Craving Sugar During Quarantine?

Why do we crave sugar?  There are many answers.  Stress, blood sugar instability, and lack of sleep are all possible.  These are situations where our bodies are looking for immediate energy.  But as we know, refined sugar is difficult to digest, gives only a short burst of energy that taxes our adrenals and creates ama, or toxic residue in the body. Emotions such as fear, worry, and anxiety can also bring on sugar cravings.  Really what we are looking for here is stability.  The sweet taste found through wholesome foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, whole grains, and fruit has a grounding, nourishing, and calming effect on our minds.  Including these healthy carbohydrates with the right amount of protein and fat in our diets can help curb sugar cravings. A warm cup of almond or oat milk with cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger satisfies a sweet craving while having a nourishing and grounding effect for our minds and bodies.  Cinnamon balances blood sugar levels, is naturally sweet, and helps to reduce cravings. Cardamom calms the nervous system while ginger helps with digestion.  

The foods we eat directly effect the quality of our minds, therefore our moods. While natural sweetness, as found in fruits, vegetables, and grains have a stabilizing effect on our moods, refined sugar has a de-stabilizing effect on our moods.  Like a drug, we get a temporary high, followed by a crashing low, leading to a brain fog and mental dullness. 

Let's end the cycle and give ourselves the sweet quality of stability that wholesome choices provide.