Episode Details

I was six or seven, standing at the end of a diving board with my knees shaking, when my dad made me an offer: “Ali, I will take you to Dunkin’ Donuts if you jump.” I cannonballed in, and the munchkins afterward were pure celebration, with my dad right there in my corner. A few years later, after being bullied in fifth grade, I rode the bus home counting the stops until I could get to the cinnamon raisin bagels in the fridge. Food showed up in both stories, but it was doing very different jobs. One was a celebration with support. The other was a way to feel safe when I felt completely alone.

Sugar cravings can be physical, especially when your blood sugar is out of balance. And after 40, the same foods and habits can affect you differently as your hormones and stress response change. But what happens when you're eating well, you're not hungry, and you still can't stop thinking about sugar? As Dr. Gordon Neufeld says, nothing is more addictive than something that almost works. Sometimes sugar is almost working as the support, agency, or belonging you're missing elsewhere in your life. That's why knowing what to eat doesn't always change the craving.

In this episode of Truce with Food, I'm bringing together conversations with Laura McKowen, Dr. Ellen Vora, Amber Romaniuk, and former Truce with Food participant Isis to explore what your sugar cravings are actually responding to. We'll look at the physical side of cravings, the four emotional triggers I call TAIL (tired, anxious, inadequate, and lonely), and what it looks like to get curious about a craving instead of fighting it. Whether you start with what your body needs or what your cravings are doing for you emotionally, you don't have to tackle everything at once or follow another set of food rules.

This episode is part of the Why You Crave Sugar Path in the Truce with Food Podcast Library, a collection of conversations exploring the physical and emotional sides of sugar cravings and why knowing what to eat isn't always enough. Explore the path here: Why You Crave Sugar Path.

4:28 - When food is a celebration and when it becomes a substitute for support

10:13 - The physical causes of sugar cravings

16:00 - Why exhaustion isn't always solved by more rest

21:37 - How sugar cravings help us cope with uncertainty

24:37 - How inadequate information and support can make us feel inadequate

26:33 - Why loneliness can trigger cravings even when you're not hungry

29:28 - How Isis learned to investigate her ice cream cravings

34:26 - What progress looks like when you stop fighting cravings

36:16 - What happened when Laura McKowen stopped following food rules

Mentioned In Why You Crave Sugar Even When You Know What to Eat

Truce with Food Podcast Library: Why You Crave Sugar Path

Food Stage Assessment

Quitting Alcohol and Managing Sugar Cravings with Laura McKowen (233) | Books by Laura McKowen

How to Stop the Sugar- Anxiety Feedback Loop with Dr. Ellen Vora (230)

Your Sugar Cravings Make Sense When You Understand Your Hormones with Amber Romaniuk (324)

How Self-Awareness and Community Can Heal Your Eating Triggers with Ginny and Isis (283)

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