PCOS and Cravings: Why You Want Sugar and Salt — and How to Finally Get Relief Naturally
PCOS and cravings often feel completely out of your control — especially those intense sweet cravings, late-night salty cravings, and sudden urges for high-carb comfort foods.
If you’ve ever wondered:
“Why am I always craving sugar around my cycle?”
“Why do I lose control with sweets and chips — even when I’m not hungry?”
“Is this my hormones or just willpower?”
…you’re not alone.
Cravings are one of the most common — and most misunderstood — PCOS symptoms. And they’re not a sign of weakness. They’re a sign your hormones, blood sugar, and nervous system are calling for support.
Research shows that PCOS significantly affects appetite regulation and eating behaviors, making cravings more frequent, more intense, and harder to manage compared to women without PCOS.
This guide breaks down why cravings happen with PCOS, what your body is actually trying to tell you, and the nutrition and lifestyle shifts that help reduce cravings naturally — without restriction, without guilt, and without going to war with your appetite.
Why Women With PCOS Experience Intense Cravings
Cravings in PCOS are rooted in predictable metabolic and hormonal patterns, not poor self-control.
1. Insulin Resistance Makes Your Brain Ask for More Sugar
Up to 80% of women with PCOS experience insulin resistance, even if they are not overweight. When insulin cannot efficiently move glucose into your cells, your brain interprets this as an energy shortage — even when you’ve eaten.
When insulin can't move glucose into your cells efficiently, your brain gets the message:
“We need energy — now.”
Cue:
Sugar cravings. Carb cravings. Constant hunger. Needing something sweet after meals. Post-meal energy crashes.
Research also shows that women with PCOS are more likely to crave refined carbohydrates, processed foods, and foods high in saturated or trans fats, largely due to insulin resistance disrupting appetite hormones.
Insulin resistance reduces leptin sensitivity (your fullness hormone), which is why:
You may still want to eat after meals
Snacks feel impossible to resist
“Just have one” doesn’t work for sweets
This is biological, not behavioral.
2. Cortisol Dysregulation → Cravings for Quick Energy
Elevated Cortisol Increases Both Sweet and Salty Cravings
Women with PCOS often have dysregulated cortisol due to chronic stress, under-eating, poor sleep, or blood sugar instability.
High cortisol pushes your body to seek fast fuel:
Sweet cravings
Salty cravings
High-fat comfort foods
Cortisol also raises blood sugar → which triggers another insulin spike → which leads to… more cravings.
This cycle is one of the biggest contributors to evening overeating in PCOS.
Cortisol also drives salt cravings because your adrenal system uses sodium to regulate stress, electrolytes, and blood pressure.
This is why cravings often intensify during stress, fatigue, or emotional overwhelm.
3. Inflammation Alters Appetite & Reward Signals
At the baseline, PCOS is an inflammatory condition. Chronic inflammation disrupts:
Hunger cues
Satiety hormones
Mood regulation
Neurotransmitters (dopamine & serotonin)
It reduces dopamine and serotonin sensitivity — two neurotransmitters that regulate pleasure, satisfaction, and appetite control and are involved in:
Craving satisfaction
Reward-driven eating
Emotional stability
When they’re low, cravings become harder to satisfy, harder to stop once triggered, and more frequent.
4. Hormonal Imbalances Amplify Cravings (Especially PMS Cravings)
Irregular ovulation, low progesterone, and elevated androgens all play a significant role in appetite regulation in PCOS.
Under normal circumstances, luteal-phase progesterone helps stabilize appetite, blood sugar, and cravings after ovulation. However, many women with PCOS experience:
Low progesterone
Infrequent or absent ovulation
Irregular or shortened luteal phases
When ovulation does not occur consistently, progesterone remains low. As a result:
Blood sugar regulation becomes less stable
PMS-type cravings intensify
Emotional eating becomes more common
Carb and sugar cravings increase before or during the expected luteal phase
Overall hunger may be higher in cycles without ovulation
This hormonal pattern explains why many women with PCOS experience stronger PMS cravings and appetite fluctuations even when a true menstrual cycle is not occurring.
5. Nutrient Deficiencies Can Trigger Both Sugar and Salt Cravings
Common deficiencies seen in PCOS include:
Magnesium → chocolate and sweet cravings
B vitamins → fatigue-driven hunger
Omega-3s → mood-related cravings
Chromium → sugar cravings
Sodium and potassium imbalance → salty cravings
Iron → pica or unusual cravings
Replenishing these nutrients often reduces cravings significantly.
How PCOS Affects Appetite Regulation and Eating Behaviors
Research consistently shows that women with PCOS struggle more with appetite regulation compared to women without the condition. This altered regulation contributes to increased cravings and difficulty managing food intake, even with intentional effort.
Insulin resistance plays a central role, but appetite changes in PCOS are also influenced by inflammation, hormonal imbalance, stress, and sleep quality. Because of this, dietary changes alone may not address every aspect of PCOS — a comprehensive approach is often necessary.
Sweet Cravings With PCOS: What They Really Mean
Sweet cravings are almost always a sign of blood sugar instability.
These show up as:
Craving sugar mid-morning
Needing something sweet after meals
Evening “snack attacks”
Intense cravings before your period
Losing control around sweets
Root Causes of Sugar Cravings in PCOS:
Insulin resistance
Skipping breakfast or eating low-protein meals
Poor sleep
High stress
Magnesium deficiency
Restriction/binge cycles
Under-eating during the day
Salty Cravings With PCOS: What They Mean
Salty cravings get less attention — but they’re just as important.
Salt cravings often reflect:
1. Poor adrenal regulation
Your stress system (HPA axis) may alter electrolyte balance.
2. Dehydration or mineral depletion
Especially in women with:
High stress
Low blood pressure
High coffee intake
Sweaty workouts
3. Under-eating carbohydrates
Low-carb diets can increase sodium excretion.
4. Chronic fatigue or burnout
Your adrenal system may pull you toward quick, salty foods for stimulation.
The Sweet–Salty–Sweet Craving Cycle: What’s Really Happening
If you find yourself bouncing between:
Wanting something sweet → craving something salty → craving sweets again, this is a classic sign of blood sugar instability.
Here’s the physiological sequence:
You eat something sweet → blood sugar spikes
Insulin surges → blood sugar drops too quickly
Your body craves salt to stabilize cortisol and electrolytes
Blood sugar dips again → cravings for more sugar
The cycle repeats
This pattern is especially common in women with PCOS and is not a willpower issue — it’s a metabolic response.
Why This Gets Worse After Stopping Birth Control
Coming off birth control can temporarily worsen cravings because your body is:
Regulating its own hormones again
Re-balancing insulin sensitivity
Adjusting to natural ovulation
Rebuilding progesterone
Recovering from synthetic hormone suppression
Women with PCOS often notice that underlying insulin resistance becomes more obvious once hormonal contraception is removed.
Different PCOS Types Have Different Craving Triggers
Even though cravings feel the same, the root cause can differ:
Insulin-Resistant PCOS: Blood sugar spikes and crashes drive sugar cravings
Post-Birth Control PCOS: Mixed sweet + salty cravings from hormonal recalibration
Stress-Induced (Adrenal) PCOS: Cortisol driven sweet and salty cravings + emotional eating
Inflammatory PCOS: Cravings tied to mood and inflammation-driven serotonin and dopamine disruptions
Knowing your PCOS type helps determine why cravings happen — and which strategy works best.
How to Stop PCOS Cravings Naturally (Without Restriction)
The goal is not to suppress appetite — it’s to stabilize the systems driving cravings.
This is where true relief begins.
Cravings are signals, and once you decode them, your body becomes easier to support.
Below are evidence-based strategies I use with PCOS clients to dramatically reduce cravings.
These tools reduce cravings by stabilizing blood sugar, lowering cortisol, and supporting hormone balance.
1. Focus on Diet Quality
Emphasize whole, minimally processed foods:
Vegetables and fruits
Lean proteins
Healthy oils
Nuts and seeds
Whole grains
Improving diet quality supports blood sugar balance and reduces craving intensity.
2. Build Balanced Meals (aka The PCOS Plate)
Aim for meals that include:
Adequate protein (around 25–35g per meal, ~30% of calories)
Complex carbohydrates (~40% of calories) (examples: quinoa, beans, lentils, berries, sweet potatoes)
Healthy fats (examples: avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil)
Fiber (8–12g)
Balanced meals stabilize:
Blood sugar
Cortisol
Insulin
Appetite hormones (improve satiety)
This formula flattens your glucose response → fewer cravings hours later.
This one shift alone reduces sugar cravings by 30–40%.
Examples:
Greek yogurt + chia + berries
Eggs + avocado + sautéed spinach
Protein smoothie with fiber + healthy fats
3. Eat Protein First and Don’t Eat Carbs Alone
Eating protein first reduces glucose spikes.
Always pair carbohydrates with protein and fat to prevent crashes that fuel cravings.
4. Don’t Skip Meals or Go Long Hours Without Eating
Skipping meals or fasting too aggressively backfires for PCOS. Long gaps between meals increase cortisol and worsen cravings later in the day.
Blood sugar dips too low which also causes:
Cortisol rises
Blood sugar crashes
Hunger intensifies
Sweet cravings skyrocket
Evening overeating begins
It’s a vicious cycle.
Most women with PCOS feel best eating every 3–4 hours, especially postpartum or in the luteal phase.
5. Include Foods That May Support PCOS Symptoms
Some foods shown to support metabolic health include:
Flax oil
Walnuts
Almonds
Vinegar (especially before meals to reduce glucose spikes)
6. Reduce Processed Foods and AGEs
Limiting ultra-processed foods and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) may help reduce inflammation and improve appetite regulation.
7. Add Magnesium Every Night
Magnesium supports:
Insulin sensitivity
Dopamine regulation
PMS cravings
Chocolate cravings
Nervous system regulation
Food sources: pumpkin seeds, almonds, cacao, leafy greens.
8. Incorporate Cinnamon or Berberine for Blood Sugar
These support insulin sensitivity and reduce post-meal glucose spikes.
Use under guidance — berberine is potent.
9. Reduce Cortisol to Reduce Cravings
Cravings aren’t just metabolic — they’re nervous system–driven.
Quick nervous system regulators:
5 deep exhales
Morning sunlight
10-minute walk after meals
Regular meals
Warm magnesium bath
Herbal adaptogens / support (ashwagandha, tulsi, rhodiola)*
*Always evaluate safety individually.
10. Eat Enough Carbohydrates (Yes, Really)
Ultra-low-carb diets often increase cravings, especially salty cravings.
Most women with PCOS do best with balanced carbs, not carb elimination.
11. Improve Sleep to Regulate Hunger Hormones
Just one night of poor sleep increases:
Ghrelin (hunger hormone)
Cortisol
Insulin resistance
Cravings for sugar & processed carbs
Aim for 7–9 hours, with consistent sleep/wake times.
12. Address Emotional and Lifestyle Factors
Stress, mood, sleep, and emotional well-being significantly impact cravings. Supporting nervous system regulation is a critical part of PCOS nutrition care.
13. Engage in Regular Physical Activity
Research suggests:
250 minutes/week of moderate activity or
150 minutes/week of vigorous activity
This supports insulin sensitivity, appetite regulation, and craving reduction.
PCOS Cravings Before Your Period: What’s Going On?
If your cravings intensify before your period, this is often because:
Progesterone is low
Estrogen drops
Magnesium levels fall
Blood sugar becomes more unstable
Supporting nutrition and stress during this phase can dramatically reduce PMS cravings and mood symptoms.
Supporting blood sugar and stress in this window makes cravings dramatically easier to manage.
When Cravings Signal Something More
If you experience:
Intense thirst
Rapid weight gain
Frequent urination
Blurred vision
Extreme fatigue
…speak with your healthcare provider about checking:
Insulin
Glucose
HOMA-IR
A1C
Practical Snack Ideas for PCOS Cravings
When You Want Something Sweet
Greek yogurt + berries
Apple slices + almond butter
Dark chocolate + walnuts
Cinnamon protein chia pudding
When You Want Something Salty
Roasted chickpeas
Seaweed snacks
Avocado + sea salt
Hummus + veggies
Olives
Balanced snacks keep your cravings from spiraling.
The Takeaway: Your Cravings Are Communication, Not a Character Flaw
PCOS cravings — especially the sweet–salty–sweet cycle — are signals, not failures.
They’re data — signals from your hormones, blood sugar, stress system, and metabolism. They reflect blood sugar instability, hormonal imbalance, inflammation, stress, and nutrient needs.
When you nourish the root causes (blood sugar, cortisol, minerals, and hormones):
Cravings soften
Energy stabilizes
Bloating decreases
Cycles become more regular
Mood improves
Eating feels more peaceful and intuitive
You deserve a relationship with food that feels peaceful and grounded.
Your body isn’t fighting you — it’s asking for balance.
Ready to Reduce Your PCOS Cravings and Balance Your Hormones Naturally?
If you want personalized nutrition support, root-cause guidance, and a structured plan to reduce cravings, improve energy, improve your relationship with food, and regulate your cycle…
✨ Work with me 1:1
You’ll get a customized roadmap to stabilize blood sugar, balance hormones, and feel in control of your cravings again.
Working with a dietitian trained in PCOS care can make a meaningful difference.
