Eight Causes of Sugar Cravings
Dehydration–The body doesn’t send the message that you are thirsty until you are on the verge of dehydration. This is not good! It occurs as mild hunger, so the first thing to do when you get a strange craving is to drink a full glass of filtered water.
Lack of primary food–Being dissatisfied with a relationship, stress, boredom, uninspired by a job, or unhappiness with life all can cause emotional eating. Eating can be used as a substitute for entertainment, or to fill a void of primary food. Primary food is physical activity, spirituality, a fulfilling career and healthy relationships.
Lack of nutrients–If the body has inadequate nutrients, it will produce odd cravings. For example, inadequate mineral levels produce salt cravings, inadequate nutrition like caffeine for quick energy. There are better choices!
Hormonal (women)–When a woman gets her period, pregnancy or menopause, fluctuating testosterone and estrogen levels may cause strange cravings.
Seasonal–In the spring people may crave detoxifying foods like leafy greens or citrus foods. In the summer, people may crave cooling foods like fruit, raw foods and ice cream. In the fall, people crave grounding foods like squash, onions and nuts. In the winter, people may crave more hot and heat producing foods like meat, oil and fat. Cravings can also be associated with holidays.
Inside coming out–Often times, cravings come from foods that we have recently eaten, foods eaten by our ancestors or foods from our childhood. A clever way to satisfy these cravings is to eat a healthier version of these foods.
Sugar-Serotonin effect–Sugar elevates serotonin. When sugar is consumed, insulin is released and binds with amino acids and goes up to the muscles. This leaves the amino acid tryptophan a clear path to get into the brain where it is used as serotonin. Then you make the connection that sugar make you feel good.
Antibiotics, yeast and sugar cravings–Not being able to control those sugar cravings causes an unhealthy overgrowth of candida in the intestinal tract. The yeast multiply, intensifying the cravings creating a vicious cycle. Over use of antibiotics can also cause candida overgrowth and promote sugar cravings so using a probiotic to rebalance the flora in your gut is a must.
