How to Stop Sugar Cravings Instantly (Without Willpower) | CraveX

Why are sugar cravings so hard to control — even when you know better?

Sugar cravings are one of the hardest habits to break. Most people know they should cut back, but when that craving hits, logic goes out the window — and suddenly one bite turns into the whole dessert.

In this episode, we break down why sugar cravings happen, what’s actually going on in the brain, and how to stop sugar cravings instantly without relying on willpower.

I sit down with the co-founder of CraveX, a functional gum designed to neutralize sweet taste and interrupt sugar cravings in real time. Instead of replacing the habit with “healthier” alternatives, CraveX takes a completely different approach — helping you rewire your brain’s reward system and reduce sugar cravings at the source.

You’ll learn:

•  How to stop sugar cravings fast (even in the moment) 
•  Why sugar cravings feel so hard to control 
•  The connection between dopamine, habits, and sugar addiction 
•  Why “healthy sweets” don’t actually fix cravings 
•  How to reduce sugar cravings naturally without extreme dieting 

If you’ve ever struggled with sugar addiction, late-night sweet cravings, or constantly reaching for snacks, this episode will change how you think about cravings — and give you a practical way to take control.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Sugar cravings are one of the hardest habits to break. Most people know they should probably cut back on sugar, especially if they're trying to lose weight or eat healthier. But when that craving hits, logic tends to go out the window. You tell yourself, just one bite, and then suddenly the whole dessert is gone. With summer around the corner, at least for some of us, a lot of people are trying to clean up their habits, but that urge for sweets can be incredibly difficult to overcome. So what if there was a way to interrupt that craving before you reach for that treat? Today I'm joined by Skye Gastonel, co-founder of Crave X, a functional gum designed to neutralize sweet taste and help people break the cycle of sugar cravings. Sky, thank you so much for being here. I'm really intrigued by what you've created and excited to learn more.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Yeah, and Leah, thank you so much for having me. I'm also excited to be here myself and share a bit more about Crave X. Wonderful.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

Yeah, so let's start with your background. What led you to create a functional gum brand?

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Totally. So I want to start off by saying that we really never set out to make a gum. We really sought out to understand sugar addiction. And really, where this conversation got started was just in a simple chat with me and one of my best friends here at UC Berkeley in June of 2025. Um, I'd been studying data science and neuroscience, and my co-founder Jonathan has been studying biology and business. So we've really always just bonded over a love for science. And we were sitting around at their study table after a long final study session, looking around at just really all the sugary snacks we had been mindlessly reaching for throughout the week. And I just asked Jonathan, I was like, why do you think sugar is so addictive? And really, this just led us down a rabbit hole. Um, we had both been studying sweet taste receptors, and we kind of started to wonder if it would be possible to actually change our sweet taste receptors or change how sweet things taste. And as we dug a bit deeper, we not only found out that this mechanism exists, but it's been known for a long time in a natural plant called Gymnema Sylvestra, which temporarily reduces sweet taste perception. And when we tried it ourselves, we were shocked that it not only worked, but no one had been using it and turning it into a practical everyday product. So from there, the idea was pretty simple. What if we could turn this into an easy tool people could use in their everyday lives to really just take control of their sugar cravings? And that's where Krapex was born.

SPEAKER_01 2:51

Sugar is in literally almost everything you can find in the store. So it's hard to avoid. And we it's really easy to just have the need to go back and get another one. Like everyone says, Oh, I need my sweet treat, especially after dinner and stuff. So it's very interesting that you know, this curiosity opened up for both of you, and you found this herb that was able to actually neutralize the sweet taste. How did you originally consume this?

SPEAKER_00 3:23

Yeah. So the first time we tried Gemnima Sylvestra, we uh quite literally ordered the pure extract form and it came in kind of a mysterious dark vial, and we just literally put some on our tongue. Um, and it does naturally taste quite bitter. So there is that. But we immediately tried the extract and then just tried all the sweet stuff we already had around us, because of course sugary food is everywhere, and both Jonathan and I are naturally big sweet tooths. So we just started trying everything around our kitchen, and we were absolutely blown away by the effect.

SPEAKER_01 4:06

Nice. So was there like a specific moment that you realized, you know, these sugar cravings are a real problem we're solving, not just for us, but for other people around the world as well.

SPEAKER_00 4:19

Yeah, absolutely. I think in just my everyday personal life, I've always been pretty invested in my personal health and wellness. But like many others, I've always been aware of the fact that eating too much sugar is bad for you, but easier said than done. But where I think it really got started for me was just in my academic and professional journey. I worked at a couple of neuroscience labs at Berkeley and Stanford University and worked at Equinox while studying data science and neuroscience here at UC Berkeley, which really gave me incredible exposure to top neuroscience researchers and fitness professionals, all of which who kind of repeated the same principles to me that, you know, working on your diet, sleep, and exercise are all the keys to dramatically improve your quality of life. Um, but while I was gaining all this knowledge and exposure and actively trying myself to live a healthier life, I was simultaneously a stressed-out college student, um, working at the same time and just not getting enough sleep and constantly reaching for those sugary snacks, despite knowing that it's bad for you. So that really started to beg into question to me. Um, if someone like myself, who is at the sort of epicenter of research and modern technology, if I was struggling to make the right food decisions, how can we expect anyone else to really do the same? And simultaneously, my best friend Jonathan, uh, and now co-founder of CraveX, was doing diabetes research under some major medical institutions and seeing how, you know, sugar drives insulin resistance over time and can push the body towards type 2 diabetes and disrupt how cells respond to insulin. And so, as both him and I together were becoming increasingly conscious of the negative effects of overconsumption of sugar, we paid more and more attention into what was in our food and sort of started to look around us at the US food industry for answers. And really, what just became more clear to us over time was that sugar overconsumption really isn't an issue about your lack of awareness. I think most people do know that sugar and eating too much sugar is bad for you, but really it's a larger systematic issue in driven not only by your kind of biology, but the modern food environment where sugar and added sugar is in everything. And on top of that, there are just no tools that people can really use to easily implement in their lives to make changes to their consumption. And that's what really drove the conception of Kray Box.

SPEAKER_01 6:59

That's beautiful that you and Jonathan were able to find this shared passion together because it is a very important subject. You know, the brands out there have discovered how addictive sugar is as well. And I believe they put it in more things because they know it'll create more dependency, more addiction to their products. And this is something that most people have awareness of. We know sugar isn't good for us, but we're like, oh, it's okay. I'm just gonna have enough sweet cheese, not gonna do anything that bad. But then we don't realize how much we're actually having when it's added up over time. It's really cool that you just dove into this research and we're looking to, you know, make a change here. And speaking of that, you know, what's actually happening in the brain when someone experiences a sugar craving? Why is it so hard to overcome?

SPEAKER_00 7:55

Yeah, that's a good question. And uh really the biological level, sugar cravings are driven by our brain's reward system. So, particularly the dopamine pathway. Um, when you eat something sweet, your taste receptors are essentially sending a signal to the brain to release dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter uh associated with motivation and reward. And, but not just pleasure, but it's really your drive to repeat a behavior. And so eventually eating sweet stuff, your brain starts to form a pattern where you're getting the sweet taste, which releases dopamine, and then you're seeing that positive outcome. And over time, this loop becomes very predictive. So you don't even need to eat sugar to activate this pathway, but seeing a dessert or feeling stressed can trigger that dopamine anticipation. And that's really what a sugar craving is it's a learned expectation of that reward. So with Crave X, we decided to stop that loop at the sensory level. So by disrupting how sweet taste is perceived, you're also weakening the signal that would drive that dopamine release. And so without that sweet equals reward experience, your brain is getting a smaller or at least a mismatched reward signal. And so, yeah, essentially the principle is just by chewing cravacks and also reducing your sugar intake, your reinforcement loop over time starts to break down, and sugar cravings are going to become less intense or less frequent over time.

SPEAKER_01 9:28

What's very interesting, something I've noticed in my life, I've never really been much of a sweet tooth. I grew up in a pretty healthy family, and I was eating all types of vegetables and everything, and it was the last thing on my mind to eat dessert. And then I noticed there were periods in my life when I did eat a sweet treat and it opened the door to eating more sweet treats. And then I would go through a whole phase of non-stop eating desserts. And it's like my brain rewired itself to crave it once I opened that door, which is very interesting. It shows that this can be rewired. I've also noticed for some reason, whipped cream gives me a crazy dopamine boost. I don't know why. I've noticed a change in my brain state after I've had whipped cream. It's this instant like rush of happiness.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Yeah. So that's all have that kind of sweet fix that we specifically crave. I think my weakness is ice cream for sure. Um and but as you're saying, you know, um, when you start to eat a lot of sweet stuff, you kind of become more and more hooked to it. But luckily, the reverse effect is also true. So over time, by reducing your sugar intake, you're also going to naturally over time reduce your sugar cravings as well.

SPEAKER_01 10:56

So most companies trying to solve sugar cravings create healthier sweets. Why did you decide to create a gum instead?

SPEAKER_00 11:05

Yeah. So while healthier sweets are generally offering a healthier alternative to sugary foods, Cravex really is focused on solving the root of the issue. So rather than enabling people's sugary cravings with a healthier option, we are trying to give people a tool to entirely rewire their habits and cravings. So the more you eat sugary foods, generally, the more you crave them. So as Cravex is weakening the sugar reward pathway, we're hoping to actively reduce people's sugar cravings, making long-term change more sustainable.

SPEAKER_01 11:38

That's great because most options are just another way to satisfy the craving and not actually solving the problem. So I love how that's unique and actually going to the root cause of it. I also thought it was interesting that, you know, you could have made like a sweet gum to replace the craving, but instead you design something that neutralizes the sweetness altogether. Yeah. What was the thinking behind that approach?

SPEAKER_00 12:06

Yeah, so uh for starters, our gum does actually contain a non-nutritive sweetener. So when you first start chewing our gum, it actually does taste sweet. But as you chew on the gum and it starts to work on your tongue, neutralizing that sweet effect, the sweet taste of the gum will fade away. And that's actually how you know the gum is working. That was a little trick we put together, but beyond that, it really just does come down to that principle of if sweet things didn't taste good, why would we eat them? So Kravex, again, isn't about replacing sugar, but it's really about rewiring your habits and your brain's association with sweet food.

SPEAKER_01 12:45

Hmm, that's very interesting. So it has a sweetness in the beginning, and then when it fades away, you know it's working. So why did you choose to do like a peppermint flavor for your first like core offering?

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Yeah. So Gymnima Sylvestra, which is the plant that neutralizes sweet taste, is naturally really bitter. So when my co-founder and I first tried out the compound ourselves, we knew that it wouldn't be accessible in its most basic form. And so we needed to put it into a tool that people could actually implement in their everyday lives. Like no one is going to take out a vial of some bitter extract and put it on their tongue after dinner. Right. So number one, we wanted to just mask that bitter taste. And so peppermint really worked to do that. And beyond that, it really is just a refreshing way to cleanse your palate. Personally, I like to chew Kravex the most after I eat dinner, before maybe I would normally reach for a bunch of dessert. So having a minty gum is just a nice way to refresh your palate and help you cut back on sugar.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

Definitely. And I always hear people around me saying they have that craving for the sweet snack after dinner or when they're watching TV and they just want to reach for something. So I think that's a very good time to incorporate this as well. And the minty flavor also, I'm sure, distracts you as well. It's not just like, oh, this is gonna actually make me want to eat more sweets, because it reminded me of the flavor.

SPEAKER_00 14:24

Yeah, and minty gum is something that already a lot of people chew and have into their routine. So it just fits in a little more easily to everyone's lifestyle, I think, as well. Yes, I love mint gum.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

I don't like any of the other flavors. I think just mint is just the way to go. Um, and when you say it neutralizes sweetness, you know, what does that actually feel like for the consumer?

SPEAKER_00 14:46

Yeah, so Kravex really only blocks your ability to taste sweet things. So your other tastes are going to be unaffected. So say you're eating a piece of chicken or something, it'll taste exactly the same. But when you try something with like candy or anything with a lot of added sugar, because that sweet taste is completely blocked, you're only going to taste the other ingredients and artificial flavorings that are in that food. So, for example, when I first tried soda after chewing a piece of Krayvex, I was pretty blown away because not only did it not taste sweet, but I actually thought it really tasted bad because you're tasting all the chemicals and artificial flavorings drink as well. But really, just overall, it is reducing anything that tastes sweet. And, you know, just after doing pop-ups and taste tests of different people, we just ask people whether they would want to keep drinking or eating the sugary food. We offer them to do a little taste test after each chewing grave eggs. And really, just everyone's overwhelming response is no, because most of these sweet foods don't taste good without the sweetness.

SPEAKER_01 15:53

Wow. Yeah, I didn't think about that, like how the artificial aftertaste or these things would be more pronounced when that sweetness that you know hits your dopamine is taken away. That's very interesting. Uh, so who would you say Cravex is designed for? Like what type of person tends to benefit the most?

SPEAKER_00 16:15

Yeah, I think it really at the end of the day, I Kravex isn't a weight loss gum or a diet gum. So it's not necessarily just for people who are trying to make extreme changes in their lives, but I think it's really just for anyone trying to make a healthier choice in their day-to-day life. We've used very simple ingredients, a natural gum base, it's aspartame free and vegan. So it really is accessible to anyone as just a simple tool that can be used whenever you do experience a sugar craving.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

Very nice. Cool. So, besides like the after dinner craving, is there any other moments that you've seen are really helpful to, you know, to the gum?

SPEAKER_00 16:57

Absolutely. So yeah, personally, my cravings are the worst at night. So I like to keep it accessible literally just on my kitchen counter. I keep a box of craybex. So whenever I am thinking to reach for a sugary snack or a dessert, it's right there for me. And really, we just recommend keeping Kravex just close by to you so you can use it whenever a sugar craving arises. So whether that be after dinner or whether it's while you're stressed out at work, um, or if it's just in the morning, first thing. Krabex is really just meant for any time you personally want to take back control over your sugar consumption.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

I think my office would really benefit with that because there's so many sweets just there, uh, always for grabs. So yeah. So can someone take it on an empty stomach? Or is there like a limit to how much people can chew it in a day?

SPEAKER_00 17:52

Yeah, so it's gymnema silvestra, it is considered safe to consume at very high doses and can be taken on an empty stomach. I will say gymnemic acids, which are the act the compound in the plant that binds to your sweet taste receptors, also does actually inhibit some glucose absorption. So this can actually also help you prevent blood sugar spikes after a meal. But that being said, if you do struggle with hypoglycemia, which is low blood sugar, you may want to be more mindful of your dosage with Krabex. But it is generally considered safe consuming gymnastic silvestre for up to 10 grams per day, which is about 140 pieces of Kravex. So, generally speaking, you do not need to worry, and you can pretty much chew Kravex uh whenever you want, as many times as you want.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

Perfect. That's a great dose is flopping. 140 pieces. Wow. Does the the flavor like intensify when you take multiple?

SPEAKER_00 18:54

Uh, if anything, it would probably start to dull if you chewed on two pieces back to back, because as I mentioned, the indication that the gum is working on your tongue is the fact that it's blocking the sweet taste of the gum itself. So, you know, if you chewed it right back to back, it might be a little bit pointless, but everyone's taste receptors are a little bit different. So for some people, the effect of the gum might fade off after around 30 minutes, and for other people, it's up to two hours. So, really, you know, you can choose to chew another piece um whenever you see fit.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

Nice. I mean, I think 30 minutes to two hours is a good, you know, time span of just being able to get past that craving and just redirect your attention elsewhere. So is this something people take temporarily to you know rewire their relationship with sugar, or is it more of a lifestyle they keep it on hand always? What do you think is the best use case?

SPEAKER_00 19:54

Yeah, that's a good question. And I really think it is both. Um, we want people to be able to use Cravex to make that long-term sustainable change in their sugar consumption habits and reduce their sugar cravings over time, but simultaneously, everyone's relationship with food, I think, really is an ever-evolving process. So even if you're someone who doesn't really experience any sugar cravings, I think pretty much everyone has been in that situation where, say, you're eating one cookie and then suddenly you find yourself eating five more and you've had that uncomfortable overconsumption of sugar feeling. And so for anyone, even if you've, you know, even if you're not someone who actively craves sugar all the time, I think Crave X can step in just as a tool when those sugar cravings do arise. Um, and whether that be several times a day or just once in a while when you do get that strong urge to eat sweets.

SPEAKER_01 20:49

I also imagine it can be a way to limit yourself and be like, all right, I'm having one cookie and then I'm gonna pop the gum and you know, still be able to in indulge, but have a limit for yourself and be able to control it better by knowing, okay, this is what I take to you know shift my attention.

SPEAKER_00 21:08

Yeah, and really I like to tell people that Kravex is not about restriction. Uh sugar and moderation still is needed for everyday functioning. Like sugar is your brain's kind of number one source of energy. So we're really not trying to promote people to cut out sugar entirely, but really just be more mindful of how much they're consuming because overconsumption is where you run into problems.

SPEAKER_01 21:33

Definitely.

SPEAKER_00 21:34

But, you know, used in moderation is still fits into a healthy lifestyle.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

Wonderful. So, what have you learned from customer feedback so far? And is there anything about the product that has or like the messaging that has evolved because of it?

SPEAKER_00 21:52

100%. Um, I think customer feedback has driven pretty much everything about building up CraveX from The very start, quite literally, to come up with the name for Kramex. Uh, and even just the delivery mechanism being a gum was from Jonathan, my co-founder, and I, flyering questionnaires around Berkeley's campus to ask people their thoughts and opinions. And in the formulation process, too, we talking to people is what really helped us refine the ingredients too. So realizing that people who want to cut back on sugar also really care about everything else they're putting in their body. So that's really why we wanted to make cravacs using very simple ingredients. So we opted for an all-natural gum base instead of a synthetic plastic one. And we use xylitol as our sweetener because it's also beneficial for your teeth. And all of these decisions came from just talking to people and realizing what was important. And yeah, more recently, I think what has stood out to us is that Krabex is becoming not, I think, just a tool for people to use in their everyday lives, but also just a community of people looking to better themselves. And I think people from pretty much every background, from fitness, food, medicine, has gotten excited about our product, which has been really cool to see. And so, really long term, we're looking to build Craybex into a bigger platform, not just for cutting back on sugar, but just taking initiative in your own health and life choices.

SPEAKER_01 23:27

That's beautiful. Yeah, I mean, this is a very unique product. And I've told some friends about it too. I'm like, oh, I'm having, you know, this really cool product on my podcast. I'm like, oh my God, I need that. So I love that um you also did the market research by your campus and asking people what they like because just having their insight is very important. What your consumers are actually going to look for, because yes, there's so many wellness products that also have, you know, like annoying sweeteners that people don't want, artificial stuff. And it's like, all right, how much am I benefiting from this? Um, but the addition of xylitol is very cool. I know that definitely um helps your teeth, like it strengthens your teeth too, right? I know I've got a few mints with xylitol, and it it has that like minty sweetness, and it's really good.

SPEAKER_00 24:23

Yeah, and um our co-founder's mom is actually a dentist. And so you know it was extra important that we took that step as well. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 24:33

So, for someone who's skeptical about trying it, what would you tell them?

SPEAKER_00 24:40

Yeah, I think the biggest thing is when people hear about cutting back on sugar, they oftentimes go to like they think of fat diet trends or just those extreme appetite suppressants we see on the market, like the GLP1, Zempic. But I really think in talking to skeptics, I want them to know that CraveX is not that. It really is, at the end of the day, an all-natural piece of gum. And it's a simple tool, natural ingredients that you can use whenever and anywhere. It's not an appetite suppressant, and it's really just a simple behavioral trick. And so for those that are skeptical, I would just encourage them to just give it a try. I think I've seen from doing these taste tests, even the most skeptical people be pretty blown away by the effects.

SPEAKER_01 25:28

Awesome. So where can people buy it?

SPEAKER_00 25:31

Yeah, right now Cravex is available for purchase on Cravexgum.com and coming soon in retail near you. But if you want to stay tuned on these updates and future products coming out, definitely check us out on Instagram and TikTok at Cravexcum.

SPEAKER_01 25:48

Wonderful. Sky, thank you so much for coming on, sharing your story. I love learning more about you know the science behind sugar cravings and the unique approach you've taken with a product. I know it's gonna help a lot of people. Uh, and if you enjoyed the conversation, be sure to follow the business of better for more discussions, exploring the psychology behind wellness products. And please take a second to rate the show. It really helps more people discover the podcast. Thanks for listening, and I'll see you in the next episode.