I just did it! I just ate a couple of pieces of chocolate with chunks of hazelnut, it was divine. I felt the chocolate melt in my mouth and the after-taste is still lingering… This just might be the right time to write about this topic, right?
Right, very right. Though I must confess, the recent bouts of nutritional knowledge gained by my readings and lectures, has given me an insight on why I actually crave sugar on a daily basis. Let me just declare, that for someone like me who ate sugar every single day (though in small amounts) for the last decade or more, ate refined sugar almost after a week! A great accomplishment considering that until today in the last week, I really did not feel like consuming it. A huge change in my dietary habit! Before I dwell and reveal what my reason to consume sugar was, I will like to cite some reasons that you may associate yourself with. Ah!, I like keeping you in suspense for just a tee bit longer…
The mother’s milk, our very first food which is symbolic of love and nourishment is naturally sweet and hence nutritional experts suggest that the desire for sweets is inborn and natural. Hence, one of the primary physiological reasons to crave sweets comes from the lack of love and nourishment. Marc David, one of the most well known nutritional gurus suggests that,” When we long for sweets, our desire is not just for food. Our longing is for the experience of sweetness, something we can taste on our tongue, in the heart, or in our most sacred thoughts. However, because it is more difficult to find a sweet heart or sweet Jesus, the mind often considers sweet foods as an acceptable substitute. ” Well, on that note, I sure hope you have that love of your life in your life or at least are surrounded by great friends and family that love and cherish you unconditionally. Scientist in the recent past, with considerable research and study declared that eating chocolate releases a chemical compound called – phenylethylamine – which basically mimics the sensations we feel when we are loved. Go figure!
And guess what, the more sugar we consume, the more our body craves it. That’s because by the time you actually consume it, it’s no longer in its natural form. The vitamins and minerals are stripped away, the body has to find nutrients from its own stores and hence excessive sugar consumption leads to calcium loss through bones and teeth! Excessive sugar consumption is one of the main reasons for osteoporosis! A fact very few know and was a revelation for me as well!
One of the other reasons for sugar cravings is that you either consume too much meat and salt or the presence of animal protein is negligible in your diet. This is where I belong and my secret is out! See, I did not really make you wait that long… For the last decade, I have been predominantly a vegetarian. My reasons were many – some were of spiritual nature associated with my yoga practice/philosophy and the others were associated with my sluggish digestion which, improved significantly by eliminating animal protein. After a decade of being a vegetarian, one day I just started craving it. Well, I now know why that happened. Vegetarians who eat too much of sugar often land up having a strong craving for meat. Once I found this out, I introduced meat in small quantities in my diet last week and vela! The craving has reduced significantly! I cannot expect the craving to disappear overnight but I have seen enough improvements to validate this study.
On the other hand, if you are someone who eats meats every single day or even every single meal for that matter, you will naturally crave more sugar. Marc David suggests that,
“The reason for this is that from an energetic perspective, meat and salt are highly contractive foods (yang) , and sugar is highly expansive in nature (yin). The more we consume of one, the more we crave the other to create balance. ” Therefore, if you think, you belong to this category, cut down your meat intake for a week and see what happens with your sugar consumption. I am pretty confident of a positive result.
I hope this blog helps you (if you identify with someone who depends on sugar on a daily basis for any of the reasons cited above) and you will experiment with the possible recommendation suggested and see what happens. Do let me know of the result.
Health and Wellness coaching can help you to introspect and dig deeper to find out about your sugar cravings. It can help you to understand the fundamental reasons behind it and how it is impacting your health goals. This can pave the way for your unique solution and success.
