Sugar Cravings – What’s Behind Them
What’s behind sugar cravings? To answer that question, we first have to look at why the body craves in the first place. The body was created to identify the nutrients it needs to function at its optimum level based on the taste/flavor of what you eat. The problem is – so many food products are created with everything but the kitchen sink. Of course, if you look at list of the heavy metals and chemical toxins in most products on the grocery store shelves, maybe the kitchen sink would be a better option.
Many of these chemicals, including processed sugars, salts, and fatty ingredients, create reactions in the brain similar to the way drugs do. Cravings trigger the release of dopamine – a neurotransmitter – from the mid-brain through the amygdala. The increase production of dopamine creates the desire that ‘needs’ to be filled. As the need increases there is only one goal – to satisfy that craving. The end result is a repeated cycle of craving and satiation that causes changes to the basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex in the brain. Depending on the food product, the release of metabolic, appetite, and even stress hormones – including insulin, ghrelin, cortisol, and leptin can be stimulated. All of these play a role in cravings. With the continued release of these hormones, the brain may continue to crave even if you just finished eating. The body, and as an extension, the brain needs nutrients to operate at their optimum levels. However, when these hormones are generated on a continuous basis – as when a person continually eats a high sugar or high fat diet – causing a habitual desire for these ‘comforting’ foods.
So other than completing changing how you eat – which of course would be the healthiest way to eliminate these cravings – what is a person to do? Start by educating yourself on all the ways sugar is hiding in the foods you eat. Did you know that when a food company removes the fat in a food product, sugar is added? So all those low-fat foods you thought were a healthier choice were in fact increasing the cravings you were attempting to eliminate.
4 grams of sugar is EQUAL to 1 teaspoon of sugar
Once you start reading food labels, you will begin to see all the different ways that sugar shows up:
Corn Syrup: Corn syrup is extracted from corn starch by washing the corn in a solution of sulfur dioxide to separate the hard kernel from the starch containing inner parts. These inner parts are then heated in a solution of hydrochloric acid for various lengths of time depending on the desired sweetness. This process was developed in the mid-1800’s and was used until 1967 when an enzyme conversion process was commercialized resulting in the creation of high-fructose corn syrup. Regular corn syrup is still sold in stores under the brand name Karo.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS): To improve the sweet flavor of corn syrup, three different types of enzymes are added one after the other, to change the dextrose sugars in the corn syrup first into glucose and then into fructose. Additional glucose is then added to that mixture to finally create high-fructose corn syrup used in many commercially prepared foods and drinks.
Corn Sugar: The Corn Refiners Association has asked the FDA for approval to change their product name from High-Fructose Corn Syrup to Corn Sugar. Same product – different name. Don’t be fooled.
To refine cane into the different types of sugar sold in our grocery stores, the cane plant must go through the following process, according to the Sugar Association.
Raw Cane Sugar: The cane is picked from the plant and shipped to the refinery. Upon arrival, it is washed and cut into shreds by large rotating knives. The shreds are then crushed, which releases the juice from the cane plant into a large tank. The juice, or sucrose, is then bleached with a solution of milk of lime and carbon dioxide which clarifies the sucrose solution allowing the fats, gums, and waxes to fall to the bottom of the tank. The natural waters are then removed through various stages of vacuuming which concentrates the sucrose into dark brown syrup. Once the last little bit of water is evaporated, the sucrose crystallizes, is sent through a centrifuge (kind of like the spin cycle on your clothes washer) and the result is raw golden sugar. Raw sugar is 96% to 98% sucrose.
White Table Sugar: The raw cane sugar is covered with a thin layer of molasses, which is the thick, raw syrup that contains sugar, water, plant materials, minerals and other non-sugar ingredients. In the next stage of processing, the sugar is shipped to another plant where the molasses covered raw sugar is mixed with a solution of water and sugar to loosen the molasses layer. The solution goes through another “spin” cycle, is washed, dissolved, and filtered to remove any remaining impurities. The remaining golden colored liquid is finally run through a carbon-based filter which removes the remaining color resulting in white sugar syrup which is concentrated through evaporation into perfectly sized sugar crystals. The dried crystals are then packaged for commercial sale.
Beet Sugar: Sugar beets contain 16% to 18% natural sucrose so creating a “natural” sweetener seemed, well – only natural. Beet sugar starts out similar to cane sugar with the plants being shipped from the field to a single processing plant. Here, the beets are washed, sliced, and sent through a large tank, called a diffuser, which flushes over them to absorb the sugars. The beet pulp left behind is turned into animal feed and the water/juice mixture is filtered leaving behind a golden-brown juice. The clarified juice is boiled in a vacuum tank which concentrates the juice into syrup. After a second filtration, the syrup is boiled again and sent through a similar “spinning” process that results in its crystallization. The crystals are washed in clean hot water and the result is a pure white sugar product. Once dry, it is packaged and shipped to various stores or food processing plants.
Additional information that is worth mentioning is that as of 2020, 92% of corn and 95% of sugar beets, grown in the United States, are grown from genetically modified seed. If those numbers scare you, or the processes these plants have to go through before they end up on your table or in the food products you are serving your family, you might try some of these natural sweeteners. As a substitute for 1 cup of processed white sugar, try:
Agave Nectar – Raw (dark or light): 1/4 cup – similar sugar content as honey but the glycemic index, or the rate at which the blood glucose level rises after eating a particular food, is much lower.
Honey – Raw: 7/8 cup – has a higher nutrition value, enzymes and is a natural antibiotic. You may need to reduce the liquid level in your recipe by a few tablespoons.
Maple Syrup – 3/4 cup – make sure you are getting 100% real syrup. Yes, it is a bit pricier then artificial syrup but the health benefits are worth it. Maple syrup is good for the nervous system and a source of minerals that support the body’s processes. If baking, you may need to reduce the amount of liquid slightly.
Stevia leaf – 1 teaspoon: Yes, you read that right. Stevia leaf is 300 times sweeter than sugar so using it in recipes becomes a real challenge. Try using it in the dishes you prepare that you add additional sugar to once they are ready to serve. The leaf may leave behind a bitter after-taste which not everyone likes.
I’m sorry to report there are no quick fixes for the sugar cravings that the ultra-processed foods in your pantry have created in your body. You may see the herb, Gymnema sylvestre, advertised as a way to counter sugar cravings. As a clinical herbalist, I can assure you that even though gymnema has the ability to balance blood sugar – and reducing sugar cravings may be a side effect – the only real way to reduce or eliminate those sugar cravings is to change what you are eating. My business, Mountain Family Holistic Nutrition, is here to help you and your family find new ways to restore health and wellness to you and your family. Reach out for a complimentary 15 minute consultation.
