Carb Cravings: Reasons They Happen and How to Curb Them

Carb cravings are an intense desire for carbohydrate-rich foods. They’re particularly strong for refined carbs in foods like white bread, pastries, and sugary snacks that can cause rapid spikes in blood sugar levels.

A diet that’s high in simple sugars, too much stress, and sleep deprivation are just some of the factors that increase carb cravings. To curb your cravings and break the cycle, it’s important to know your triggers and reinforce dietary choices that keep you feeling good and satiated.

8 Reasons You May Be Craving Carbs

It can be hard to pinpoint exactly why you’re having carbohydrate cravings without taking a holistic approach to your diet, lifestyle, and overall health. That said, all of the possibilities below are common causes of carb cravings and a desire for starchy foods.

1. Nutrient Deficiencies

Feeling hungry all the time is a sign that you’re not consuming enough calories. Since carbs are a quick source of energy (from glucose), your body craves them.

Calorie restriction can also mean you’re missing certain vitamins and minerals in your diet. Nutrient deficiencies disrupt your body’s ability to regulate energy and blood sugar levels. 

A deficiency in magnesium, which is essential for glucose metabolism and insulin function, can lead to unstable blood sugar levels. (1) This may trigger cravings for quick sources of energy like refined carbohydrates. 

A deficiency in B vitamins can lead to fatigue and brain fog, prompting the body to seek out carbs for an energy boost. (2) Addressing these deficiencies through a nutrient-dense diet rich in whole foods can help regulate cravings and reduce your body’s reliance on carbs for energy. 

Following keto consistently can help you deal with not only carb cravings over time but also blood sugar imbalances. That’s why the ketogenic diet is so popular among people with diabetes. 

2. Blood Sugar Levels

We’ve touched on this already, but blood sugar levels play a major role in carb cravings. (3) When you eat refined carbs, your blood sugar spikes rapidly, triggering a surge of insulin to bring it back down. 

This can lead to a blood sugar crash, fatigue, irritability, and intense cravings for more carbs to restore energy. The cycle continues, making you feel more dependent on those quick-digesting carbs.

Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, can also signal the brain that energy is needed immediately, increasing cravings for sugary or starchy foods. 

If you’re dealing with fluctuating blood sugar, eating a diet rich in protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich foods can help prevent those swings and reduce cravings in the short-term. (4) Sticking with a diet like keto can have positive longer-term effects.

3. Hormonal Fluctuations

Hormonal fluctuations impact carb cravings because they affect insulin, cortisol, and serotonin. When we’re stressed, cortisol levels rise, increasing cravings for quick energy sources like refined carbs. 

Insulin fluctuations also play a role. We’ve already discussed blood sugar swings, but when insulin spikes after consuming high-carb foods, it can trigger more cravings. 

Serotonin, the “feel-good” hormone, can drop during hormonal changes like premenstrual syndrome (PMS), prompting cravings for carbs that temporarily boost the hormone. (5) The result is an improved mood in the short term but a harder time dealing with cravings.

Women can experience stronger carb cravings than men due to these hormonal fluctuations. Estrogen and progesterone shift throughout the menstrual cycle, especially before menstruation, leading to cravings for carbs to boost serotonin levels. (6)

4. Stress

Emotional stress due to a significant life change or overwhelming responsibilities can trigger your carb intake, but it can also make you crave high-sugar and high-fat snacks. While healthy fats are great for any diet, processed foods with trans fats don’t fall under that category.

This covers sweet tooth favorites like chocolate, sugary sodas, ice cream, and cookies – exactly the kinds of things you reach for in the kitchen when you’re feeling stressed. One explanation for this is that increased stress levels can affect healthy food choices. 

Eating carbs from refined and simple sugars can also encourage serotonin production. Serotonin is a naturally occurring neurotransmitter associated with positive feelings. 

The good news is that you can boost serotonin without carbs. (7) Sunlight, exercise, and those healthy fats we mentioned in foods like fatty fish and nuts are all linked to a boost in serotonin levels. 

Keeping healthy keto snacks on hand like our Nola Bars is a good idea, too. You can’t eat the carb-heavy stuff if it’s not already in your pantry.

5. Insufficient Sleep

Lack of sleep can increase carb cravings by disrupting hormones that regulate hunger. Ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates hunger, rises when you don’t get enough sleep, making you crave high-carb, high-calorie foods. (8)

Leptin, the hormone that signals satiety, decreases at the same time. This can lead to overeating of comfort foods like cookies and potato chips, which often fall into the high-carb category.

Sleep deprivation also affects cortisol production and insulin sensitivity, causing blood sugar fluctuations that trigger cravings. (9) Both can make it harder to resist junk foods that offer your body a quick energy boost. 

Prioritizing quality sleep consistently helps regulate these hormones for better control over cravings and to combat weight gain over time. 

6. Dehydration

There’s a reason why experts recommend drinking more water to beat carb cravings. Dehydration makes it harder for your body to produce glycogen, the stored form of glucose. This is especially true when you’ve been exercising.

When fluid levels drop, the body may signal a need for carbs to replenish glycogen, even though what it really needs is water. (10) Dehydration also impacts electrolyte balance, leading to fatigue and sugar cravings. 

Drinking enough water throughout the day can help reduce unnecessary carb cravings and maintain energy levels. Supplementing with electrolytes can help your body get the balance of essential minerals, like sodium and potassium, it needs to maintain proper hydration levels.

Our Daily Electrolytes offer a precise doctor-formulated ratio of everything you need to replenish lost nutrients, support a healthy immune system, and boost hydration.

7. Certain Dietary Factors

What you eat affects what you crave. Eating too many refined carbs can cause rapid blood sugar spikes and crashes, leading to a cycle of cravings for quick-digesting carbs. This includes hidden carbs you may not even know you’re consuming.

Getting too little protein can make it harder for you to regulate satiety. Protein also helps stabilize blood sugar, which you already know is a key trigger in carb cravings.

Eating too many processed foods high in added sugar (even those labeled low-fat) can stimulate feel-good dopamine and reinforce cravings. (11) A diet lacking in fiber can impact digestion and destabilize satiety signals.

We don’t believe in evil foods around here, but a balanced, whole-food-based diet can help curb cravings in the long term. It can support your weight loss efforts and reduce your risk of chronic conditions. 

Following a low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat diet is particularly beneficial. If you’re not sure of the right ratio for your nutritional needs, a macro calculator can help as you start curbing carbs on keto.

Our Keto Calculator is a free, efficient way to help you identify the exact amount of fats, carbs, and proteins you need to meet your goals.

8. Medications and Medical Conditions

Medications used to treat depression, like tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, are used to improve a person’s mood. They may also lead to weight gain due to an increased appetite for carbs for quick serotonin boosts. (12)

Over-the-counter (OTC) meds like antihistamines, which relieve allergies, may also stimulate appetite, contributing to weight gain. (13) These drugs block histamine, a neurotransmitter involved in appetite regulation. Lower histamine levels increase hunger and cravings, particularly for carbs.

Certain steroids and hormonal contraceptives can also impact blood sugar regulation and serotonin, leading to increased cravings for high-carb foods. 

If you’re seeing side effects of medications on the scale or in your ability to manage hunger, talk to your doctor. There may be alternatives without those negative effects.

Strategies for Overcoming Cravings

Controlling cravings may involve behavioral shifts, nutritional adjustments, and evaluating daily habits. We’ll share some strategies below, but talk to a doctor if you think there may be a health condition at play. A nutritionist or registered dietitian can help with a personalized diet plan, too.

Practice Mindful Eating

Mindful eating helps reduce carb cravings by increasing awareness of hunger cues, emotional triggers, and food choices. The idea is to pay attention to the act of eating and your satiety signals to help distinguish between true hunger and cravings driven by stress or habit.

This approach also encourages more balanced meals with protein, fiber, and healthy fats that help stabilize blood sugar and reduce cravings. Here are a few ways to put mindful eating into practice:

• Recognize emotional eating. You may be stuck in a pattern where food choices aren’t intentional or nourishing but a response to outside factors.
• Pay attention to your hunger cues. Stop eating when you’re full. Take time to chew each bite thoroughly to allow your body time to recognize fullness and satisfaction.
• Eliminate distractions. Avoid eating while scrolling on your phone or watching TV to better focus on your hunger cues.
• Engage your senses. Appreciate food. Notice the colors, smells, and textures of your food to enhance the act of eating.
• Keep food triggers out of sight. Don’t keep desserts in the house if you cannot help but eat them, even when you’re not hungry.
• Watch your portions. Be intentional about portion sizes. Serve food on a plate instead of eating straight out of a box or bag.
• Take it slow. Some people successfully recover from unhealthy eating habits by quitting all at once, while others thrive by making one small change at a time.

Make Nutritional Adjustments

Small adjustments to your food choices can improve your overall diet and come with added health benefits. Here are some tweaks for crushing carb cravings:

• Cut down on simple sugars. This includes fruit juices, cakes, pies, donuts, white rice, soft drinks, and syrups. Watch for added sugars on nutrition facts labels when you go grocery shopping.
• Prioritize micronutrients. Test for nutrient deficiencies. Maximize your nutrient intake by eating a wide variety of low-carbohydrate, whole foods, such as meat, eggs, poultry, fatty fish, green leafy veggies, and nuts.
• Avoid calorie restriction. At the very least, aim for just a small calorie deficit if you’re counting calories. Keep in mind that counting calories on low-carb diets isn’t always recommended.
• Get enough protein and healthy fats. Replace carb-rich foods with those rich in protein and fats. Both macronutrients are known for boosting your satiety and meeting your energy requirements.
• Eat your fiber from low-carb sources. Fiber can curb your appetite. While whole grains and fiber-enriched cereals won’t work on keto, you can eat-low-carb foods like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, almonds, chia seeds, lettuce, and avocados.

Implement Specific Lifestyle Modifications

Lifestyle modifications are changes you don’t do temporarily for long-term relief of cravings. Here are a few to introduce to your regular routine:

• Exercise. Walking, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and other types of physical activity may reduce carb cravings by improving your mood and self-control.
• Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep. You’ll be more likely to make healthier choices, be more motivated to exercise and enjoy a better hormonal balance.
• Stay hydrated. Drink enough water throughout the day to prevent dehydration, which can sometimes be mistaken for hunger or carb cravings.
• Manage your stress. Try strategies like taking a walk outside, journaling, minimizing your screen time, yoga, and getting a massage before turning to food.
• Practice self-care. Along similar lines, engage in activities like baths or reading that fulfill emotional needs without turning to carbs.
• Stay engaged. Boredom can trigger cravings, so engaging in hobbies, social activities, or creative outlets can help distract you from emotional eating.
• Work on your gut health. A well-balanced microbiome positively affects cravings. Probiotics and gut-friendly habits like reducing stress can help.

The Impact of Carb Cravings

Excess carbohydrate intake can affect your health in a few different ways. It increases your blood sugar levels, triggering an insulin response. Too much glucose gets stored as glycogen for future use, and may also get converted into body fat, or adipose tissue.

Having too much body fat poses various health risks like increased blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver, osteoarthritis, certain cancers, and obesity. (14)

Being overweight or obese is also associated with mental health problems like depression and anxiety. (15) Feelings of shame, guilt, or a poor self-image that can come as a result may worsen those conditions.

If your carb cravings are constant and result in binge eating, energy crashes, mood swings, and rapid weight gain, talk to your healthcare provider. If your cravings feel uncontrollable, they may be a sign of an underlying health concern.

A Word on Carb Blockers

Carb blockers, or starch blockers, work by inhibiting enzymes that break down complex carbs. This reduces your sugar absorption and lowers blood sugar spikes. In some users, that means weight loss and improved satiety. They’re commonly made from white kidney bean extract.

While they’re generally safe for healthy adults, they can come with some mild digestive discomfort. If you’re already on diabetes medications, talk to your doctor before starting a carb blocker, as they can make certain drugs less effective.

The Takeaway

It’s possible for carbohydrate cravings to dissipate even without removing all carbs from your diet. Carb cycling or following a low-carb keto diet can help you manage your blood sugar, put your body in a fat-burning mode, and reduce cravings for carbs long-term.

When in ketosis, the body burns fat for fuel instead of glucose, preventing the blood sugar spikes and crashes that trigger cravings. Ketones also have appetite-suppressing effects, which could be a natural way to reduce hunger signals. 

If you’ve been struggling with sticking to your diet or wellness plan because of cravings, give a few of the strategies above a try. Remember that curbing carb cravings takes time, so be kind to yourself. If your approach doesn’t seem to be working, consult your doctor for medical advice.