What is the scientific way to avoid sugar cravings?

Eating more fruit helped me reduce cravings for less nutrient-dense sweets, like candy and baked goods. That doesn't work for everyone, but I'm not the only one here who's found that it helped them.

For a while, I made it a point to eat at least 3 servings of fruit daily, and avoid candy/baked goods. After a while, a lot of candy/baked goods started seeming too simple and too sweet, and I didn't crave them. I still like a nice dessert now and then, but it's not a big routine craving.

E.T.A. a P.S. I heard this recommended by a registered dietitian, which I guess is the closest to science I can offer. Her rationale was that sometimes we crave sweets because we'd benefit from more/better micronutrients, and that traditionally those came from things like fruits, so that we're kind of imprinted to crave sweets in that scenario. I don't know whether that's true.

I do think that evening cravings can be energy-seeking as we get further and further from last night's sleep/rest. In that sense, timing other eating differently, not cutting calories aggressively far (i.e., going for slower weight loss), or improving sleep habits or stress management may also help reduce craving for quick-energy sweets in the evening, by giving us a better fuel supply across the day, or not letting us be so fatigued (from better rest/less stress).

Assuming you aren't genuinely hungry, since you are eating enough, some ideas:

It kind of sounds like you having a habit of eating sweet stuff at night (or generally) and missing that. If so, it will go away, just try to give it a little time without giving into the craving. Maybe just go to bed if you find yourself wanting to snack at night.

It could be just missing having a special evening treat -- if you think it might be that, budget something in.

Try eating fruit instead. Either more during the day (as Ann says) or at night when craving sugar. Fruit has sugar so if you are really wanting sugar that should satisfy.

Maybe try eating something else (non sweet), as often I have found cravings are more about what I habitually eat. If there are foods you like that have a quite different taste (like a pickle or some radishes or if you have more cals, some popcorn), try something like that.

If it's the sweet taste you want, maybe a no cal sweetened beverage of some sort?

Finally, I think it's less likely to be this since you mentioned at night, but sometimes a desire to eat sugar or other quick carbs during the day is due to a lack of energy. It can be due to insufficient protein, so upping protein is a good idea, or just generally eating a lot of quick carbs and not enough balance, but it also can be due to lack of sleep. I find that I tend to crave such things and have less willpower when I have not been sleeping well. Again, since at night, if you think it might be this, try going to bed if possible. I do think it's important to realize there can be lots of reasons for specific cravings and it need not mean you have some kind of issue with the food in question.

In addition to all the items noted above, I've found sometimes a sugar free chocolate pudding helps me out. I don't crave sweets super often anymore, so I like to keep sugar free pudding cups on hand for when I do have a craving.

I can get very intense sugar cravings and I am consistently able to control them and enjoy sugar when. I want to if I do the following.

First, I take a 6 week break from sugar. This takes some white knuckling effort, but after 6 weeks, the cravings are gone.

Then I can have sugar again, but I never have it two days in a row and never more than twice a week.

By doing this, I have managed to have minimal sugar cravings for the majority of the last 20 years.

They can come back easily though. Just one week of having sugar daily can restart the intense nightime cravings, and I have to do another 6 week break to get rid of them. So an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

I can thoroughly enjoy sweets this way, but I don't crave them, so it's easy to keep them as a rare thing.

I saw some comments already about this, but I'll add to the tally! Having a handful of fruit with every meal will definitely help with cravings later on in the day. I recommend blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, melon, or kiwi. These simple sugars are SO much better for you than refined sugars.

A nice analogy that I heard from my personal trainer: similar to how eating a lot of one food for lunch (pizza, pasta, anything really) will remove your desire to eat the same thing for dinner, getting some simple sugars throughout the day should make your body crave them less.

Hope this helps!