What Your Sugar Cravings Might Really Mean

For many people, the battle with sugar can be particularly ferocious. It can arise during an afternoon slump at work, first thing in the morning, after every meal, in the middle of a workout — or, worst, in the middle of the night. In a sugar-laden world, it becomes too easy to reach for a quick fix.

Cravings tend to crop up when there’s a sense of depletion. However, if you can pinpoint what you lack, it’s easier to make healthier choices instead of going for something sugar-coated.

Here are a few possibilities for what may be driving those sweet cravings:

MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY

For many people, a sugar craving in the form of chocolate could signal a lack of magnesium, a common deficiency according to researcher Susan Yanovski from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Yanovski says that around 80% of people in the U.S. may be deficient in the mineral, which can be tied to irritability, insomnia and high blood pressure. If you feel stressed, chocolate may seem like the answer, but it could be your body yearning for magnesium instead.

While the cacao in chocolate is a rich source of magnesium, the sugar in chocolate could turn frequent consumption into a potential problem since it causes insulin spikes and other issues. Instead of chocolate, reach for non-sugar magnesium sources like nuts, seeds, beans and dark leafy greens.

IMBALANCED GUT BACTERIA

“If we are to prescribe a diet to improve someone’s health, it’s important that we understand what microbes help control those beneficial effects,” says Jeffrey Gordon biologist and professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Sugar cravings can sometimes be the result of an imbalance in your gut health, which means that all those good bacteria in your digestive system aren’t working as happily as they could be. Compounding the problem is that eating sugary junk food makes the problem worse.

In his research, Gordon found consumption of sugary food can cause gut bacteria to become dependent on it, and cause rejection when healthier foods are introduced. That’s right: Your gut can actively sabotage your attempts to eat better. But the good news is that it can be retrained, according to Gordon.

By bringing in foods that promote healthier bacteria — particularly options with high amounts of probiotics like low-sugar yogurt and other fermented foods — the good bacteria can replace the saboteurs.

NOT ENOUGH REST

Although sleep might be part of resting, consider adding more non-snoozing time into your day instead of seeing bedtime as your only opportunity to get some stress relief.

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, author of “Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less,” notes that lack of adequate rest can make your body feel depleted in many ways, including nutritionally. This can kick off a need for a “boost” that might come in the form of sugar. While that may provide a temporary surge, it’s very short-lived and can quickly become a habit.

He suggests integrating short rest periods into every day, especially at times when sugar cravings are strong. For instance, instead of that afternoon pick-me-up of sugary snacks, try going for a 15-minute walk outside. Walking is a conscious form of rest, Pang says, because it offers a break from everyday stressors.

Sometimes, sugar cravings can be particularly strong when you have a combination of these factors. For example, you might feel overwhelmed at work, which leads to less-than-ideal food choices that quickly turn into depletion and fatigue.

That kind of chain reaction sets up a condition for cravings. But fortunately, you can easily create healthier habits by taking a moment when the sugar monster appears to consider what you really want instead.

4 Favorite Anti-Inflammatory Foods

More and more evidence is accumulating that suggests chronic inflammation is the root cause of many serious diseases in the developed world, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s and many cancers. Research also makes it clear that certain foods can ramp up the body’s inflammatory response, while others can dampen or “cool” it. For optimal health, foods in the latter category should be prominent in the diet.

But there is more to eating than just maximizing health advantages. The best foods are those that offer disease-preventive benefits such as anti-inflammatory effects and delectable flavor. When one eat such foods, one feels as though they've hit a grand-slam homerun – the sensory pleasure is heightened by the fact that each bite contributes to your overall well-being.

Many foods promote anti-inflammatory action. Some are not only potent in this regard, but also taste absolutely wonderful, particularly when harvested at peak quality and prepared with focus and skill. Here are four that, in my view, meet those criteria admirably:

Berries: We can’t be more specific here, because we love the tastes of all kinds of berries, and all have anti-inflammatory effects – in fact, they are among the most healthful foods one can eat. One exciting research development: a study at Ohio State University found that black raspberries reduce the incidence of certain cancers in animals by 50 percent. An exotic choice, new on the U.S. market, is the juice (not the oil) of sea buckthorn berries. Known by its Italian name, olivello juice, this is one of the most concentrated natural sources of vitamin C ever discovered.

Black cod: Also known as butterfish or sablefish, black cod has even more omega-3 fatty acids than does salmon. As one of its names suggests, it also has a buttery taste that makes it simply the finest fish we have ever eaten. Once rare in the U.S. markets, it is becoming much easier to find; any well-stocked fish market should have it.

Bok choy: Cruciferous vegetables have potent anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects, and bok choy has a higher concentration of beta-carotene and vitamin A than any other variety of cabbage. Toss it into soups, stews and stir-frys.

Ginger: Not just a potent anti-inflammatory, this spicy root is also an extraordinary carminative (which means a substance that helps reduce the formation of intestinal gas) and anti-nausea agent. Add freshly grated ginger root to stir-frys, and try ginger lemonade made with grated ginger, lemon juice, honey and water.

Why carb crashing is not the secret to weight loss

This article isn't meant to dismiss low carbohydrate diets for weight loss. Low carb diets can work but it is the reduction in total calories and eating below your maintenance calories which results in the loss of weight and body fat, not just a reduction in carbohydrates. A low-carb diet might also be better for some people for both fat loss and maintaining a healthy weight because it helps them adhere to a healthier way of eating (i.e. – making better food choices) and the increased fat and/or protein intake might increase satiety levels and prevent them overeating. Low-carb diets might also make some people feel more energetic and spritely, making their workouts more fun and something they look forward to. In contrast though, other people might feel utterly terrible: unable to concentrate (foggy head), no energy to perform adequately in the gym, make poor food choices, crave carbohydrates and be unable to adhere to their plan.

So, if it's not the diet we want to address then what is it? It is the idea that “carbs will make you fat” and the carb-phobia that some people now have. It is the number of calories you consume versus the amount of energy you expend over a prolonged period which will make you either gain or lose weight.

We also want to explain a process which all our bodies perform: de novo lipogenesis (DNL). This is the metabolic process by which our bodies convert excess carbohydrates into fatty acids which are then incorporated into triglycerides for energy storage in both the liver and adipose tissue (subcutaneous fat). So yes, carbs can be converted into and stored as fat in our bodies however the rate at which this occurs is much lower and less significant than people who see carbs as the enemy would have you believe. 

Numerous studies in which participants were over-fed and given excess carbohydrates show that DNL only makes a small contribution to any increase in total fat stores and does not account for the entire increase in body fat.

So, if the excess carbs are not turned into fat then does this mean one can eat unlimited amounts of carbohydrates? No, during overfeeding of carbs there is increased carbohydrate oxidation and a reduction in fat oxidation (or fat used for energy) resulting in a positive fat balance and an increase in the net storage of the fat consumed from one's diet.

Alternatively, an over-feed of fat will also increase fat storage. While one will burn more fat, the fact that there is more fat being consumed and total calories are still in excess means that the net fat balance is still positive and dietary fat will be stored. So unfortunately, regardless of whether the excess calories you consume come from the carbohydrates or fats, the fat balance in the body will be positive and you will gain body fat.

For both carbs and fat, the excess calories and resulting positive fat balance need to be present for a prolonged period to lead to significant increases in body fat. A single high-carb or high-fat meal or day might initially result in a transient positive fat balance and the storage of some dietary fat as body fat, but this will be balanced out throughout the rest of the day or coming days providing there isn't a prolonged excess of total calories.

Are low-fat diets better?

Are low-fat diets better than low carb diets for maintaining a healthy weight and not putting on excess body fat? No, again it is not so straightforward. If we overeat but consumed very little fat and mostly carbs, we might potentially get less body fat than if we ate a greater proportion of dietary fat. However, this is unrealistic as fats are important for other processes and are not just used for energy. We need them to produce hormones, cellular membranes, and for nutrient uptake. Although DNL increases when dietary fat is extremely low it might not necessarily be able to provide all the fat our bodies need. This is especially true in terms of the essential fatty acids that our bodies cannot produce and must be consumed through our diet. A prolonged extremely low-fat diet would lead to an unhealthy physiology and eventually death.

Now some might be asking: what about protein? The short answer is that an excess of total calories from protein will behave in a comparable manner to carbohydrates. Protein oxidation will increase while fat oxidation decreases leading to a positive fat balance and net storage of fat.

What do all successful weight loss diets have in common?

They all create an energy deficit over a prolonged period of time leading to a negative fat balance and a reduction in total body fat. As mentioned earlier, there isn't a single successful way of decreasing caloric intake and different approaches will work for different people. You don't need to be extreme or completely avoid consuming one of the macronutrients. Each macro has a unique effect on the body so altering the ratios will be beneficial for different people.

Other strategies such as increased fat intake or consumption of soluble fiber can help slow digestion and increase satiety, helping people eat less overall. Some people will need a more carbohydrate-rich diet to fuel their workouts while others, especially if they are obese, might benefit initially from consuming less.

There isn't a single way to diet but, evidence-based  dietary recommendations that are healthy and sustainable for the long term and we won't endorse extreme diets of any variety.