The Cycle of Food Cravings

When you get food cravings... what do you reach for?

The first thing that most people grab is something filled with sugar. So Why do we grab the creme filled donut instead of the apple?

The answer is actually in your brain.

Sugar can take the place of the "feel good" chemicals that are produced by your brain; and your brain knows exactly what will give you a 'hit'. So when you get a craving for something sugary.... it hits like you were actually addicted to a drug.

The kicker is that these cravings don't necessarily come when you're hungry. They come when your brain says you need more "feel good" chemicals.

Sugar also goes directly to your bloodstream as soon as it hits your mouth. The result is an spontaneous burst of energy. Not to mention the pleasure center of your brain lighting up as well!

The downside is twenty minutes later when the sugar crash greets you.

Your brain immediately says, "Hey give me more of what made me feel so good!". And so the cycle begins. Just like any other drug; you begin to need more to get the same effects.

While overeating and binge eating can be caused by emotional responses... this "sugar addiction" can also play a role. In other words... food cravings can lead to binging.

In order to totally get rid of cravings... you have to cut out the source. The hard part is doing this also brings withdrawal symptoms.

Like any withdrawal symptoms... they are not desirable. A couple of symptoms could include being tired, irritable, stressed easily, feelings of sadness or depression, and headaches.

While I don't think that cutting out sugar will solve all your eating problems... it may help if you're up for the challenge of omitting as much sugar content from your diet.

Healthy Cravings

Your body has the ability to give you good signals too! Like healthy food cravings for vitamins and minerals; the things your body really wants and needs.

The bad news is that those good cravings are hard to hear when all your brain wants is an immediate sugar rush.

Cutting back on your sugar intake may help you listen better to your body's cues for the food that will sustain you.

Now I'm not saying that I have a sugar free diet by any means. But I do know that when my sugar intake is lower my body is more capable to tell me what I'm missing.

About two months after I had my third baby... I had intense cravings for meat. And that craving directly coincided with when I stopped taking my iron supplements! I don't think that is a coincidence. The human body is an amazing thing!

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