Blood Sugar & Cravings: What Your Body’s Really Telling You

Ever wondered why one biscuit turns into five, or the packet? Or why that “healthy” smoothie leaves you in a heap by 3pm? Spoiler alert: it’s not about willpower. It’s about your blood sugar—and it’s running the show more than you think.

What Happens When You Eat

Every time you eat—whether it’s an apple, a sandwich, or a slice of cake—your body breaks down carbs into glucose (sugar). Glucose is your brain’s favourite snack fuel. When it hits your bloodstream, your blood sugar levels rise.

Cue insulin: the hormone whose job is to usher that glucose out of your blood and into your cells. If the meal is balanced—protein, healthy fats, fibre-rich carbs—your blood sugar climbs gently, insulin responds calmly, and you feel steady.

But if it’s a sugar bomb, your blood sugar spikes like a rollercoaster. Insulin charges in, sweeps it all away, and then you crash. Cue: cravings, fatigue, and mood swings.

Why Fibre First Matters

Think of fibre as a traffic controller for sugar. When you eat fibre (especially veggies) before carbs, it creates a kind of “mesh” in your gut. This slows down how quickly glucose from the carbs slips into your bloodstream. Instead of a sharp sugar spike (and the insulin overreaction that follows), you get a gentle rise and steady energy. Research shows that simply changing the order you eat your food—fibre first, protein/fat second, carbs last—can reduce blood sugar spikes by up to 30–40%. Less spiking means fewer crashes, calmer cravings, and a much happier brain.

A randomized crossover study found that when participants ate fiber or protein before carbohydrates, their post-meal blood glucose was reduced by:

• 29% at 30 minutes

• 37% at 60 minutes

• 17% at 90 minutes

compared to eating carbohydrates first. These dramatic reductions clearly highlight how meal order can deeply influence blood sugar control.

Cravings Aren’t Just in Your Head

Julia Ross, in The Cravings Cure, calls cravings a biochemical SOS. When blood sugar plummets, your brain panics and screams: Quick, sugar! That’s why chocolate or chips suddenly feel like oxygen.

Robert Lustig, the paediatric endocrinologist who’s been waging war on sugar for decades, shows how repeated sugar spikes actually rewire your brain’s reward pathways. Translation? Your natural “feel-good” gets blunted, and you end up hooked on quick fixes.

The Other Fuel: Ketones

Here’s the twist: glucose isn’t your only option. Your body can also run on ketones—clean-burning fuel made from fat. When blood sugar is steady (or you’re fasting or eating low-carb), ketones give your brain and body stable energy without the highs and crashes. We’ll dive deeper into this magical fuel in another article, but for now just know: it’s an option your body loves and you can dip in and out of burning glucose and ketones.

Everyday Moments You’ll Recognise

• The 3pm Slump: Lunch was a sandwich and juice. By mid-afternoon, you’re raiding the office snack cupboard.

• The Weekend Blowout: Pancakes with syrup for breakfast. You’re buzzing—until 11am when you have then munchies. Another little snack. Then lunchtime hits and you’re ravenous again!

• The Nighttime Snack Attack: Dinner was a big bowl of pasta. Two hours later? You’re in the kitchen hunting sweets.

Not your fault. It’s blood sugar.

Practical Ways to Keep Blood Sugar Steady

Here’s how to break the spike–crash–craving cycle:

1. Start with Fibre then Protein: Think leafy greens, cucumber, fermented veg, avocado. Then proteins like eggs, chicken, fish, tofu, beans—the order of eating fibre then protein slows glucose release and keeps you full. It allows you to still it starchier carbs or that sneaky dessert afterwards but blunts that blood glucose response.

2. Don’t Fear Healthy Fats: Avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil—fats stabilise blood sugar and keep your brain sharp.

3. Fibre is Your Friend: Veggies, berries, lentils, wholegrains—fibre slows digestion and prevents spikes.

4. Swap Sugary Drinks: Replace juice, soda, or milky-sweet coffees with water, sparkling water, or herbal tea.

5. Balance Your Plate: Aim for protein + fibre + fat each meal. Salmon with veggies and olive oil? Perfect.

6. Address Cravings at the Root: Julia Ross shows amino acids (like tryptophan and tyrosine) can restore brain chemistry and calm cravings.

7. Move After Meals: Even a 10-minute walk lowers blood sugar and smooths energy dips.

8. Make Breakfast Savoury: Skip the cereal–toast–juice rollercoaster. Start with protein + fat + fibre. Think: eggs with avocado, smoked salmon with greens, or a veggie omelette.

   
   

Recipe: Savoury Blood-Sugar-Friendly Breakfast

Poached Eggs on Sourdough with Side Salad

• 2 eggs, poached

• 1 slice sourdough (preferably wholegrain or fermented)

• 1 handful of rocket or spinach

• 1 handful cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

• Sea salt & black pepper

  
  

How to eat it (order matters):

1. Start with the side salad (fibre first slows the sugar response).

2. Next, enjoy your eggs (protein + fat = steady fuel).

3. Finish with the sourdough (your body’s ready for the carbs now).

Result? Steady energy, a happier brain, and no mid-morning snack attack.

The Bottom Line

Blood sugar balance isn’t about restriction—it’s about rhythm. Once you understand the dance between food, insulin, and cravings, you can start eating in a way that leaves you energised, clear-headed, and craving-free.

References

• Ross, J. (2017). The Cravings Cure: Identify Your Craving Type to Activate Your Natural Appetite Control. Flatiron Books.

• Lustig, R. (2012). Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease. Hudson Street Press.

• Kubota S, Liu Y, Iizuka K, et al. A Review of Recent Findings on Meal Sequence: An Attractive Dietary Approach to Prevention and Management of Type 2 Diabetes. Nutrients. 2020;12(9):2502. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12092502 cornellhealthcarereview.org+12mdpi.com+12thesun.co.uk+12

  (This peer‑reviewed article discusses how eating dietary fibre (alongside protein and/or fats) before carbohydrates can significantly reduce post‑prandial glucose elevation, partly by delaying gastric emptying and modulating incretin hormones like GLP‑1)