5 Causes of Sugar Cravings
Why Do We Crave Sweets?
The truth is, we are hardwired to want sugar. Our bodies use glucose as a primary fuel source, so our brains have evolved to like sweet foods. Consuming sugar activates the mesolimbic dopamine system, which is the brain’s reward system. Dopamine, the feel-good chemical messenger, is then released and reinforces our desire for sugar. When we frequently consume sugary foods, our brains adapt to require more sugar to reap the same rewarding feeling. In other words, the more sugar you consume, the more you want it.
We’re designed to enjoy sweets, but why do we sometimes really crave sugar?
These cravings can be due to a variety of reasons including diet, lifestyle and environmental cues. Especially when we are tired and/or stressed!
Let’s look at 5 reasons.
You aren’t Eating Enough
When you don’t consume enough calories, your body starts looking for fast fuel as a way to catch up. And by the way, the majority of my clients don’t eat enough. Sugar gives you quick energy to get going. Yogurt, granola bars, and muffins are common choices for people who believe they eat healthy. The problem is that what goes up must come down. The minute your sugar levels drop in your blood, your body wants more to keep up with the energy needs to get through your day. This is exhausting for the adrenal glands and creates stress in the body and a viscous cycle that takes some time and attention to break. Always know that you’ll also crave more sugar when you are tired…because you are looking for that quick energy!
You are Dehydrated
Dehydration is probably the most common cause of sugar cravings. Lack of water consumption is often mistaken for sugar cravings and hunger pains. That afternoon pick me up so many people crave in the form of a granola bar, cookie, latte or sweet treat is often a signal of dehydration, not a need for sugar. Or, that dip in energy could also be a symptom of ‘stress’ or dysregulated cortisol and your body is looking for a quick boost of energy. Know that a lack of fluid intake can make it more difficult for the body to metabolize glycogen (stored glucose) for energy, so our bodies crave sugar to provide us with a quick source of energy when we actually just need to drink a little more water. Also remember that being dehydrated is a stress to the body…and so look at #5!
You Ate Too Many Carbohydrates
This is common. If you find you have cravings less than 3 hours after a meal, it was likely too high in carbohydrates. Think….Pasta. We kinda know this. But another mistake my coaching clients make is with their smoothies. And if you are taking in too many carbohydrates every day over the course of a lifetime, some more chronic damage is happening. When you eat carbs, it turns into sugar and ends up in your blood. Your pancreas secretes insulin to escort the sugar into your cells. If you have too much sugar in your cells, it gets stored as glycogen. Your cells may became more resistant to insulin after being tapped out of this process. If your smoothie contains a whole banana, juice and/or sweeter fruits, and yogurt for example, it’s likely too high in carbohydrates! Aim to get at least 22 grams of protein in your smoothie and a tbsp of healthy fat and replace half of the banana with some avocado so you increase the fibre too! Fibre, fat and protein will release the carbohydrates (sugar) into your bloodstream more slowly. Oh. And if you purchase your smoothies at a fast food restaurant I can guarantee you are getting too many carbohydrates because they make them sweet so that they appeal to everyone!
Your Digestion is Out of Balance
Our digestive system is a delicate ecosystem of flora, microorganism and bacteria. Our beneficial microbiome (good guys) can get outnumbered by opportunistic bacteria (bad guys), as the result of drinking unfiltered water, a diet high in refined or processed foods, sugar and alcohol. A lack of beneficial bacteria can allow for an overgrowth of yeast in the intestinal tract which literally lives and thrives on sugar. What this means is that your sugar cravings might be coming from an overgrowth of bad bacteria, and every time you consume more sugar you are feeding the ‘bad guys’ in your digestive tract. So all the will power in the world cannot go up against ‘bad bacteria’ wanting their feed! And, as we age, our body produces less and less hydrochloric acid (HCL) which is important for breaking down proteins into amino acids that are your building blocks. If your body is low in HCL, your food will sit a little longer and then your microbiome is impacted negatively again because undigested food makes its way down to the gut and the ‘bad guys’ chow down on it! (bloating!) So a little ‘gas’ isn’t going to hurt anyone right? Wrong! If your body isn’t breaking down your protein well enough, your overall health is impacted. That’s a whole other blog! Just know that one of the first things I do when working with clients is to improve their digestion…it’s that important.
You are Stressed
Stress is linked to sugar cravings in two ways; emotional cues and physical cues. From an emotional perspective, sugar is comfort food that provides a temporary escape from a stressful situation. A part of healing involves learning about how food might be filling an emotional gap for like a lack of intimacy, love, acceptance and then re-learning what real hunger feels like. From a physical perspective, the consumption of sugar increases our dopamine levels, the body’s happy neurotransmitter, giving us a temporary boost in pleasure. However, because this experience is very short-lived, our body begins to crave sugar again shortly thereafter creating a vicious cycle – stress causes sugar cravings, consumption of sugar causes stress, and stress causes more sugar cravings. Also note that physiologically, when you are stressed, digestion is not a priority to keep you alive, and so your body does not produce as much HCL and then we see what’s happening in #4!
To be more of a leader in your health, get to know your blood labs and what they mean! Start with your A1C which measures your blood sugar balance over a 3 month period.
For more information and to better understand how to make changes with support….book a free consult here.
