Are you eating enough of other things? Are you stressed? I tend to crave sweets when I am stressed or when I don't eat enough paleo foods. When I eat enough meat and vegetables, I don't crave sweets at all. I think it's okay to enjoy sweets once in a while. One brownie is not going to set you back...But obsessing about sweets (or any kind of food) reflects an unhealthy eating attitude or relationship with food. Try organic dark chocolate (above 70%), or you can make paleo-friendly brownies! Oh, also staying well hydrated helps with cravings as well.

Oh.. Also just read the list of ingredients in commercially prepared baked goods. You won't even want to touch those food-like substances ever again. Baked goods contain hydrogenated vegetable oils, high fructose corn syrup, and all other chemicals and additives, not to mention refined grains.

Eventually it will fade. That's not encouraging for the short term, I know, but giving in will just continue the cycle.

Try and focus on something salty and rich. Lots of fat seems to help with sweet cravings. Maybe make an egg custard with super dark chocolate.

Or just ride it out. Supposedly L-glutamine supplementation really helps with sweet cravings.

Take this advice however you like:

Eat sugar when you crave sugar.

Drink some coconut water. It's sweet enough to satisfy a sugar craving and hydrates you too. It works for me!

You may want to try supplementing with Magnesium.

Dark chocolate is a good food source, but you may need more Magnesium than you can get from a reasonable amount of chocolate. Try 400-600 mg Mag Glycinate.

Stay away from all sweets for about two weeks. You will know when it is okay to break the sweet fast because wheat will no longer look like food. You have to stay away from artificial sweeteners too for this to work- it didn't happen to me until I ditched splenda. If you have serious cravings, eat fat. Eventually things calm down. Sugar, in paleo doses, is okay. The key is keeping to the paleo dose.

All of this advice, of course, is based entirely on my own experience. I have also learned not to try and economize by buying large bags of frozen fruit. Just bring home a small amount of whatever sweet treat you have decided to give yourself- and don't let there be any grains, legumes, or dairy in it.

I have had the same problem. What worked for me is to go cold turkey on starch and sugar. The cravings faded after two weeks of no sugar, starchy carbs or fruit. After about a month, I tried to work back in one piece of fruit a day, and the cravings immediately returned.

I'd go with the dark chocolate too (I prefer 81 or 90%).

Personally, I find that if I'm really craving something and I try hard not to give in, I end up becoming absolutely obsessed about it and eventually have a massive cave-in. Then I might end up eating a whole pack of brownies rather than just a tiny one. So better to have a small cave-in and then quickly get back on track.

But that's just the way my mind works!

I don’t know if its possible for anyone to have a bigger sweet tooth than me! Im 35 days into a 45 day paleo challenge hosted by my crossfit gym. I went through major withdrawals and intense sugar cravings in the first couple weeks but they do start to subside, but not 100%. I’ve tried to limit my fruit, but there’s only been a few day where I’ve successfully cut it out all-together. My office has cookies, cupcakes, and candy in abundance here so when I have an intense urge I reason that eating some berries or an orange is better than the alternative. It helps. I know myself and I can’t keep those chocolate bars around, even 80% or whatever. If it’s in my house it will haunt me until I eat it all. I only had about ten 10lbs to lose and im a few pounds away from that goal so I would not fret all too much about having a few servings of fruit every day to manage not eating something even worse for you.

Read my entire explanation of this recommendation before dismissing it out of hand: The Beck Diet Solution by Judith Beck. It does not make ANY recommendations about what way-of-eating (a/k/a "diet") to adopt. It is totally agnostic on the subject.

What the book does do is provide a method (mostly CBT) of how to follow the food plan you select.

It has several entire chapters on cravings, which I will not attempt to summarize here. The book is well worth the money if you want an effective method of dealing with cravings.

Try a scoop of chocolate flavored whey protein mixed with milk (any kind of milk). It really helps if you're regularly doing weight training too. Also, I agree with the others recommending dark chocolate.

I TOTALLY had the same problem, and it was kinda bad for me given where I work (selling shitty processed food onboard a train XD). I tried purchasing very dark chocolate and just eating that. Tasted great! But I started eating too much of it.

Then I tried a fruit smoothie -- think along the lines of Toadally Primal Smoothies -- and I've had NO problems. I have only had them in the mornings. But seriously, no more cravings. http://primalsmoothies.com/

Have you looked at Chromium supplements? Might assist sweet cravings. Also, trying gymnema, neem and stevia in tea form might help. You can make it up and chill it to sip through out the day.

Wow all great advice. I'm in the same boat - how long a candida detox is recommended for those of us who always crave something naughty? So cut out caffeine, all natural or artificial sweeteners, fruit - anything else?

I have been on the Paleo diet for 2 months now. I make a sweet dessert (sweetened with honey) for my family and I pretty much daily. Within the last couple of days I've noticed that I no longer crave sugar and I can skip the snack. It's pretty crazy.

when a craving for me hits, it's a lot harder to quell it. for all of my loads of cravings in the past 5 years, only a few things have been able to stop them

a craving's just a thought. when i think i want to eat something crappy, i have this mad rush of new thoughts, fastening up a tale of if i ate a bite of that, my roof would cave in and it would start raining locusts. crazy, but pretty savvy too :p

i tell myself: 'i will conquer this demon of emotional eating. i will get better, and be an awesome respected person of society, eventually.' i have no reason to crush my spirit and future, after believing that i am worthy of better things

i eat a hearty meal. some go tos are a veggie, meat and butter dish, or eggs and butter

I drink diet sodas (but not dark ones since they contain added phosphorus).

It's a good compromise since I'm liable to eat a box of Oreos in one sitting, like I used to :)