I’ve always thought that people craved sugary simply because they needed it. Although this is true in most cases, it is not true in all. There are many psychological reasons behind sugar cravings. “Sugary cravings can be a psychological response to boredom or upsetting situations.” Because sugar temporarily releases serotonin and increases moods, many people may find themselves eating sugar when they are seeking emotional comfort or they are stressed out. This craving can also be related to a drug addiction. Many people suffer actions to sugar because of the short serotonin release. People become addicted to this and when they are not with it, it can be similar to alcohol withdrawal. Often, when we are craving sugar, we are often missing something else too. Sometimes when we are thirsty our body may take it as a sugar craving, or when we are in need of actual healthy fuel, our body takes it as a sugar craving.
Not completely eliminating my original thought, the body does sometimes crave sugar because it needs it. In these cases though it needs healthy sugars like the natural ones found in fruit. Sugar gives the body energy and when your body is lacking the energy it needs, blood sugar levels will drop and the body will react negatively. Berries and other sugary fruits are packed with vitamins and minerals that people need. These fruits make people feel happy and well and give them the proper energy needed to feel good about themselves and go about their day.
To conduct an effective experiment i believe they can just have two group have a blind taste test to determine the true effects sugar has on the body. I think a double blind experiment is too far because the doctors should look for certain reaction for the patients that take the sugar food versus the one that doesn’t take a sugar.
I love eating sweet things no matter I am happy or depressed. However, I came across a article (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/06/sugar-brain-mental-health_n_6904778.html) few days ago and it tells us how harmful artificial sugar actually is to our brain. This made me rethink the amount of sugar I should eat. Also, some articles say you can be addicted to sugar just like being addicted to drugs. What’s you opinion on this?
It would be cool to conduct an a double blind experiment giving one group of people a food high in sugar and another group a food that is sugar free but both foods somehow almost identical in taste. Measure their energy levels and see what psychological affects the sugary/non sugary food has. Maybe see to what extent our body totally does need sugar and see how both groups are feeling afterwards. From personal perspective sugar really does make me feel crappier.