Why You Get Sugar Cravings Before Your Period (And How to Stop Them for Good)
You know that week where you're standing in front of the fridge staring down a block of chocolate like it's oxygen?
Yeah. That week.
The one where you can go from “I’m doing great” to “I need sugar RIGHT NOW!” in a split second.
Let me say this loud and clear:
You’re not weak. You’re not broken. You’re not just lacking willpower.
Your body is actually really smart. She just speaks in symptoms. And when it comes to sugar cravings and hormones, she’s trying to tell you something important.
So let’s translate what’s really going on.
What’s Behind Your Sugar Cravings and Hormones
We’ve been sold the story that cravings are just a lack of discipline or a ‘blood sugar issue’... but that’s barely scratching the surface.
In reality, your hormones, nervous system, blood sugar, stress levels, and mineral stores are all tag-teaming during your luteal phase (the second half of your cycle). And when one of them starts spiraling? The rest follow.
Here’s what’s really happening:
In the first half of your cycle, estrogen helps you handle carbs like a champ. You’re more insulin-sensitive, your energy’s up, and your cravings are quiet.
Post-ovulation, estrogen dips and progesterone should rise. But when you’re stressed, burnt out, or depleted, progesterone is often low — and this shift changes how your body processes food.
Your go-to lunch that kept you full last week? Now it's spiking your blood sugar, crashing your energy, and triggering sugar cravings to help you cope.
But that’s not the only role progesterone plays.
Why Low Progesterone Makes You Crave Sugar
Your body produces both progesterone and cortisol from the same 'mother hormone' called pregnenolone. When your body feels stressed, unsafe, or undernourished, it says, “Forget fertility, let's just keep this woman alive!” That means your body will always prioritize making cortisol over progesterone.
The problem is that progesterone isn’t just about fertility. It’s your calm, sleep, and stabilize hormone. So when it’s low, your brain starts chasing serotonin — your feel-good neurotransmitter. And sugar gives a quick hit of it. So it’s no wonder it feels like you need it just to survive.
On top of that, during your luteal phase, your body can burn up to 300 extra calories per day. If you’re not eating enough to support that, your body will crave fast fuel and fast fuel = sugar.
It’s not weakness. It’s literally just your body trying to keep you functioning.
What’s Making Sugar Cravings and Hormone Imbalance Worse (Without You Realizing)
Okay, so the sugar cravings make sense. But why do they sometimes feel completely unmanageable?
Here’s the sneaky stuff to watch for:
1. “Health Foods” That Actually Spike Your Blood Sugar
That smoothie with protein powder and a bunch of bananas, peaches, mangoes, and cherries?
That juice-heavy adrenal cocktail?
That dressing that says “only 4g of sugar” (but then you pour on 6 servings)?
All of these sound healthy — and might even be part of your healing plan — but they’re also causing crashes that leave you crawling toward the snack cupboard.
2. Stress-Induced Glucose Spikes
I've seen this firsthand with clients wearing CGMs (continuous glucose monitors): their blood sugar spikes from stress alone — no food required.
Your body perceives stress as danger, and it responds by releasing glucose to prep for fight-or-flight. When that crashes? You want sugar. Not because you’re emotional. Because you’re physiologically depleted.
3. Missing Minerals that Disrupt Hormone Balance
If you’re low in magnesium, potassium, or sodium, your blood sugar becomes unstable and your cravings ramp up.
Constantly craving chocolate? Your body might be begging for magnesium.
Reaching for chips or salty snacks? That could be your adrenals asking for sodium and potassium.
4. Parasites (Yes, Really)
This might sound gross, but parasites can actually contribute to sugar cravings because they feed off serotonin, which rises at nighttime.
If you notice things like…
Your cravings are always strongest at night
You wake up multiple times during the night
Your cravings seem to get worse around the full moon
Parasites might be part of the puzzle. But remember, parasites aren't the root cause. We have to figure out why your body became the perfect host for them in the first place.
How to Calm Sugar Cravings by Supporting Your Hormones
This is your sugar craving reset — not by restriction, but by finally giving your body what she needs.
1. Balance Your Plate At Every Meal
Every plate should include:
30g+ of protein (animal protein preferred)
Non-starchy veg (fill half the plate)
Healthy fats (about a quarter)
Complex carbs (low-glycemic like squash, berries, or reheated potatoes)
And always ask: Where are my minerals?
2. Rebuild Your Mineral Foundation
Start simple:
Adrenal cocktail with lemon juice, coconut water, and sea salt.
Mineral mocktails throughout the day, like nettle tea with sea salt and sparkling water.
3. Support Your Luteal Phase
This phase is when your body needs a little extra support. Here are a few things you can do during this time:
Swap coffee for matcha if you’re anxious.
Add in magnesium glycinate (but always check with your doc).
Use gentle adaptogens (ashwagandha, rhodiola, tulsi).
Up your healthy fats — avocados, coconut oil, grass-fed butter — your hormones need them.
Bonus: whole food B vitamins for mood and metabolism.
4. Nervous System First. Then the Snack.
Next time you feel that urgent sugar craving creep in, try this:
Step outside.
Deep breath (like, really breathe).
Do a quick calming activity.
Then check in: do I still want the sugar?
If yes, fine — pair it with protein or fat to buffer the blood sugar spike. But you’ve shifted the power back to you and made a conscious choice.
Your sugar cravings aren’t the problem. They’re the messenger.
Your body isn’t trying to sabotage you, it’s trying to save you. From blood sugar chaos. From low progesterone. From burnout.
You don’t have to white-knuckle your way through PMS or demonize sugar. You just have to learn the language of your body and finally give her what she’s been asking for all along.
Once you do that?
The cravings calm down.
The symptoms soften.
And you finally feel like yourself again.
What if This Month Could Feel Different?
You don’t have to dread the week before your period.
You don’t have to accept that “this is just how your body works.”
And you definitely don’t need to keep guessing which supplement or snack might magically stop the cravings this time.
This is exactly what we walk through inside The Hormone Reset Program®.
As a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner, I work with women who are tired of piecing together random solutions and are ready for real data and real results.
Inside the program, we start with comprehensive lab testing to get that inside look at your hormones, minerals, and stress response, so we’re not just throwing random protocols at your symptoms.
If your blood sugar is crashing? We’ll see it.
If your cortisol is spiking all day? It’ll show up.
If your progesterone is flatlined? We’ll build it back up, properly.
You’ll finally know what’s going on and what to do to fix it.
The women inside this program are no longer battling their symptoms blindly. They’re eating in a way that supports their cycle, sleeping better, feeling calmer, and watching their sugar cravings disappear because their bodies are finally supported.
They’re not just surviving the luteal phase — they’re thriving through it!
Ready to Stop the Sugar Cravings and Feel Like Yourself Again?
Book your free call with one of my past clients inside the Hormone Reset Program®. She’ll walk you through what it’s really like to get support, answer your questions honestly, and help you see whether this is the right step for your hormones.
Because you deserve more than temporary fixes. You deserve real answers and a body you feel safe and strong in again.