Gut Health

Sugar cravings : what your body is trying to tell you

Written By: Steve Collins

Published at: 05/07/2026

Updated at: 05/08/2026

It's 3:47pm. You've been good all day. Coffee for breakfast. A salad for lunch. You're on "track".

Then the kitchen pulls you in. You think it's a discipline problem.

It's not. It's a signal - and it's almost always the same one.

The short version

Sugar cravings are a signal, not a character flaw
Protein and balanced carbs steady your blood sugar - and your willpower
Sugar cravings are often your body asking for the calories you didn't give it earlier.

1. Eat a real breakfast

Black coffee for breakfast is what we call a "runny coffee" - caffeine on an empty tank, running you on stress hormones until lunch.

By 3pm, the tank is empty. Your brain doesn't ask for balance. It asks for sugar - fast.

The 90-second version: a coffee with your favourite type of milk, a scoop of collagen, a piece of fruit on the side.

The 5-minute version: scrambled eggs in butter with toast. Or greek yoghurt with collagen, honey and a piece of fruit.

2. "What about intermittent fasting?

Some people thrive on it. Many women don't.

Skipping breakfast works when your body is running on plenty - sleep, low stress, enough food the day before. It doesn't work when your body is under-fed and over-stretched.

If you fast and crave sugar by 3pm, that's not a willpower failure. That's data.

3. More protein at lunch

A salad with chicken sounds healthy. It's usually 15-18g of protein - about half what you need to stay steady.

Highter protein at breakfast and lunch reduces afternoon cravings. Protein slows the rise and fall of blood sugar and signals fullness for longer.

Asking for: 30g of protein at lunch. A palm-sized portion of meat, fish, eggs or tofu/tempeh.

The 90-second version: Blend banana, Chocolate Supergut Protein, milk/mylk

4. Carbs are not your enemy

Low-carb dieting taught a generation of women to fear bread, rice, fruit and potatoes.

Your brain runs on glucose. Cut it too low and your body finds it - usually at a 4pm biscuit.

Carbs aren't the enemy. Naked carbs are.

Toast on its own is a spike. Toast with eggs and butter is a meal. We call this "putting clothes on your carbs" - pair them with protein and fat.

5. Eat enough overall

You've been told fat loss is about eating less. So you eat less. And you wonder why you're "out of control" by 4pm.

Cravings are often your body asking for the calories you didn't give it earlier.

Three real meals. Real plates. Real portions. Carbs included.

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This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment. Learn more about our editorial standards here.