Craving Sweets?
Many of my clients over the years have expressed concern that sweets are their greatest weakness. I often hear: “Once I start, I cannot stop”
“I cannot just eat one”
“I can’t bring them in the house- if I do, I’ll eat the whole thing”
Patients will categorize nourishing foods as “good” and non-nutritive foods as “bad”, giving sweets a moral and negative connotation. This can lead to thinking that we should not have these “bad” foods in the house or that we better eat all of it now or sneak it because we will not have it again.
Some clients do things simply out of habit. For example, they may come home from work and the first thing they do is go to the kitchen. Simply being in the kitchen may trigger them to mindlessly grab a sweet or a drink. Or they pass a co-worker’s desk with a candy jar, and they mindlessly take a piece each time they walk by. Or after dinner, they have the urge to eat dessert and search all over the house for something sweet to eat. But, because they don’t allow themselves to have sweets in the house, they eat everything else in sight and still feel unsatisfied, although they feel stuffed, and at the same time, guilty or disappointed with themselves.
Physiologically, if we do not eat regularly throughout the day, we can become overly hungry and get low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). With hypoglycemia, we are not feeling good; we can feel anxious, sweaty, or with a headache, and our bodies need an immediate source of energy. Sugar and carbohydrates are our immediate and primary energy source for the brain. This can be why the body craves sugar and eating sweets can become uncontrollable.
Having a healthy and positive relationship with food is critical to developing life-long sustainable and positive food behaviors and to enjoy the food we eat without guilt, shame, or regret. Here are some tips to help you develop a healthy relationship with sweets:
Eat well-balanced meals on a regular meal schedule so you nourish your body and maintain a normal blood sugar throughout the day when eating can be more controllable.
Know that “all foods fit”. Don’t categorize foods as “good or “bad” and give it a moral connotation. If we treat sweets as the “Forbidden Fruit”, we can become obsessive. It is human nature to want what we think we cannot have. Rather, allow yourself to have sweets when you want and how much you want with respecting your body and honoring your hunger and fullness.
Be mindful, intentional, and selective. Choose what you want, plate it, savor it, and enjoy it. And remember that you can have it again if you want another day.