Sometimes (or, um, many times), your body decides it wants a bag of Sour Patch Kids or a chocolate bar, stat. Whether you experience sugar cravings every day or once in a while, they are simply a fact of life. But the intensity with which they can hit makes us wonder: Where do they even come from—and what can they tell you about your body?
The first thing to know is that the science surrounding sugar cravings can actually be pretty thorny. That’s because they typically don’t have one single, easily identifiable cause. Rather, tons of different factors can influence when, where, and why you might develop a sudden hankering, including your biology, psychology, and surroundings, Lindsay Malone, MS, RDN, LD, a nutrition instructor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, tells SELF. What’s more, Malone notes, these factors often overlap and intersect, complicating matters further.
Having a tough time wrapping your head around all of this? We don’t blame you, but don’t worry; we’ll break it all down below. Read on to learn about the four big elements that may be behind your sweet tooth.
How blood sugar affects sugar cravings
Fluctuations in blood sugar are “one of the biggest” contributors to sugar cravings, according to Malone. “Your blood sugar is your body’s primary fuel source,” she says, so your body closely monitors it to make sure you have the energy to function normally. When your levels drop, alarm bells start ringing, nudging you to take action to return to baseline. And the fastest, easiest fix for a plunge? You guessed it: a dose of dietary sugar from a food or beverage. “Sugar is a carbohydrate, and carbohydrates are a very accessible and digestible source of energy,” Vincci Tsui, RD, a certified intuitive eating counselor based in Canada, tells SELF—which is why you might find yourself reaching for a super-sweet item “like juice, candy, or soda” when you need a boost, Malone says.
While your blood sugar fluctuates naturally throughout the day, certain triggers can cause it to rise and fall rapidly, setting off those alarm bells (and thus those sugar cravings). Dieting or otherwise limiting your food intake is one example. “Having a sweet craving can be a way of our bodies telling us, ‘Hey, we’re not eating enough,’” (or taking in sufficient fuel to keep going), Tsui says, so don’t skip out on meals: The hungrier you are, the more your body will push you in this direction, and the harder it’ll be to resist that urge.
