Why Am I Craving Sweets? Probably You Lack Essential Nutrient

A severe sweet cravings are one of life’s worst experiences.

You’re not alone if you’ve ever felt like sweets were taking over your life. But the question is, why am I craving sweets? There is evidence that sugar has a neurobiological impact on the brain, somewhat similar to that of an addictive substance. However, abruptly reducing it from your diet might lead to withdrawal symptoms, including fatigue, sadness, headaches, and muscular pains. No wonder it isn’t easy to quit.

Research conducted in PubMed Central, sugar addiction: from evolution to revolution, 2018, raised the question of whether or not sweet cravings have become so pervasive as to become a cultural norm.

When your blood sugar level rises after consuming sweets, your body responds by secreting insulin to bring it back down to a more manageable level, which may lead to a vicious cycle of cravings for sweet foods. Foods that boost blood sugar levels and give you energy are craved if the insulin causes your blood sugar to drop too low. You’re stuck in an up-and-down ride with your blood sugar levels. Eating meals like protein and healthy fats, as well as limiting sugar intake, may help maintain a healthy blood sugar level. Skipping meals may create serious health problems; therefore, regularly eating throughout the day is crucial.

Increased calorie intake and chronic inflammation have been linked to excess sugar consumption. Among 29 young, healthy males, there was a significant rise in inflammatory blood markers after only three weeks of drinking sugar-sweetened beverages in a randomized controlled experiment. When participants in a large-scale cohort study throughout the United States reduced their intake of sugary drinks, they also saw improvements in their indicators for inflammation and chronic illness. It’s not shocking to learn that eating too many sweets raises your risk of diseases, including heart disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity, as shown by this study; decreased consumption of sugar.

What Causes Sweet Cravings?

Instinctively, we enjoy sweets. Just like a car, the human body needs fuel in order to work properly. If your body isn’t getting the fuel it needs, you may experience intense physical cravings. These cravings can be due to various reasons — both physiological and psychological factors may contribute to this desire. If you’re wondering WHY then read on for a few potential explanations.

Conditioning

A number of different regions in your brain highly influence the experience of craving. The horseshoe-shaped hippocampus in your temporal lobe is responsible for memory formation (both short- and long-term) and plays a crucial part in reward-seeking behavior. The caudate nucleus, located in each hemisphere of the brain, regulates reward-seeking behavior and develops new habits – good and bad – like snacking the minute you walk through the door after work without even noticing it. The need to eat persists even after a full day of work, suggesting that it is more of a conditioned reaction than a genuine need. The caudate nucleus is responsible for ingraining habits that are difficult to change but not impossible.

Stress

Stress might trigger sweets cravings. Hormones released as part of your body’s reaction to stress are linked to food cravings. According to a study published in 2016, stress causes a release of the appetite-regulating hormone ghrelin.

Period Cravings

In the United States, there’s a common belief that chocolate cravings and periods are linked. Researchers believe that the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that makes you feel good and control your mood, may be the reason some individuals want chocolate; a study, “the neuroprotective effects of cocoa flavanol and its influence on cognitive performance, PubMed Central, published in 2013”. While the concept of having a chocolate desire during your period is well recognized in the United States, research conducted in 2017 found that it is less frequent in other nations.

Sleep

What you eat may profoundly affect how well you sleep, but the link between the two is complicated. Sweets are appealing because people may want to increase their energy instantly. But before going to bed, consuming sugar can cause severe sleep disruptions and impact nightmares, night sweats, and even snoring. Researchers found that those who didn’t get enough sleep craved foods like— sweet, salty, and starchy.

Lack of Fat, Protein and Other Essential Nutrient

A high-protein and fat diet are essential for breaking sweet intake habits. Healthy fats and protein energy are more consistent and stable than the glucose-flavored roller coaster. As your body shifts to using fats for energy when it can’t acquire sugar, consuming a diet rich in healthy fats like nuts, seeds, avocados, and olive oil will ease the transition. Satiation from protein may lessen the desire for unhealthy foods, and the amino acids are building blocks for the chemical in the brain (like dopamine) that make us happy. Having a balanced and energizing diet might decrease our cravings for sugary foods.

Other vital nutrients include:

1. Fibre, which slows digestion and stabilizes blood sugar.
2. Iron, which, when reduced, may produce low energy and cravings.
3. The essential B vitamins are commonly depleted by sugar intake and stress.

Foods That Preventing From Sugar Craving

Though sugar treats are comforting to the senses and the soul, sweet cravings may attack without warning and have more than one cause. You shouldn’t allow sugar cravings to get in the way of your efforts to improve your health. Some foods that might help curb your sweet cravings are listed below.

Avocado

One of the finest foods to combat sugar cravings is avocado, which provides around 8 g of fiber every 4 1⁄2 cups in addition to beneficial monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, as reported by the United States Department of Agriculture. Substituting refined carbs with avocado may help reduce appetite, boost meal pleasure, and dampen insulin and blood sugar spikes; according to research, “using the avocado to test the satiety effects of a fat-fiber combination in place of carbohydrate energy in a breakfast meal in overweight and obese men and women: a randomized clinical trial,” published in Nutrients in March 2019. It helped individuals who were overweight or obese live longer and healthier lives by lowering their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

How To Use

Add avocado to salads and smoothies, or slice some up to the top for a Mexican dinner. Alternatively, you may make a rich and satisfying pudding by combining ripe avocados, cocoa powder, and a touch of maple syrup.

Pistachios

Pistachios are exceptional among nuts because of their high protein, fiber, and healthy fat content, but any nut will suffice. Pistachio consumption was linked to less sugar intake and weight reduction in persons with obesity or overweight, according to research published in Nutrients in July 2020.

How To Use

Raw or roasted pistachios are a healthy snack. Pistachios are a popular addition to salads made with lettuce, arugula, sauces, and toast.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil, like other fats, is absorbed slowly, which may help enhance fullness, decrease the rate at which other meals are turned into sugar in circulation, and balance blood sugar, all of which work together to reduce sweet cravings.

How To Use

Extra-virgin, cold-pressed coconut oil is the best option when shopping for coconut oil. Compared to non-cold-pressed coconut oil, this kind may be better at preserving its nutritional value, according to Harvard University. Remember that coconut oil is saturated fat; therefore, use it sparingly.

Olives and Olive Oil

Olives and olive oil are rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that keep you feeling content for longer and reduce your desire for sweets.

How to Use

Replace butter with olive oil for making toast, use in salad dressing, and for sautéing, roasting, or grilling.

Greek Yogurt

Cutting down on sugary snacks is facilitated by eating adequate protein at every meal. While the body rapidly metabolizes carbs, protein and fat will keep you full until your next meal. Overweight males who boosted their protein intake to 25 percent of total calories reported feeling fuller throughout the day with fewer food cravings, according to a research from the past.

How to Use

Yogurt may be used in place of sour cream or as a sugar-free frosting when combined with berries for fiber and a touch of sweetness. You can mix additional ingredients like nuts and seeds, nuts butter, cinnamon, and vanilla essence.

Quinoa

Although it is often classified as a whole grain, quinoa is an antioxidant-rich and gluten-free seed. The USDA says that half a cup of cooked quinoa has more than 4 grams of protein and more than 2 grams of fiber, making it a great sugar-fighting staple.

How to Use

You may eat quinoa in salads and soups, enjoy it as a cereal with milk and a sprinkling of cinnamon with a topping of fruit, nuts, and seeds, or use it as a filler in any number of other recipes.

The Bottom Line: Why Am I Craving Sweets

If you’ve ever felt like you’re addicted to sugar, you’re not alone. But the question is, why am I craving sweets? Sweet has been shown to affect the brain similarly to that an addictive drug. According to various research, craving sweets are so common that some researchers wonder whether we’ve developed a habit-forming culture regarding craving sweets. Quickly removing it from your diet can cause withdrawal symptoms, including fatigue, depression, headaches, and muscle aches.

Cravings can manifest if the body doesn’t get the fuel to burn off food cravings. Studies show that people who don’t get enough sleep crave salty, sugary, and starchy foods. Foods rich in vitamins and fats, such as nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, etc., help in reduce sweet cravings when the body needs sugar for fuel.