I feel thirsty when I cut sugar from my diet - Healthy Eating

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I feel thirsty when I cut sugar from my diet

BluebirdX0 profile image
4 Replies

One thing that I notice is that in the weeks that I don't eat sugar, I feel extremely thirsty and drinking water doesn't solve it.

I don't even cut it intentionally. Some weeks I just crave savory foods over sweet ones and only consume sugar in fruits.

In the next few days, I'm cutting the salt to see if I'm not going overboard with this, but my question is that if this reaction is normal?

Does anyone who stopped or decreased the refined sugar consumption also felt weirdly thirsty?

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BluebirdX0 profile image
BluebirdX0
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4 Replies

Hi BluebirdX0 interesting eating sugar can make us thirsty as it’s absorbed in the gut quickly.

Being thirsty is one of the signs of type 2 diabetes so I’d seek medical advice to ascertain this especially if it’s pre diabetes as you can reverse this with diet as some of our members have done successfully.

Here’s. Link to Diabetes U.K. with symptoms.

diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-th...

And you might get some useful advice on the DRWF community:

healthunlocked.com/drwfdiab...

Also anaemia and stress can cause thirst so I’d see your Dr to get things checked out and good luck to you with this.

Cooper27 profile image
Cooper27Administrator

Carbs bind to water molecules in the body, so it's possible that when you reduce your sugar intake, you are losing some of your water stores, and feeling dehydrated.

It should balance out once your body gets used to it, but it it continues for much longer or you're concerned by any other symptoms, then always speak to your GP.

You need to make sure you consume salt to help keep you hydrated, so don't go completely salt-less (although cutting out processed foods that contain salt will be good for you overall).

How much water are you drinking?

Subtle_badger profile image
Subtle_badger

What are you actually eating? If you are having meat and veggies, then Cooper27 is probably on the mark. If you are eating prepared food, there are likely to be quite a lot of hidden sugars and simple starches, then your body won't be releasing any glycogen. A savoury pastry is probably better for you than a sweet one, but neither is great for you.

But a lot of people notice they wee more when they start a keto diet (if that's what you are doing) and need to drink more to make up for it. It settles down after a while.

But I haven't heard anyone talk about a thirst that can not be quenched. That does sound worrying, even if it goes away when you eat sugar. If you have the resources, make an appointment with your doctor - especially if you are overweight or have a a waist measurement more than half your height. You can measure your height with a piece of string, fold it in half, and then your waist should be smaller than that.

Be careful about cutting salt, especially if you aren't eating processed foods. When I cut out sugar and processed foods I had to add salt to my diet to get rid of night cramps.

Activity2004 profile image
Activity2004Administrator

Hi BluebirdX0 ,

As Hidden has suggested, HU has the DRWF ( Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation) group. They also have a website that has a link for the free leaflets dealing with different issues related to Diabetes. Some of the leaflets talk about what Diabetes is, Exercise and Diabetes, Foot Care and Diabetes, Diet and Diabetes, etc.. Please see: drwf.org.uk/understanding-d...

Please show the free leaflets to your doctor. They are downloadable/readable online and/or listened to anytime. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask anytime. I hope this helps! :-)

For me, personally, when my blood sugars are over 300+ ( I'm a person with Type 1 Diabetes), I get really thirsty and drink water and other drinks that don't have sugar in them to help them go a little lower and back into a 'normal' range.

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