Know that’s normal.

Those foods are engineered to hijack your brain so give it time and eventually, fruit starts tasting like dessert again.

We’ve talked about a lot so keep it simple:

• Identify whether your craving is situational or physiological
• If situational → change the environment or activity
• If physiological → eat more real food
• Be cautious with artificial sweeteners
• Give your taste buds time to adapt

Sugar cravings don’t mean you’re weak…They mean your body is asking for support.

So listen to your body, decide on the type of craving, and support yourself accordingly.

You deserve it ◡̈

Your friend and coach,

Ben Miknis