Sugar Part 1: Why You Crave it
Almost everyone loves something sweet. Whether that’s cookies, ice cream, cinnamon rolls – the list could go on and on. There’s nothing wrong with indulging from time to time.
However, nowadays, sugar is in almost everything.
Brands are super sneaky. They add sugar to coffee creamers, condiments, salad dressings, protein bars, processed foods, etc. And the kicker? There’s numerous names for sugar.
This means they can get away with not including “sugar” in the ingredient list.
You might not realize how much sugar you’re actually consuming a day. But did you know that our brains are wired to crave sugar? Keep reading to learn why, what you can do and more.
Craving Sugar
Sugar is the body and brain’s main source of energy. The brain is the most energy-demanding organ. This means it takes up to 50 percent of the body’s sugar.
There was a point in time when sugar was scarce. Since it was hard to find, people back then would eat as much as they could when they got their hands on some. Ultimately leading us to evolve to crave it since the body relies on it.
It’s common to hear that all you need is willpower to resist your cravings. With the knowledge above, it’s clear that willpower alone isn’t enough. We start with a certain amount of willpower each day and it depletes as the day goes on.
Natural Sugar
Fruit and naturally sweet foods are generally more healthy. A lot of vegetables, believe it or not, are actually sweet as well. We’re just so accustomed to added sugar and processed foods that it changes the way other foods taste.
Nature produces sweet foods enticing people and animals to eat them. This is done purposefully so seeds are passed. Toxic foods tend to be bitter and sour which developed into a survival mechanism.
Back in the caveman days, that’s how they learned to avoid those foods.
They would eat fruits and plants all summer long in preparation of the scarcity winter would bring. They’d stock up on calories. This worked because winter was basically a period of starvation.
This doesn’t happen today – we have access to all foods 24/7.
Takeaways
I was totally unaware that craving sugar is wired in our brains. It makes so much sense as to why it’s so difficult to ignore at times. This is such a cool topic and so much more could be said which is why this is only part one!
Part two will be published next week taking about how sugar affects the brain and what you can do about it.
I found a new podcast while researching this topic and used a lot of information from it’s episode on sugar. I highly suggest you listen. It’s the Your Brain on Sugar: How Sugar Becomes Addicting & How You Can Overcome it by the Renegade Nutrition podcast.