sugar craving
May 27, 2010 8:53 AM Subscribe
How do I control crazy-strong sugar cravings that come only after dinner?
I am healthy, active, skinny male.
I have no sugar cravings anytime of day except immediately after any dinner--doesn't matter what the dinner is. I go around the house opening the fridge, pantry, cupboards looking for anything sweet (chocolate or icecream are best!). If I can't find anything, I'll make cookies or brownies or grab a bag of chocolate chips and eat a large handful. Then I'm fine. I can't seem to stop this daily habit. The craving is so intense after every dinner, that it seems to be an addiction for me.
Not trying to be sugar free--I would still like to enjoy a dessert here and there, just trying to quit this stupid cycle.
I'd appreciate your advice and yes, I know you are not a doctor.
I am healthy, active, skinny male.
I have no sugar cravings anytime of day except immediately after any dinner--doesn't matter what the dinner is. I go around the house opening the fridge, pantry, cupboards looking for anything sweet (chocolate or icecream are best!). If I can't find anything, I'll make cookies or brownies or grab a bag of chocolate chips and eat a large handful. Then I'm fine. I can't seem to stop this daily habit. The craving is so intense after every dinner, that it seems to be an addiction for me.
Not trying to be sugar free--I would still like to enjoy a dessert here and there, just trying to quit this stupid cycle.
I'd appreciate your advice and yes, I know you are not a doctor.
I'm generally the same way, except it's after lunch. What helps for me is a eating a mint or chewing some mint gum. Jolts my brain out of the craving.
posted by Zoyashka at 8:56 AM on May 27, 2010
posted by Zoyashka at 8:56 AM on May 27, 2010
Does your dinner often consist a lot of simple carbohydrates?
It might be that after dinner, your body pumped out lots of insulin to deal with the carbs from dinner.. then finds itself with more insulin then glucose; which causes your craving for sugar.
Dinner richer in vegetables and protein and less starches (breads, pasta, potatoes, etc) might help.
posted by royalsong at 8:59 AM on May 27, 2010 [2 favorites]
It might be that after dinner, your body pumped out lots of insulin to deal with the carbs from dinner.. then finds itself with more insulin then glucose; which causes your craving for sugar.
Dinner richer in vegetables and protein and less starches (breads, pasta, potatoes, etc) might help.
posted by royalsong at 8:59 AM on May 27, 2010 [2 favorites]
Five things that have worked for me:
1) Brushing my teeth. Tells my brain that eating time is done.
2) Eating something like olives or dill pickles. The briny/sour taste can curb sweet tooth.
3) Drinking a glass of red wine. Takes time to finish, and also curbs the "need sweet" feeling.
4) 85% dark chocolate. Two squares of the stuff tends to make me very thirsty, and it's not too sweet to make me want a ton more of it.
For me, the feeling of wanting dessert after dinner was more mental than anything else. My brain's like "okay, dinner is done, where's my dessert?" Once I completely stopped eating sweet foods after dinner for a week or two, the cravings stopped. It only takes a few days of sweet after dinner to get back into the habit though. Unfortunately.
posted by smalls at 9:01 AM on May 27, 2010 [3 favorites]
1) Brushing my teeth. Tells my brain that eating time is done.
2) Eating something like olives or dill pickles. The briny/sour taste can curb sweet tooth.
3) Drinking a glass of red wine. Takes time to finish, and also curbs the "need sweet" feeling.
4) 85% dark chocolate. Two squares of the stuff tends to make me very thirsty, and it's not too sweet to make me want a ton more of it.
For me, the feeling of wanting dessert after dinner was more mental than anything else. My brain's like "okay, dinner is done, where's my dessert?" Once I completely stopped eating sweet foods after dinner for a week or two, the cravings stopped. It only takes a few days of sweet after dinner to get back into the habit though. Unfortunately.
posted by smalls at 9:01 AM on May 27, 2010 [3 favorites]
If you're just trying to avoid sugar specifically (rather than limiting calories) a high-fat snack is great for killing sugar cravings.
posted by callmejay at 9:13 AM on May 27, 2010
posted by callmejay at 9:13 AM on May 27, 2010
This happens to me, too. And it's always late afternoon or early evening. From the research I've done (and speaking with a nutritionist) this is what I learned:
My body is craving energy, and simple carbs give it a quick fix. The best answer is a high protein lunch with complex carbs and a snack of complex carbs when I begin to feel the energy dip (usually about an hour or so before the craving begins).
Hope this helps!
posted by kidelo at 9:20 AM on May 27, 2010
My body is craving energy, and simple carbs give it a quick fix. The best answer is a high protein lunch with complex carbs and a snack of complex carbs when I begin to feel the energy dip (usually about an hour or so before the craving begins).
Hope this helps!
posted by kidelo at 9:20 AM on May 27, 2010
If you're eating anything sugary or starchy during the day, stop and the cravings should stop after about two days, though it could take longer if you have insulin issues.
Whether the carbs are "complex" or not should not make a difference because your body can absorb them pretty much as readily and it causes the same biological response; sucrose, for example, is a "complex" sugar because it contains both glucose and fructose, but I guarantee if you eat something with table sugar in it every day your cravings won't go away. I wonder if kidelo meant unrefined? It does make a difference to eat whole grains and rice as opposed to white, because it takes longer for your digestive system to eat through the fiber and get the carbs digested. That's just starch though. Unrefined sugar doesn't really make a difference.
posted by Nattie at 9:32 AM on May 27, 2010
Whether the carbs are "complex" or not should not make a difference because your body can absorb them pretty much as readily and it causes the same biological response; sucrose, for example, is a "complex" sugar because it contains both glucose and fructose, but I guarantee if you eat something with table sugar in it every day your cravings won't go away. I wonder if kidelo meant unrefined? It does make a difference to eat whole grains and rice as opposed to white, because it takes longer for your digestive system to eat through the fiber and get the carbs digested. That's just starch though. Unrefined sugar doesn't really make a difference.
posted by Nattie at 9:32 AM on May 27, 2010
2nding brushing your teeth
posted by TWinbrook8 at 9:41 AM on May 27, 2010
posted by TWinbrook8 at 9:41 AM on May 27, 2010
I've had good luck satiating those kinds of cravings by eating an apple or some strawberries - yes, they are sugary but they're lots healthier than brownies!
Also seconding the mint gum or brushing teeth.
posted by bookdragoness at 9:57 AM on May 27, 2010
Also seconding the mint gum or brushing teeth.
posted by bookdragoness at 9:57 AM on May 27, 2010
Are you sure it's not a calcium craving? Regardless, try drinking a large glass of milk, preferably skim. It fills you up, has calcium and tryptophan. If it's organic milk, it's got antioxidants as well.
posted by Neekee at 9:58 AM on May 27, 2010
posted by Neekee at 9:58 AM on May 27, 2010
People vary. My sugar cravings appear when I don't eat enough complex carbohydrates (which means whole grains, potatoes, or beans, not sucrose or white flour). My body's determined to get its carb requirements one way or another, and if I don't do it the right way, it will take over via cravings to make me do it the wrong way.
posted by Ery at 9:58 AM on May 27, 2010
posted by Ery at 9:58 AM on May 27, 2010
If I can get to an orange or a cup of green tea after a meal, I will (usually) forget I wanted dessert.
posted by hermitosis at 10:36 AM on May 27, 2010
posted by hermitosis at 10:36 AM on May 27, 2010
I listed five things, but only wrote four. My fifth suggestion was supposed to be tea and clementines, so 2nding hermitosis on that one!
posted by smalls at 11:24 AM on May 27, 2010
posted by smalls at 11:24 AM on May 27, 2010
Peppermint tea. Better than any other tea in my experience for balancing sugar cravings, plus it helps with digestion.
posted by salvia at 12:20 PM on May 27, 2010
posted by salvia at 12:20 PM on May 27, 2010
Watermelon. Fat free chocolate pudding. Sugar free popsicles (and regular ones are what, 35 calories?) Carob chips. Strawberries with a tiny bit of powdered sugar or blueberries with low fat whipped cream. Diet coke. Indulge the sweet tooth and don't feel bad! It's surprisingly easy to do without eating a lot of fat or calories.
posted by alygator at 5:12 PM on May 27, 2010
posted by alygator at 5:12 PM on May 27, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by pintapicasso at 8:56 AM on May 27, 2010