Food cravings series: What is your body trying to tell you?

Cravings are not always problems, but alert us to something that may be off in the body. People ought to pay more attention to their cravings and ask why they might be experiencing a particular craving.

This blogpost will cover one of the most basic flavors/tastes people crave: sugar.

Over the next week or so, I will post more on different types of cravings. Hopefully this information can help shed some light on what you might be craving and how you might react to the craving.

Crave something sweet?

We all need sugar to make our bodies run properly. However, in this case,if you are craving sugar it may not be because you actually need it. Did you know that at the turn of the 19th century people ingested about 5 pounds of sugar a year? Now, annually, people consume over 165 pounds of sugar on average. Wow! Think about that, if you think you maybe only consume 50 pounds a year, that means somebody else is consuming even more than 165 pounds. What do you think that increase in sugar does to our bodies? To keep it simple--let's just say not a whole lot of good.

With that statistic in mind, if you always crave sugar, chances are you have a sugar imbalance. Because if you are living in modern society and eating a western diet you are probably getting plenty of sugar.

Q: So what should we do when we crave sugar?

A: Aim to satisfy this desire with milder, sweet foods that do not contain refined white sugars. Try different fruits or vegetables that are naturally high in sugar.

Some examples of sweet vegetables are:
* corn
* carrots
* onions
* squash
* sweet potatoes
* beets

Q: And what about those sweeteners, we love so much?

A: Try using natural sweeteners instead.

The sweetness that comes from natural fructose is absorbed slowly by the body, unlike their refined counterparts which make you crash and then grab for another sweet treat. Some popular, natural alternatives to sweeteners are:
* brown rice syrup
* barley malt
* stevia
* agave nectar
* date sugar
* honey
* molasses

For more information about sugar:
A very basic, introductory video on sugar addiction
CNN's Q & A: Emotional eating, sugar addiction and depression?