Every week seems to have a theme these days. National this, international that and also Sugar Awareness Week. But before we roll our eyes and move on, this one genuinely matters, especially as the conversation around health, hormones, midlife wellbeing, and “what on earth should I be eating?” feels louder than ever.
Sugar Awareness Week 2025 runs from 17th – 23rd November, led by Action on Salt and Sugar, and its message this year is simple but powerful: “Cut Through the Sweet Talk: What You See Isn’t What You Eat.”
It’s a reminder that behind clever marketing high fibre, natural energy, smart snacking many products contain far more sugar than we realise. And we’re not talking about sugar in fruit here; we’re talking about free sugars those added to foods, drinks, juices, syrups, and all the things that creep into our day without us noticing.
9 in 10 children and 4 in 5 adults are eating more sugar than recommended. This isn’t a slap-on-the-wrist statistic it’s linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, tooth decay, mood swings, energy crashes, and the rollercoaster many of us ride daily without even realising it.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not one of those people who can have one square of milk chocolate and walk away gracefully. If it’s dark chocolate, yes two squares and I’m satisfied, but Dairy Milk? Once it’s open, it becomes so addictive… and there’s a reason for that: sugar is biologically addictive. It lights up the brain in the same way as other reward-driven behaviours. It’s not a moral failing; it’s chemistry. The problem isn’t the sugar itself it’s what sugar does in the body.
When you eat something sugary, your blood glucose rises quickly. Your pancreas then fires out insulin to bring it back down. If this happens once in a while, fine. But if it happens multiple times a day breakfast cereal, a “healthy” bar at 11am, a juice at lunch — insulin becomes overwhelmed. And insulin is the hormone responsible for fat storage. When it’s constantly switched on, your body is in fat-storage mode. Add midlife hormonal shifts to the mix, and your metabolism becomes even more sensitive.
This is why so many of us feel that creeping weight gain, the 4pm crash, the relentless hunger, the cravings that feel bigger than us. The good news and this is the empowering part is that reducing sugar, even slightly, can transform how you feel. Truly. More stable energy. Clearer thinking. Better sleep. Less bloating and the big one: your appetite stabilises.
Sugar spikes make you hungrier, not more satisfied. When you reduce the spikes, you reduce the cravings.
One of the worst times for sugar cravings is after a night out too much alcohol, too little sleep, and suddenly the body is screaming for quick energy. Again, it’s physiology. Alcohol drops blood sugar, your body panics, and suddenly a warm croissant or bar of chocolate becomes irresistible. Knowing why it happens helps us avoid the shame spiral.
But here’s the thing — and this is where I want Sugar Awareness Week to feel different: this isn’t about cutting everything out. It’s about being mindful, informed, and kind to yourself.
If you love sweetness and most of us do there are ways to enjoy it without the crash. A handful of berries after dinner. A square of really good dark chocolate. Sliced apple with a dab of nut butter. Even just pausing for a moment to ask, Am I tired? Am I stressed? Am I thirsty? before reaching for sugar can completely shift the pattern.
“Small habits done well create a different life.” Not perfect habits — small ones.
If sugar is something you want to reduce, don’t think deprivation. Think stabilisation. Think nourishment. Think caring for yourself in a way that supports your hormones, your energy, and your long-term health. Sugar Awareness Week might sound like just another campaign, but its message is simple:
What you see isn’t always what you eat — and what you eat affects so much more than your weight. It affects your mood, your cravings, your energy, your hormones, and the way you feel about yourself every single day.
And at the heart of everything I do at Eat Nourish Love the events, the podcast conversations, the recipes, the workshops — is exactly that. Helping you feel good. Helping you live well. Helping you understand your body in a way that feels empowering rather than overwhelming.
Sometimes we don’t need to overhaul everything we just need to be present, pay attention, and take one small step that feels good and be mindful of what we consume.