In response to a question from Andy M on Facebook, here is my take on why we crave sweet food after eating a meal and how to combat it.
Firstly this is not a dig at those with a sweet tooth. I have a massive penchant for all things sweet. I am currently going through a love affair with ‘Cadburys boosts’. So much so that I powered through three in a row a few nights ago and spent the rest of the evening slightly hating myself (for a very short period). This slight obsession combined with Andy’s question, has led to me sharing this blog post with you, so in a roundabout way eating those 3 boosts was the right move….
Cravings and weight loss
It doesn’t take a genius to deduce that eating sweet foods post meal will hamper your weight loss, so why, even when we are desperate to lose weight do we succumb to these cravings?
Most of our nutritional choices are a result of habit and association. If you have always eaten a pudding after your main course you will associate the finishing of your meal with the expectation of something sweet. Repeat this often enough and a habit forms. For most, the post meal treat provides a feeling of fullness and closure to your feeding. All pretty obvious so far.
It appears however, that the regular consumption of foods high in sugar actually leads to “neurochemical changes” in the brain- leading you to crave these types of foods even more (Drewnowski and Levine Journal of Nutrition 2003). Our brain is also guilty of releasing a mood elevating chemical known as serotonin in response to the consumption of simple sugars, giving us a short lived ‘high’. You will all be familiar with this feeling, and just as familiar with the blood sugar rollercoaster experienced shortly after. When stuck in this cycle, your cravings will begin to feel even more intense leaving you facing a serious internal battle.
For those currently following a nutrition plan the post meal fix can be even more difficult to avoid. You may well have spent days being strict and avoiding all sweet foods only to find your craving for that Double Decker (my second favourite), becoming more and more intense. It is at this point that most fat loss efforts go down the drain. We have all been there, you allow yourself the tiniest piece of brownie only to come to your senses 10 mins later with an empty baking tray in hand and chocolate all over your face… no? Well I have anyway.
If you have ever found yourself thinking ‘I’ve eaten one I might as well smash the whole lot’ you need to snap out of it! The guilt of ruining all of your hard work in the gym is nowhere near worth 10 mins of over indulgence. That being said I know where you are coming from (3 boosts etc..). If you are anything like me it is best to avoid altogether until you hit your goal.
Note-the same seems to ring true with alcohol
The best way to achieve this is to ensure that each meal you consume contains a generous portion of protein and healthy fats along with a small portion of carbohydrate. If you are struggling for meal ideas drop me an email and I will send you a nutrition plan. Other tips include brushing your teeth straight after food, leaving the house straight away and taking a walk, not keeping any treats in the house at all or, if need be, getting jabbed in the face by me at the gym.
That being said, if you can control the portion size you should occasionally allow yourself a treat. Just make sure you deserve it, use these treats as a reward for hitting your weekly weight loss targets. Alternatively make sure your treat has some kind of nutritional value, a handful of mixed nuts and dried fruit seems to work for me. If you really cannot go without chocolate opt for quality over quantity…get some of that 92% cocoa gear that is so bitter you can barely swallow it. That should do the trick.
On a final note please don’t replace your pudding with foods full of artificial sweeteners. They may sound like a good idea (zero calories etc.) but they will not lessen your cravings. I will write a separate article on these weight loss hindrances but in the meantime, trust me, something that is 100 times sweeter than sugar pound for pound cannot be good for you!
I suppose it all comes down to that familiar phrase that pops up in every one of my articles; How much do you want it? I know it can be (very) difficult but if you really are keen to drop some fat get a grip a dodge the sweets altogether!
I hope that helps Andy
