Emotional Eating Part 2: Why We Crave Sugar, Fat, and Salt

Sugar + fat + salt = dopamine jackpot...Why We Crave Sugar, Fat, and Salt! 

If you emotionally eat, it’s probably not broccoli.
It’s something sweet.
Or something salty.
Or something creamy.
Or all three combined.
There’s a reason.
Your brain is wired for survival...
Highly palatable foods activate the brain’s reward system and release dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for motivation and reinforcement, especially during times of stress.


Stress Biology & Emotional EatingChronic stress:

• Elevates cortisol.
• Increases insulin.
• Promotes abdominal fat storage.
• Increases appetite for high-energy foods.

The brain under stress prioritizes survival and calorie-dense foods historically meant safety. 

Let’s look at each type of food that we are typically pulled towards in times of stress...sugar, fat and salt to truly understand why...and then we can learn just how to make it work for us, not against us! .

Sugar

• Rapidly increases blood glucose.
• Triggers insulin release.
• It creates a quick dopamine spike and temporary mood lift.
• Increases serotonin temporarily (mood lift).
• Activates opioid receptors (comfort response).

It provides fast relief from:

• Stress
• Sadness
• Fatigue
• Mental overload

The problem?
The spike is short-lived.
Dopamine drops.
Cravings return.
Your brain learns: Uncomfortable feeling → sugar → relief...and there we have the loop created.
So the desire to have something sweet, can actually be biological. Is the desire to have something sweet after dinner a bad thing? NO. You can...you just need to go in with a plan! More on this in the next post in this series. 

Fat

• Fat is calorie-dense. In survival terms, that’s valuable.
• It slows digestion and increases pleasure signaling.
• It creates a longer-lasting comfort effect.

Fat + sugar together (think cookies, ice cream, pastries) create a superstimulus effect — higher dopamine than either alone.

Salt

• Salt enhances flavor and increases palatability.
• It can amplify the reward response in the brain.
• Stimulates appetite.
• Can temporarily reduce stress via adrenal interactions with electrolyte imbalance.

When stressed or sleep deprived, salt cravings often increase. That’s why chips are hard to stop eating.
In an effort to not skip ahead, regarding electrolytes, we will cover this more but if you are not already using electrolytes to your advantage, using them when you do feel varying cravings come on...you should! 
I am linking my favorite ideas here:
1. Ningxia Red in afternoon + 1 scoop of Aminowise in 10-12 ounces of water would be awesome! Add in Ningxia Nitro for en extra energy boost. 
2. Ultima or Junp 

The Combination
Sugar + fat + salt is highly reinforcing.
These foods are engineered to override fullness signals.
As discussed in "The End of Overeating" by David A. Kessler, highly palatable foods can condition the brain to seek repeat exposure.
Your brain isn’t broken.
It’s doing what it is meant to do. Keep you safe, help you survive! 
The goal is awareness, not shame as Dr. Carl Jung said, "shame is a soul eating emotion.” We can learn from this. 

So as you understand this more, I want you to remember...You don’t crave sugar because you’re weak. You crave it because it works.

• Does that mean it serves you? It may not...but at certain times, it MAY.
• Does that mean the overabundance may cause more harm than good? Yes.
• Does that mean we can't commit to learning more and getting real curious about what our body also needs in order to gain more clarity on when/why we are being pulled towards these pleasureful foods? 

Yes!

Next, we will cover more on How to Stop Emotional Eating and How to Use Non-food rewards! 
Be encouraged! 

With Love & Strength, 
​Missy 

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