Sugar/sweet cravings?
Carbohydrates stimulate the release of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin. Sugar is a carbohydrate, but carbohydrates come in other forms, too, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, which have fiber and nutrients your body needs. Sweets just taste good, too. And that preference gets reinforced when you reward yourself with sweet treats, which can make you crave it even more. With all that going for it, why wouldn’t we crave sugar? The problem comes not when we indulge in a sweet treat now and then, but when we overdo it. That’s easy to do when sugar is added to many processed foods, including breads, yogurt, juices, and sauces.
What is the reason of sugar cravings?
Main reason for sugar craving is bad bacteria in the GUT and it will make us crave sweets whenever we are hungry.
How to control:
Stabilize blood sugar:
Craving may come as we don’t eat enough protein, vegetables, or healthy fats. Eat a small amount of protein and healthy fat with each meal.
Stop eating sugar:
Avoid taking bread, pasta, pizza, crackers, cereals. white flour, soda/diet soda. Sugar artificial sweeteners.
When we are hungry then need to give some spike which satisfies our hunger and same time destroys the bad bacteria.
The best food is coconut or pears, apples, and berries (But overeating fruits may cause fatty lever).
Fermentation creates a good environment for good bacteria. Foods like sauerkraut, miso, natto, pickles, kefir, and kombucha are good dietary sources for probiotics. Need to consume fermented food regularly so help to reduce sugar cravings.
Some of the best probiotic-rich foods are Asparagus, Onions, Leeks, Garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, flaxseeds.
Which factors increase the sweet cravings and how to get rid of them
1. Stress: Acute sudden stress tends to suppress the appetite, longer lasting chronic stress is associated with cravings for hyper-palatable high-fat calorie-dense food. The brain gets the messages and that causes the release of cortisol, which simulates appetite and cravings.
2. Sleep Adequate sleep helps to regulate metabolic functions and lack of sleep is associated with an imbalance in leptin and ghrelin levels. These hormonal functions may lead to overeating sweet and starchy high-fat and salty food
3. Exercise: Exercise typically lowers the level of appetite and increases appetite-suppressing leptin and glucagon-like peptides least short-term The longer the duration and higher the intensity of the workout the more likely one’s appetite shuts down and blood quickly moves away from the gut to the heart and muscles to supply oxygens.
The conclusion is a disciplined lifestyle, pranayama, self-controlled with mindful eating can improve our lifestyle and keep us healthy.
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Thanks for sharing!