Why You Feel “Addicted to Carbs” and How to Break the Cycle

Do you ever feel like you can’t say no to certain foods – like chocolate or potato chips? Maybe it’s such a strong feeling that you feel like you should give up carbs altogether. If you’ve ever felt like you’re addicted to carbs know first, that you’re not alone. Many women have similar cravings. Know also that you don’t have to live feeling like carbs are in control. Let’s talk…

Dietary Carbs 101

Knowledge is power so let’s start with a quick, 5-point summary of what makes a carb a carb and how your body handles it.

• Carbohydrates are categorized as simple or complex based on their molecular structure.
  
• Simple carbs – mono- or disaccharides – are digested quickly. Great for post-athletic performance recovery but typically not great for satiation or nutrient intake.
  
• Complex carbs – starches and fiber – are made up of large groups of sugar units which make them harder to digest. This is why complex carbs are touted as “good carbs” because they’re typically loaded with nutrients, increase satiation and keep you feeling full.
  
• At the end of the day all carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugar molecules – it just takes some longer than others to get there.
  
• While your body can survive without dietary carbohydrates, your body and brain thrive on this source of energy and so daily recommendations are as follows:
  • at least 100 grams per day for healthy, adult women
  • at least 135 grams per day for healthy, pregnant women
  • at least 160 grams per day for healthy, breastfeeding women
  • even more if you are a highly active women in any of those categories

When Good Carbs Go Bad

Carbohydrates are not inherently bad. In fact, carbohydrates are a crucial source of energy for your body and brain. Most women feel and perform better with at least some carbohydrates in their diet. This is especially true for active women.

It’s when carbohydrates come from a factory setting instead of a farm setting that things go wrong.

Processed carbohydrates are so refined that they’ve been stripped of their nutrient value. No more fiber. Bye bye, minerals. See you later, vitamins. Instead, processed carbs come to you packaged prettily but at their core, nothing but empty calories.

These kinds of processed carbs are digested quickly which leads to a rapid spike in blood sugar levels and insulin after you eat them. That sugar high doesn’t last long though – and often results in a sugar crash and another round of cravings to re-supply that energy.

The problematic consequences don’t end there. Processed sugars are linked to increases in obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and heart disease (just to start).

Take home message: it’s not the carb that is bad, it’s how the carb was made.

4 Reasons You Might Feel “Addicted to Carbs”

There are numerous reasons that you might feel like you are “addicted to carbs”. Maybe your cravings are so intense sometimes that you’ve considered, or have practiced, cutting carbs out completely as a method of control.

Let’s talk about 4 common reasons that many women crave carbs, how you can determine if you relate and what you can ultimately do to decrease your cravings and take the stress out of eating.

Many Carbohydrate-Rich Foods are Designed to Trigger Your Brain’s Reward Center

The food industry is big biz. It’s goal is not, as you might logically suspect, to bring food to the masses. The food industry’s goal is to make money. It’s a business. The goal of the business is to make money.

Repeat business is always cheaper to maintain than finding new business. That is true in every industry. So food manufacturers will do what it takes to keep your repeat business.

Food manufacturers hire food scientists who are really good at creating foods with flavors, textures, smells, tastes and ingredients that throw your tastebuds into happy hour. Your brain gets a powerful “hit” from these foods – similar to the hit it would get from certain addictive drugs.

Processed Foods Lack the Nutrients that Tell Your Brain “I’m Full”

Fiber, nutrients and water…three things that real foods contain but processed foods tend to lack. Why does that matter?

That matters because it’s those things that signal to your GI tract and to your brain that you’re full. Without those things, your body and brain don’t snap into reality until your a chips and salsa basket or two into your meal.

This is the reason, by the way, that there is confusion about fruit. It’s high in sugar – does that make it unhealthy/is that a carb I should cut? Yes, fruit has a high sugar content. But fruit also contains fiber, water, vitamins and minerals. You’ll fill up on strawberries way before you’re in danger of seriously over consuming calories.

Carbs “Fill In” the Emotional Gaps

Carbohydrates, especially the simple and quickly digested kind, hit your blood stream and trigger happy hormones faster than my internet can connect up here in the mountains of Vermont. It’s that sense of immediate relief – from fatigue, or boredom, or anxiety – that can make you feel addicted to carbs.

You’re not addicted to carbs. You’re addicted to happiness.

Many women have learned to use food to cope with uncomfortable feelings. Processed carbs are quick-reward foods. The act of eating itself can be comforting but throw in the bonus of serotonin-triggering carb snacks?! Sold to the food manufacturer with the best marketing team in the business.

You’ve Got a Routine

Ah, habit.

For most women (and men), eating is part of a routine. At it’s most basic level, that routine might look like breakfast, lunch, dinner. But it’s more than that…

How many times do you find yourself craving a snack from the vending machine at around 2-3 pm during the workweek? You’ve probably spent the last few hours at your desk, sending emails but not really interacting with anyone. Lunch was hours ago and you can’t leave without setting off alarm bells yet. Time for a snack.

Or…

You’ve finished putting away dinner and the kids are in bed. You’ve been “good” all day. Finally some alone time to watch TV and kick back. Cue the popcorn, or the chocolate ice cream and you finally have time to zone out and just enjoy the moment.

These aren’t necessarily cravings. They’re habits: routines and lifestyle choices that you’ve gotten used to over months or years of doing them. It’s not about the food. It’s about relieving the boredom, the stress, the overwhelm or frustration of the day.

How to Take Back Control

The great news is: you can absolutely increase awareness of these habits and actions and ultimately, take back control.

Try using these strategies to build you awareness, give yourself some space to deal with how you feel and what you discover, and then make conscious change.

1. Keep a journal. Spend anywhere from 3 days – 2 weeks keeping track. Note what you eat and drink but go the extra mile. What were you craving? What foods felt like they triggered uncontrollable snacking? What do you struggle to eat or drink in moderation?
   
   You might also benefit from noting and writing about situations and experiences in which you find yourself craving more. Who are you with? What’s going on? What’s the setting? And most importantly, how are you feeling?
   
   You might find a pattern to the emotions. Boredom. Stress. Loneliness. Frustration. This might be difficult because you might recognize that food is really connected to a feeling that is really big and painful for you. If that’s the case, I highly encourage getting closer to that, first.
   
   *See personal side note below.
   
2. Pre-plan a healthy snack into your day. Pre-loading tools to deal with craving situations before they happen is a great way to redirect the emotional and physiological side of what feels like a carb addiction. Keep it simple. Keep it healthy. Make sure it satisfies.
   
   For example if you realize that you always reach for a sweet-and-salty snack a couple of hours after lunch, plan for it by packing an healthy, readily available and delicious option. Pull that out an hour and a half after lunch and savor it.
   
   Alternatively, it’s possible that you really are hungry a couple of hours post-lunch. If that’s the case, it might be time to re-evaluate what you’re packing and eating for your midday meal. Is it enough food? Is it enough nutrient dense food? Does it have some form of protein, fat and complex carb to fill you up and keep you full, longer?
   
3. Eat every 3-4 hours. If you feel like you’re addicted to carbs, try eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. You get the satisfaction of eating, the pleasure of something that tastes good, and you can refuel in a healthy, conscious way.
   

*Personal disclosure: when I was struggling with an eating disorder I used food to try to control what I was feeling. I restricted and controlled what I ate because I felt so lost and out of control in my life. For me, digging into that and healing took the help of a team of experts – therapists, nutritionists, doctors. If you’re feeling stuck or lost, please don’t hesitate to reach out for help.