Craving sugar immediately after eating. Why? page

[duckmama]

The main times I crave sweets is immediately following a meal. Any theories about why that happens? I don't tend to have the mid-afternoon carb/sugar cravings that I've heard about from others. For me, it's right after I eat something I want something sweet to cleanse my pallett. So far, I've been able to "cure" the craving with a square of dark chocolate, and sometimes peppermint tea works too. I just have to be cautious with the chocolate that it's just a square (or sometimes two) and not the entire bar.

[iniQuity]

Long time ago I read the body releases ... something... and that something makes you crave sweets. It happens to me too but not all the time. Giving your body chocolate may not help in the long term, it may be one of those things you have to quiet down through will power alone but this is easier said than done.

[taffy]

I have the same thing. I chew Orbitz gum , sugarless. However , I was wondering if Im stimulating insulin production by " faking" the ingestion of sweets . Is sugarless gum a bad thing?

[iniQuity]

I have the same thing. I chew Orbitz gum , sugarless. However , I was wondering if Im stimulating insulin production by " faking" the ingestion of sweets . Is sugarless gum a bad thing?

It's gum, it's pretty far from being anything natural ya know? you could eat worse stuff, but still.

I just think when it comes to this you have to will yourself to not eat ANYTHING after eating a regular, filling meal. A friend suggests having some/more fat after eating, like a spoonful of coconut oil or some nut butter. I don't eat nuts or nut butters so I can't say if it helps or not.

If you always "reward" yourself you will create that habit. Work instead on the habit of once your meal is finished, you're done eating until real hunger comes back again.

Might be a militant, extreme type of approach, but you guys have expressed concern, so there it is.

[Melantha]

Whole 9 Life did a blog post about this. They called "Dessert Demons," and suggest that it's actually because you're mentally used to having something sweet to signal the end of a meal. They suggest eating something sweet (like a piece of fruit or some nuts (yes, nuts taste sweet to me)) with your meal and then not succumbing to your body's tantrums that it wants something after the meal. Or else shut it up with a big blob of fat. My shut-up fat of choice is a 1/4-1/2 cup of whipped cream (unsweetened, of course) or else some cheese. You can go non-dairy with some fatty meat or something derived from a coconut. It's like giving a kid who's screaming for ice cream a pony instead.

[seaclam]

I tend to have the same feeling after meals even after having a nice fat & protein filled dinner. I solve it by having a small handful of fresh blueberries or blackberries. So far, it is working.

[Funkadelic Flash]

It's like giving a kid who's screaming for ice cream a pony instead.

Haha! I love this.

[fitmom]

my theory is that the body releases insuliin etc in enough quantitiy to deal with former SAD habits, leading to lowered blood sugar, leading to hunger. I've heard other theories, about sugar fermenting and then acting like alcohol, and other odd and fascinating theories. Not sure which one is true, but I can't wait to find out, as I experience this, too, and its a pain in the ass.

[Classic]

Try some coconut butter for awhile till you break the habit. It is slightly sweet tasting and the fattiness will help satisfy. Just a nice big spoonful works well.

[kennelmom]

The main times I crave sweets is immediately following a meal. Any theories about why that happens? I don't tend to have the mid-afternoon carb/sugar cravings that I've heard about from others. For me, it's right after I eat something I want something sweet to cleanse my pallett. So far, I've been able to "cure" the craving with a square of dark chocolate, and sometimes peppermint tea works too. I just have to be cautious with the chocolate that it's just a square (or sometimes two) and not the entire bar.

wow...you read my mind today. I just realized I've been craving a little bit of dark chocolate after every meal. Even just one tiny bite and I'm happy. Weird. I'm reaching my goals so I'm not going to worry about a bite or two of dark chocolate every day (85% or greater)...glad to hear it's not just me!