Why am I craving sugar breastfeeding?

Has your sweet tooth taken on a life of its own since you started breastfeeding? You're not alone. Sugar cravings are super common amongst breastfeeding mums, and there’s a lot going on in your body that explains why.

Understanding why we are experiencing these hankerings for sugar is the first step to managing them.

Why is Too Much Sugar a Problem

Consuming excessive sugar - especially from processed foods and sweet treats - creates real health risks. High sugar intake is linked to weight gain, insulin resistance, and an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes. On top of that, sugary foods are low in essential nutrients, which worsens the post-pregnancy nutrient depletion many mums are already dealing with. Minimising sugar intake is especially important during your postpartum journey

Why Sugar Cravings Are So Common While Breastfeeding

If you’re craving sugar while breastfeeding, it doesn’t mean you have no willpower. It means your body is working incredibly hard and sending you very loud signals. Breastfeeding burns extra calories, which increases your body’s energy demands. When those energy stores run low, your brain reaches for the quickest source it knows: sugar.

On top of the extra calorie burn, your body is also recovering from pregnancy and birth, your hormones are in flux, and you’re almost certainly not sleeping enough. All of these things together create the perfect storm for sugar cravings. They’re not a character flaw - they’re a physical response to a very real set of demands.

Why Am I Craving Sugar While Breastfeeding?

There are plenty of reasons why breastfeeding mums crave sugar, and there's not a one size fits all explanation. Here are the most common causes:

1. Lack of sleep

Those hours of shut-eye you’re missing out on could be contributing to your cravings for sweets. When your sleep is interrupted, your levels of the stress hormone cortisol rise - and when that happens, your brain craves glucose (high-carb and high-sugar foods) for a quick hit of energy.

When you give in to those cravings, your brain learns that sugar does the job - and the more you give in, the stronger the cravings become. If we’re not careful, it can bring on a nasty cycle where giving into cravings results in even more cravings.

Let’s face it - getting all the shut-eye you need is probably impossible right now. So instead, we need to give our brain the carbohydrates it’s craving in a smarter way.

The smarter approach: start the day with a large glass of water, plus a healthy and wholesome breakfast to stabilise your blood sugar. When your blood sugar levels are steady, your brain receives a reliable stream of glucose - reducing any sudden drops that trigger cravings.

Instead of reaching for quick fixes like chocolate, fizzy drinks, or sweet biscuits, try these healthy alternatives:

• Bananas
• Sweet potato (or oven-baked sweet potato chips)
• Oats with a little honey for sweetness
• Pineapple and yoghurt
• A couple of medjool dates with a handful of nuts
• Carrots and cucumber with hummus
• Celery with peanut butter
• Wholemeal toast with peanut butter and honey
• Trail mix with nuts, seeds and dried fruit
• Frozen blueberries
• In Shape Mummy Health Shake for Breastfeeding Mums - Chocolate Brownie, Caramel Fudge or Vanilla flavours
• Chocolate Brownie Breastfeeding Boost Bars

2. You are not getting the nutrients you need

Let's be honest - reaching for sweet treat is a lot easier than cooking up a grilled salmon fillet or healthy meal. That's why busy breastfeeding mums can often become deficient in essential vitamins and minerals - and nutrient deficiencies are directly linked to sugar cravings.

So if you're filling your cravings with biscuits and soft drinks, there's a good chance you're not getting the vitamins and minerals your body actually needs.

Before birth, you provided your baby with everything they needed through the placenta - energy, iron, zinc, magnesium, and more - often leaving you depleted. And that depletion doesn't miraculously restore when the baby is born. The deficiency that occurs postnatally can last for years.

The good news? It's possible to fully recover. It just takes time and effort. Focus on increasing your intake of good fats like salmon, avocado, and nuts, and ramp up your protein too - eggs, lean quality meat, tofu, and legumes. Incorporate as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible.

It's also worth remembering that when our meals are low in nutrients - even if they're high in calories - our body keeps sending hunger and craving signals because it's still looking for what it actually needs. Nutrient-dense eating isn't just about long-term health; it directly reduces the intensity of cravings day to day.

The In Shape Mummy Health Shake can help supplement nutrients that may be missing from your diet. Packed with protein and enhanced with 25 vitamins and minerals, the Chocolate Brownie, Caramel Fudge, and Vanilla flavours satisfy sweet cravings - with less than 1g of sugar, naturally derived from monk fruit.

3. Postpartum Hormonal Changes

Postpartum hormonal changes are a significant trigger for sugar cravings. After birth, progesterone and oestrogen drop instantly, oxytocin surges, and prolactin rises and stays elevated throughout breastfeeding. It's a lot of change all at once - and it's no wonder you find yourself reaching for comforting sweet foods, much like when you have your monthly cycle.

You can't control your hormones, but you can stabilise your blood sugar to steady their effects. The easiest way to do this is to avoid skipping meals - because when we get overly hungry, our blood sugar levels drop, which brings on cravings.

4. You're not eating enough protein

Getting enough protein should be a postpartum mum’s number one dietary priority. Your baby needs it to grow, and you need it for your own recovery. If your diet is low in protein and high in simple carbohydrates, you're far more likely to crave sugar and feel the urge to comfort eat. If you notice you're craving something sweet after dinner, it's often a sign that your last meal was low in protein.

Here's a sample day designed to keep protein - and cravings - on track:

Breakfast:

In Shape Mummy Craving-Buster Smoothie: 2 tbsp In Shape Mummy Health Shake (Chocolate Brownie flavour), 1 cup your favourite milk, 1 frozen banana, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 2 tbsp oats, 1 medjool date. Ready in 2 minutes, keeps cravings away all morning, and the chocolate brownie flavour satisfies that sweet tooth - without the blood sugar spike.

Morning snack: 

Chopped veggie sticks (carrot, cucumber, capsicum, celery, cherry tomatoes) with hummus, plus a handful of mixed nuts

Lunch:

Tuna Niçoise Salad: egg, canned tuna, tomato, cos lettuce, beans, potato and olives with olive oil and balsamic dressing

Afternoon snack:

In Shape Mummy Health Shake, or a Chocolate Brownie Breastfeeding Boost Bar

Dinner:

Lean protein (meat or plant-based) with roasted vegetables and brown rice

5. You're over-hungry

Being overly hungry wreaks havoc on our hormones and blood sugar levels. When we skip a meal, our brain sends signals to the rest of our body letting us know we need energy - and the easiest source it knows is calorie-dense, sugary food.

Research shows that skipping meals can cause persistent and intrusive thoughts about food, and can cause you to lose control at mealtimes, resulting in overeating. So if you’re skipping meals as a way to cut calories and speed up weight loss, you could be causing the total opposite effect.

Women who are breastfeeding should be eating three meals and two snacks per day. This will keep your blood glucose levels steady and help stave off sweet cravings. Focus on the quality and nutrients of your food rather than the calories. If you’re filling your plate with lean protein, wholesome vegetables and fruits, and whole grains while avoiding highly processed foods - you’re on the right track.

Even a gap of four or five hours between meals can be enough to send blood sugar crashing and cravings soaring. If you know a busy patch is coming - a long appointment, a day care run, an unpredictable afternoon - pack a snack, like a banana and mixed nuts, in advance. Having something on hand means you’re making a calm, considered choice rather than a desperate one.

This is where the In Shape Mummy Health Shake can be a big help. When life with a baby makes sitting down for a proper meal feel impossible, a shake takes 2 minutes to prepare and gives you the protein, nutrients, and staying power you need to carry on. It's the simplest way to make sure you're not skipping meals - even on the hardest days.

How to stop craving sugar while breastfeeding

Being aware of why you’re craving sugar is the number one way to keep your cravings at bay. So if you find yourself reaching for the chocolate bar, ask yourself: Am I overtired? Have I been eating enough healthy food lately? Did my last meal have enough protein?

And if the cravings won’t budge, try the distraction method. Before you give in, go for a walk around the block, have a large glass of water, or call a friend. Do something to distract yourself in the moment, and often, your craving will disappear.

And remember to go easy on yourself - a treat here and there is absolutely okay. Stick to the 90/10 rule: wholesome, healthy food 90% of the time, and treats 10% of the time.

What to Eat Instead of Sugar When Cravings Hit

When a craving hits, the goal isn’t to ignore it - it’s to meet it with something that actually satisfies you without sending your blood sugar on a rollercoaster. The key is to pair something naturally sweet with a source of protein or fat, which slows the release of sugar into the bloodstream and keeps you full for longer.

• In Shape Mummy Health Shake - mix with almond milk for a two-minute chocolate or caramel fix that’s packed with protein, loaded with 25 vitamins and minerals, and contains less than 1g of sugar. It tackles the craving and the root cause at the same time.
• Fruit with protein - apple slices with almond butter, or banana with a handful of nuts. The fibre in the fruit and the fat in the nuts slow sugar absorption and keep cravings at bay.
• Greek yoghurt with berries - high in protein, naturally sweet, and takes less than a minute to put together. Add a drizzle of honey if you need a little more sweetness.
• A small handful of mixed nuts and dried fruit - easy to eat one-handed while feeding, filling, and satisfying that sweet-and-salty craving at the same time.
• Medjool dates with nut butter - naturally caramel-sweet and surprisingly filling. Two dates with a teaspoon of almond or peanut butter is all you need.
• Wholemeal toast with peanut butter and sliced banana - a great one-handed snack that covers protein, complex carbs, and natural sweetness in one go.
• Chocolate Brownie Breastfeeding Boost Bars - designed specifically for breastfeeding mums, and genuinely useful when you need a sweet snack in a hurry.

The general rule: if your snack has protein in it, it’s a good snack. Sweet without protein is what keeps the craving cycle going.

Can too much sugar affect my breast milk?

When breastfeeding, the food you eat affects not only your health but your baby’s as well. Highly processed foods are generally low in essential nutrients, so not a lot of goodness from these foods passes through your breastmilk to your little one. This is a key reason why breastfeeding mums are advised to limit their intake of highly processed foods and foods containing lots of sugar.

Is natural sugar from fruit okay when breastfeeding?

Absolutely. Natural fruit sugar and refined sugar are very different things. Refined sugar is broken down rapidly by the body, causing blood sugar to spike and crash. Whole fruit, by contrast, contains fibre, vitamins, and minerals. The fibre slows absorption, stabilises blood sugar, and keeps you fuller for longer - which helps prevent further cravings. When a craving hits, reaching for a piece of sweet whole fruit is a good idea.

How can an In Shape Mummy Health Shake Help?

The In Shape Mummy Health Shake is a superfood meal replacement shake designed specifically for breastfeeding and busy mums. It tackles the three nutritional causes of sugar cravings covered in this article - low protein, nutrient depletion, and over-hunger - in one simple daily shake.

It's packed with organic plant-based protein to keep you fuller for longer and stave off the energy crashes that trigger cravings. It's enhanced with 25 vitamins and minerals to replenish the nutrient gaps that keep your body sending craving signals even when you've already eaten. And the Chocolate Brownie, Caramel Fudge, and Vanilla flavours give you that sweet hit you're after - with less than 1g of sugar, naturally derived from monk fruit, so no blood sugar spike and no craving cycle.

Thousands of breastfeeding mums use it every day to manage cravings, support their milk supply, and feel like themselves again. If you're still struggling with sugar cravings, the In Shape Mummy Health Shake is a great place to start.

FAQs About Sugar Cravings While Breastfeeding

Are sugar cravings normal while breastfeeding?

Yes, completely normal. Breastfeeding dramatically increases your body’s energy demands, your hormones are shifting, you’re likely sleep deprived, and your nutrient stores are being drawn on heavily. All of these factors together make sugar cravings incredibly common in the postpartum period. It doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong - it means your body is working hard and asking for fuel.

Do sugar cravings mean I need more calories?

Sometimes, yes. Breastfeeding can burn an extra 300–500 calories per day, and if you’re not eating enough to compensate, your body will push you towards quick energy sources - which usually means sugar. But cravings can also be a sign that your meals lack protein, that you’re eating too infrequently, or that you’re low in certain nutrients. Rather than simply eating more sugar, focus on eating more of the right foods - especially protein, healthy fats, and nutrient-dense whole foods.

How do I stop sugar cravings while breastfeeding?

The most effective approach is to address the root cause rather than fight the craving directly. Eat three meals and two snacks a day, include protein at every meal, avoid long gaps between eating, and keep healthy sweet options on hand for when cravings strike. If cravings hit anyway, try the distraction method first - a glass of water, a short walk, or a phone call - and if you do need something sweet, reach for fruit with protein or a high-protein shake rather than processed sugar. 

Is sugar bad for breast milk?

Refined sugar doesn’t directly make your breast milk unhealthy, but a diet high in processed, sugary foods tends to be low in essential nutrients - and those nutrients are what your body uses to make high-quality breast milk. So it’s less about sugar appearing in your milk and more about the fact that a sugar-heavy diet crowds out the good stuff. Natural sugar from whole fruit is absolutely fine and comes packaged with fibre, vitamins, and minerals that support both you and your baby.

What should I eat instead of sugar when breastfeeding?

Reach for snacks that combine natural sweetness with protein or healthy fat. Good options include fruit with nut butter, Greek yoghurt with berries, a small handful of nuts and dried fruit, medjool dates with almond butter, or a protein smoothie made with a breastfeeding-safe shake. These satisfy the craving, stabilise your blood sugar, and actually keep you full - unlike processed sugar, which leaves you craving more within the hour.