Cravings feel powerful, frustrating, and often completely out of your control.

But what if most cravings aren’t random at all?

In this first episode of The Nutrition Couch for 2026, Leanne and Susie unpack what’s really driving cravings, why willpower is not the problem, and how simple changes to your day can make a huge difference.

They also break down new research linking diet quality to better sleep, review a popular lower-calorie ice cream, and tackle a listener question on why low-carb wraps aren’t the health food they’re marketed to be.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why blood sugar dips are one of the biggest hidden drivers of sugar cravings

• How restricting carbs earlier in the day often backfires by 4pm

• The difference between true cravings and habit-based or emotional eating

• Why after-dinner cravings are often learned, not physiological

• How stress, fatigue, boredom and “reward eating” can disguise themselves as hunger

• A simple way to interrupt cravings without relying on willpower

• New research showing higher fruit, vegetable and whole-grain intake is linked to better sleep quality that same night

• Whether lower-calorie ice creams are worth it nutritionally

• Why low-carb wraps are more processed than many people realise, and what to choose instead

Subscribe so you don’t miss a Wednesday episode, and send your listener questions or word of the year via Instagram.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.