Sugar Cravings

What Causes Sugar Cravings?

Sugar cravings can come from both physical and mental causes.

Sugar is a source of energy for your body. So when it needs energy it produces adrenaline. The adrenaline calls for sugar to fuel it. Lack of energy isn’t the only trigger for adrenaline to be produced though. Stress will set your body off to produce it as well. It’s a survival mechanism. Just like if you were being chased by a bear!

Daily stresses such as difficulties at work, home, personal life etc. will trigger lower but constant adrenaline levels thus causing a craving for sweets. This is one reason why sugary foods can be such a “comfort” when you’re feeling stressed or down.

This can also leads to a mental association with sugar and feeling “better”. So, even if your body doesn’t require sugar on a physical/chemical level your brain associates it as a solution to your mood and thus triggers your desire for it.

Another reason sugar can have such a relieving feeling is that it increases endorphin levels in your brain which has a pain relieving effect making you feel good. Sugar cravings are associated with premenstrual syndrome on account of the drop in endorphins that a woman experiences during this time, thus their craving for sugar kicks in.

Imbalances in a person’s serotonin levels can also play a major part in sugar cravings as serotonin has a large impact on your mood.

As much as sugar can provide you energy… once you have burned through it, or if you overindulge in it and saturate yourself with it, you will face an inevitable “crash” and feel suddenly very tired and lethargic.

So how much sugar should you have?

The general ratio for someone on a 2000 calorie a day diet shouldn’t exceed more than 40g of sugar in a day. If you want to get more specific about it… As per the latest details from the American Heart Association (AHA), the recommended daily sugar intake, that is healthy and not harmful for the body, has been established for men, women and children:

• Recommended Daily Sugar Intake for Men: 36 grams
• Recommended Daily Sugar Intake for Women: 20 grams
• Recommended Daily Sugar Intake for Children: 12 grams

Now don’t freak out! I know that seems low, and you’re saying… “Tommy! A piece of fruit has more than that!” This is true. When recommendations for “sugar” intake are made in this scenario it refers to what are called “added sugars” or “white sugar”. These are sugars found in cereal, peanut butter, anything but fruits or vegetables really.  A recent finding shows that even ONE slice of whole wheat bread has about 5 grams of added sugar. That means if a woman eats a slice of whole-wheat bread, she has accomplished 1/4 of her recommended daily sugar intake.

So what do you do about it?

Well there are several basic steps one can take to try and control one’s sugar intake in spite of their cravings.

Protein

Now this isn’t just me getting on my protein “soap box”, but often your body will exhibit cravings for sweets when what it really needs is protein. So, keeping a high protein diet will help limit your sugar cravings.

Fruits

If you find yourself craving sugar go for fruit. The sugars in fruits are not the same as sugar found in candy, or baked goods known as “white sugar”. It processes differently in your body, aids in digestion, carries nutrients in them unlike the empty calories of white sugar, and they are sweet! Do they contain sugar? Yes, but these are “free” sugars. These don’t get counted against you. Besides, if you’re going to have sugar at least get something out of it!

Timing

Try to hold off on foods with significant sugar levels in them until later in the day around the late afternoon or early evening. The reason being, if you start your morning off with say a sugary cereal it will stimulate sugar cravings throughout the day.

Avoid Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners have been known to increase your cravings for sweets. So while they may fill a void temporarily they may ultimately be digging you a deeper hole you’ll inevitably fill with a binge of bad sugars.

Meal Frequency

Meal frequency helps not only maintain a higher metabolic fat burning level in your body, but also helps regulate consistent blood sugar levels. This way you are less likely to find yourself with a drop in sugar levels leaving you with an insatiable desire for sweets. Yet another good reason to eat multiple well balanced meals throughout your day.

So, keep an eye on those sugar levels, maintain your meal frequency, keep your protein up, and you should find yourself having fewer, and more controlled sugar cravings. Thus resulting in weight loss, and a healthier you!