Are You a Carbohydrate Junkie?
What tastes delightful, makes us happy and is literally something we can't live without? Carbohydrates. Even newborn babies prefer them.
In the popular diet-book arena, carbohydrates are getting a bad reputation. All health professionals would agree that empty calorie, sugar-laden foods and drinks do not offer nutritional value, and unfortunately replace healthier foods. Yet, is it fair to berate ourselves when we enjoy a chocolate dessert at a friend's birthday party, or to feel guilty for sneaking sweets in a late night kitchen raid? Can we be addicted to sweets? Since we must eat food, and our bodies convert 50 percent to 60 percent of our food to sugar, it is biologically normal to want and to eat carbohydrates.
Biological Basis for Cravings
Babies are born to prefer sweets. A classic study of newborn infants by J. E. Steiner in "Taste and Development," showed that infants preferred diluted sugar water more than plain water, salt water or quinine water. Breastmilk tastes sweet and is 44 percent carbohydrate. The infant survives with the
instinctual "craving" for mother's milk.
And children prefer sweets -- just talk to a mother who knows how difficult it is to get her baby to eat mashed green beans down if she first offered him or her pureed peaches. Yet, in our "refined" society, we quickly introduce children to concentrated sweets, which heighten a child's eating pleasure.
As young children, we soon learn that sweets are a treat and reward, and we learn to look forward to dessert after dinner, or sweet cereal at breakfast.
Craving sweets is also a learned behavior. If you have a bad day, a dish of ice cream might make you feel better. Repeating the sweet-reward behavior can
establish a habit, which could escalate into a craving.
The Mind-Mood-Food Connection
A strong desire for sweets may very well be in our heads. Serotonin is a brain chemical that makes you feel relaxed, less anxious and stressed; reduces pain; improves your mood; calms you; and even makes you sleepy. It is
suspected that people who crave carbohydrates have lower serotonin levels, which increases cravings for carbohydrate-rich foods. As serotonin levels increase, the cravings decrease.
Endorphins may also play a role in our need for carbohydrates. Sugar affects the release of these powerful chemicals, which ease stress and discomfort.
Sarah Leibowitz, Ph.D., a professor of neurobiology at Rockefeller University
in New York City, suspects that endorphins imbalances underlie obesity and eating disorders. Obese people seem to be more sensitive to endorphins' appetite-stimulating effects than lean people.
Sugar and Hypoglycemia
Sugar and other carbohydrate foods stimulate the insulin response so that glucose, the end result of sugar and carbohydrate metabolism, can be transported from the blood to every cell in the body. Insulin lowers the blood
sugar level and this drop in blood sugar eventually triggers hunger. An unbalanced diet that is high in simple sugars and low in protein may cause a roller coaster effect on blood sugar levels, increasing the need to nibble on convenient foods, usually carbohydrates.
An abnormal response to sugar intake is hyperinsulinemia, commonly referred to as hypoglycemia. In people with hypoglycemia, a surge of insulin occurs in response to high-sugar and high-carbohydrate intake. The person's blood sugar level plunges below normal and he or she feels light-headed, dizzy and sweaty, and may even pass out. A diet without simple sugars that is higher in
protein and fat reduces the symptoms.
Muscles Need Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the body's main, preferred source of energy; they are critical nutrients for the athlete who has high energy demands during physical activity. Stamina, power and endurance are dependent on adequate
carbohydrate intake. High-carbohydrate foods include complex starches, such as cereals, grains, rice, bread, legumes, oats and vegetables, as well as simple sugars, such as fruits, fruits juices, milk and sweets. The body stores carbohydrates in limited amounts. This is why carbohydrate-containing foods
should be about 60 percent of the daily diet. For example, when you eat pasta, the starch is quickly converted into the simple sugar glucose, which circulates in your blood either to provide every cell with immediate energy, or to be stored by the liver and muscles as glycogen for later use. As you move, the stored glycogen in your muscles is ready to be burned as fuel.
How to Manage Cravings
Food-mood researchers agree that carbohydrate cravers cannot "will" away their need for carbohydrates. Abstinence may actually increase the cravings and lead to binge eating, since the body is biologically designed to keep its brain chemicals, hormones and peptides in balance.
Elizabeth Somers, author of "Food and Mood," suggests some guidelines for controlling carbohydrate cravings and feeling good.
Eat small meals and snacks that include carbohydrates, such as whole grain starches, vegetables and legumes, throughout the day to
keep neuropeptides and serotonin within the normal range.
Don't skip breakfast, since it will increase cravings mid-morning. Include a whole grain, a fruit and a protein at breakfast.
Plan snacks that have limited calories but some carbohydrate.
Exercise to reduce your appetite and naturally increase endorphins. Learn to eat in response to hunger, not emotions.
Don't "diet," but gradually get control over your cravings by eating sensible food on a regular schedule.
Satisfy chocolate cravings with a small amount of chocolate.
If you find it hard to "just say no" to a milk shake or a toasted bagel, even when you are not hungry, your brain chemistry may need an adjustment. Put the guilt aside and take a closer look at your emotional state and your diet.
By paying more attention to your self-comforting habits, you may be able to escape the hold that sweets and carbohydrates have on you.
Sharon Howard, R.D., M.S., C.D.E. FADA
Date Published: March 15, 2000
Date Reviewed: March 15, 2000
This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. You should
not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting
with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any
questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.
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Z||000001||MS||06-29-2000||08:15 PM||mad.scientist55@hushmail.com||Thanks cocktails. That is one of the more balanced lay-reviews I've read regarding the role(s) of carbs in our lives.||139.80.178.6||reg||
Z||000002||Doc Ponch||07-18-2000||01:13 PM||docponch@hushmail.com||Interesting info. I don't agree that the body prefers carbs for energy, in fact, I had read that the brain may actually prefer ketones for energy. Another interesting fact. While there are essential amino acids and fatty acids, there is no such thing as an essential carb.
The Doctor||208.58.146.3||reg||