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How to Stop a Food Craving in 30 Seconds! Dr. Mandell

Sugar cravings and self-control -

Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change.

Sugar cravings are often caused by imbalances in blood glucose levels. Low blood sugar levels might cause you to crave something sweet in order to bring up these levels. Other factors that can play a role include psychological stress, medications, hormone imbalances, and health conditions. Having certain cravings, such as for chocolate or other sweets, is also often linked to how you feel emotionally.

The key is understanding why you are craving them and making sure that your overall diet is balanced and nutritious. Learning a little more about the connection between food and mood can empower you to control your cravings rather than letting them control you.

A food craving is defined as an intense desire for a specific food. Most people experience cravings at one time or another,   and there are many factors that determine their frequency and intensity.

Research has shown that cravings can also be driven by memories rather than bodily cues. For example, if you grab a snack from the vending machine at work at the same time each afternoon, your desire for the snack may be less about satisfying hunger and more out of habit.

Sweets and decadent meals are often associated with vivid memories of food at social gatherings, such as holidays, parties, and family get-togethers.

In fact, they're most often based in biology. In , researchers used fMRI machines to look at people's brains as they experienced food cravings.

They noticed similarities in the neuroanatomy of food-craving brains and those of people who were addicted to drugs and alcohol who may also experience cravings for these substances. In a study, researchers found that when one area of the brain was activated, it temporarily decreased food cravings, particularly for sweet foods and carbohydrates.

Findings from similar studies have helped researchers understand the phenomenon of food addiction , which can be another factor if someone is experiencing persistent cravings. Research has also shown that some foods tend to be more "addictive" than others, including highly processed foods with a high glycemic load.

The way the mind and body especially the gut are connected, the mechanisms that drive hunger, as well as our unique memories, tastes, and dietary needs make food cravings very complex.

One theory about food cravings involves serotonin , a neurotransmitter needed for mood regulation. Researchers believe that having an imbalance of serotonin in the brain contributes to the development of depression.

When you're craving carbs, you're usually being drawn to foods that encourage serotonin production. Research seems to support this theory: Having a meal high in carbohydrates tends to raise levels of serotonin, while a high-fat, high-protein meal may reduce them.

Tryptophan is an amino acid that is a precursor of serotonin. That means your body needs tryptophan to make serotonin. Tryptophan may also produce a calming effect through interactions that take place within the realm of the gut-brain axis. Several studies have proposed that low levels of tryptophan can increase hunger and drive food cravings, as well as contribute to symptoms of depression.

A diet with plenty of high-tryptophan foods may be helpful in boosting mood and managing cravings. Tryptophan is naturally found in protein-rich foods such as seafood, eggs, and poultry, and can also be taken in the form of a supplement.

Hosted by Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares strategies for eating to boost your mood, featuring psychiatrist Drew Ramsey. Click below to listen now. Researchers have isolated certain alkaloids in chocolate that may raise the levels of serotonin in the brain.

People who feel addicted to chocolate may be feeling the one-two punch of chocolate and sugar, thus satisfying their need for more serotonin. While you might feel better at the moment, overindulging in sweets to cope with stress has long term physical consequences such as weight gain.

There are also emotional consequences. Over time, a high-sugar diet may worsen symptoms of depression especially if you tend to feel guilty about having or "giving in" to cravings. There are some ways you can learn to cope not only with cravings but what is causing them.

Practice becoming more aware of your emotional triggers for eating. The next time you pick up a "comfort food," stop and ask yourself why you're reaching for it. Feeling sad, anxious, or lonely? Identify your feelings, then pause and reflect on the action you usually take such as reaching for a sweet treat.

Try replacing comfort food with another comforting, enjoyable activity, such as going for a walk, taking a warm bath, or curling up with a good book. Eating is a physical, emotional, and often a social activity, so it makes sense to pursue it if you need some stimulation.

It can also help to make sure you always have healthy snacks on hand. That way, if you are tempted to reach for something out of boredom, you'll be less likely to pick something high in fat and sugar.

When you first feel a craving, reach for your water bottle or fill up a glass of water first. You may find this was just what your body needed. This is where practicing mindfulness can be helpful.

If you go too long without a meal or a snack, your body is likely to start looking for a quick source of energy. If you still want dessert after a balanced meal, have a little.

Focus on looking for healthier substitutes instead. For example, choose a small serving of dark chocolate avocado mousse instead of a chocolate bar. Why are sugar cravings so powerful? The neuropsychiatrists at Amen Clinics say the answer lies in the brain. A wealth of research, including a review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine , shows that sugar is addictive.

Researchers now say that sugar 8 times more addictive than cocaine and inside the brain, it works in the same areas that react to morphine. The pleasure centers, emotional centers, and the neurotransmitter dopamine compel you to head to the freezer for the ice cream.

Meanwhile, the PFC tries to put on the brakes. In a healthy brain, a strong PFC provides good judgment and emotional control so you can say no to the ice cream.

When the PFC is underactive, however, the pleasure and emotional centers can hijack the brain and take control. When this happens, you cave to the sugar cravings again… and again… and again.

Low brain activity here means more cravings and more bad decisions. Research in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology shows that self-control failures are more likely to occur when blood sugar levels are low.

What causes blood sugar levels to drop? Drinking alcohol, sugary snacks, sweetened beverages, and other high-glycemic foods think rice, pasta, and cereal.

Stabilizing blood sugar levels throughout the day improves self-control. Here are simple tips to help you do it. If you really want to decrease your cravings, you need to get rid of artificial sweeteners.

If you can learn to go without any sweeteners, your brain will stop craving the sweetness. If you must, replace the artificial stuff with natural sweeteners like stevia or erythritol. Anything stressful can trigger certain hormones that activate your cravings, making you believe that you need the ice cream, cake, or licorice.

Meditation and hypnosis are powerful stress-management practices that can boost blood flow to the PFC to help rebalance your brain circuitry. Nearly everywhere you go, someone is trying to entice you to eat something sweet. Think of the candy displays near the checkout counter at the grocery store, which is intentionally designed to tempt you to make an impulse buy.

To control your cravings, you have to control your triggers. Know the people, places, and things that fuel your cravings and plan ahead for your vulnerable times.

Anxiety causes the stress hormone cortisol to be released in the body, which can suppress appetite in some. On the other hand, the stress may encourage people who already like sugar into more cravings. When sugar addiction co-occurs with eating to soothe anxiety, the end result is typically weight gain.

Despite sugar initially boosting serotonin levels in the brain, sugar can worsen anxiety as sugar lows create feelings of fatigue and depression. There is a surprising genetic link between children of parents who abuse alcohol and sugar addiction. A recent study confirmed dopamine receptors in the brain light up when sugar is consumed, similar to the receptors lighting up in the brain of someone who abuses alcohol.

This can encourage people who struggle with sweets to develop alcoholism. Alcohol-dependent individuals have a higher preference for sweets and experience sugar cravings and sugar withdrawals.

The genes in parents who abuse alcohol, as well as their preference for sugar, can be passed down to their children. As a result, the child may have a predisposition to both of these compulsions. Many who eliminate sugar from their diet find themselves experiencing withdrawal symptoms of irritability, fogginess, moodiness, and low energy.

Since many struggling with sugar addiction have binged on sugary foods, withdrawal and cravings can be intense. Tragically, many choose to go back to eating sugary foods for the chemical release in the brain. A much better alternative is to do a dietary swap, whereby the sugar user exchanges unhealthy sweets for natural and healthy options to regain control.

Someone with a sugar addiction, especially if they have another substance abuse disorder or a co-occurring mental health condition , will likely have difficulty in ridding themselves of cravings. If you or someone you know has a sugar addiction, especially if complicating factors are present, know that there are treatment options available.

For more information on online therapy options, click here. Call Legacy Healing Center for addiction support. Call Make a Call Calls to numbers on a specific treatment center listing will be routed to that treatment center.

Chats will be received and answered by one of treatment providers listed below, each of which is a paid advertiser:. We may receive advertising fees if you follow links to promoted online therapy websites.

Struggling With Sugar Addiction? Start getting help for sugar addiction from a licensed therapist from BetterHelp. Online therapy can help you make lasting change. Start getting support from a licensed therapist from BetterHelp. TAKE THE QUIZ. Ready To Start Your Recovery? Learn about your treatment options.

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