Why Do We Have Food Cravings for Sugar?  

(Jayne Freeland - July 2009)

Do you crave sugar? Immediately, you probably think I’m saying you crave candy, biscuits and cakes, but this isn’t the only “sugar” that counts as a sugar craving. Most of our typical diet is laden in sugar. Not only is this causing massive amounts of obesity and diabetes cases, but it also keeps us on the same path towards bad health and weight gain. 

Sugar Begets Sugar 

When we consume sugar, we end up craving more sugar. When blood glucose levels drop, the brain stimulates the hunger sensation to let you know you need to eat and restore energy levels. Over years of eating too much sugar, your body becomes accustomed to higher than normal levels of blood glucose. Hunger and cravings for more sugar are triggered at new, higher levels of blood glucose. So, even though your cells do not really need energy, your brain thinks they do.  

You may also become insulin resistant which is a pre-diabetic stage. This happens because insulin cannot keep up with the demands of the excessive blood glucose. Eventually, it may not be able to unlock the cells or aid in conversion of glucose to fat for storage (when the cells do not need the energy). Your blood becomes viscous which causes poor circulation, atherosclerosis and other aspects of cardiovascular disease. 

Our taste buds become used to high amounts of sugar making it difficult to switch to blander, yet healthier, foods such as whole grains, vegetables and fruit.  

What About Artificial Sweeteners? 

Artificial sweeteners are often used to reduce the amount of sugar in the diet, but are they any better in terms of cravings? No. The sweet flavour still stimulates the sweet receptors on your tongue, which signals the release of insulin. Not only that, but our brains actually reward us when we eat sugar. Think about how rare sugar sources must have been for our early ancestors. Yet sugar, is truly a massive source of immediate energy, which also converts easily to fat for storage. We weren’t always concerned about eating too much. We used to have to forage and hope we didn’t starve. 

In studies with rats, they actually found a higher propensity for rats to become addicted to saccharin over cocaine. The plausible answer to this is that their brains must have made the saccharin more appealing and pleasurable than the cocaine. This is one theory behind our addiction to sugar and the cravings we have for it, and exactly why artificial sweeteners also cause us to crave more sweets. Perhaps even more if you consider you’ve now fooled the body. It thought it was receiving energy, so it may signal additional cravings for sugar to get what it was promised via your taste buds! 

The Bottom Line 

Diets high in refined products such as white rice, pasta, snack foods, flour-based breads, muffins, biscuits and pretty much most of the items lining the market shelves outside of the produce, meat and natural foods sections encourage weight gain and begin a vicious cycle of cravings. When you begin to eat whole foods rather than processed foods high in sugar, you start to change this cycle and you encourage weight loss and optimum health.  

How, though, do you override your addiction to sugar? How do you surpass a craving for a bagel or a pastry in the morning and face a bowl of unsweetened steel cut oatmeal? Well, start in small doses. Put strawberries on the oatmeal to give your body some natural sugar (fructose) which does not raise insulin levels as much and also contains soluble fibre to lower the glycemic load. If you must, use a ½ teaspoon of sugar or 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and reduce that amount daily. 

Dark chocolate is also a great way to give your tongue a sugar fix without as much damage and actually with a few benefits (antioxidants). You might consider treating yourself to a small square of very dark chocolate when you have an intense sugar craving.  

 Ultimately, you’ll need to change the way you view healthy foods versus junk foods so you empower yourself to choose the right thing rather than feeling as though you are punishing or restricting yourself.  

 
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