BY COACH NADIA POPOVA
Today I want to answer the most common question I get: why do we have cravings for sweets?
We have 3 main reasons why food addiction to sweets is formed.
Sometimes one of them is present, but more often two/three causes are present at the same time. It is important to determine which reason dominates and why there is a craving for sweets! With an understanding of the source, you can get rid of sugar addiction.
Cravings for sweets are formed due to main 3 reasons:
- Pathogenic flora, which is fungi, mold, various microorganisms, helminths, etc. They all feed on simple sugars. This is a manic uncontrollable craving for sweets.
- Sugar as a source of energy! Stress or chronic fatigue. We live in a state of constant stress, everyone has busy schedules, deadlines and, accordingly, circadian rhythms are disrupted. Lack of normal full sleep, chronic stress, and chronic fatigue lead to cravings for sweets.
Why does craving for sweets increase in such situations? Simple carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels. This results in an energy boost. As a rule, it does not last long and as soon as the sugar drops, you want to repeat the “dose” again. Vicious circle: Fatigue induces cravings for sugar, and sugar swings create even more fatigue. In this case, the craving for sweets is not manic, but temporary, this is exactly a recharge! In this case, proper rest / sleep will remove this dependence.
- Hormonal – We have the so-called joy hormones – endorphin, serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin. An increase in blood glucose causes an increase in endorphins. This is our internal drug of pleasure, which is synthesized by our glands. But the hormones of joy are released into the blood also in response to: massage, dancing, sleep, sex, meditation, physical activity, etc. That is, if there is a lack of joy in life, then we try to make up for it with sweets, stimulating our dopamine pleasure center with simple sugars, since sweets also cause a release of dopamine. Therefore, very often, when there are no joys in life, there is a craving for sweets so that a surge of dopamine occurs, which gives us a feeling of joy and euphoria.
Also, one of the actions of endorphins is pain relief. Therefore, often in maternity hospitals, neonatologists literally drip a drop of glucose under the tongue to infants, which causes the release of dopamine, thereby relieving an attack of crying and pain. Therefore, even in childhood, a person forms such a neural connection: pain – suffering – glucose – relaxation. Very often we return to this bundle again and again, completely unaware of it. Therefore, often, psychological or physical pain, we try to dull with the help of sweets. Glucose, in its pure form, is not an anesthetic, but it causes the release of the hormone endorphin, which excites the pleasure center, and pain recedes.
It is very important to turn on awareness and you need to understand WHAT directs or WHO directs our unconscious behavior, perhaps sometimes it is better NOT to eat a chocolate bar, but just sleep or give the body some kind of physical activity! And immediately cravings for sweets will disappear. It is important to realize and understand what exactly is the reason that drives the craving for sweets. When you find the seed of the cause, you can completely remove this dependence. If there is not enough joy in your life, then accordingly you need to add some pleasant pleasures to life that you like. For example, go to the theater, to a concert, meet friends, read an interesting book, watch a movie, or have sex!
