Sugar cravings can be caused by a variety of things. Dopamine, or the association of sugar with emotional events, is a driver in the pursuit of the feel-good hormone that sugar promotes. Our bodies occasionally interpret messages that our brains send us incorrectly, though. For instance, the body may start to indicate a craving when it is thirsty, which we may misinterpret as a sugar yearning. In other situations, we may require an energy boost and go for a candy bar as a temporary solution. We could also be deficient in some vitamins and minerals, like magnesium. Whatever the cause, we are all subject to sugar cravings. How we honor it and what we do to satisfy it are what matter.
If we don't build awareness on how to appropriately manage cravings, we fall into a vicious cycle of pleasure seeking that can have serious consequences for our health if we're not careful. While sugar is satisfying, the constant spikes in blood sugar and crashes that follow a binge can set off a host of effects, including fatigue, irritability, and anxious thoughts, among others. Blood sugar highs and lows can also perpetuate sugar cravings. “When you're consuming sugar, then you end up getting onto this whole roller-coaster ride of blood sugar dysregulation, and that in and of itself can perpetuate physical stress, which then causes you to have more sugar cravings,” says Dana Elia, RDN, an integrative and functional nutrition doctor in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and author of The Sugar Detox Diet for 50+. Added sugar, which Americans tend to eat too much of, can be particularly insidious for health. According to a November 2016 study in the journal Nutrients, consuming too much can increase the risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cognitive decline, and certain types of cancer.
As such, arming oneself with options to manage these inevitable cravings is critical. One does not have to "settle" for an alternative to added sugar, but rather build awareness about alternatives that do not compromise on taste and experience. While there are several added sugar alternatives out there, dates, when incorporated creatively, stand out and deliver an experience that meets and exceeds expectations, making them very desirable and sought after.
Here are a few reasons why dates should be considered an ideal solution for sugar cravings:
- Naturally sweet: When picked right off the trees, dates are sweet to taste, with a caramel-honey-like flavor. The sugar levels in dates are naturally high. Fresh dates are not as sweet as dried dates because the drying causes the sugar level ratio to rise as the moisture leaves the fruit and the fruit begins to shrink in size. The actual sugar levels stay the same, but this causes the sweetness to appear more concentrated. In a sense, date palm trees dispense candy as a whole food!
- High in Fiber: Fiber can benefit your digestive health by preventing constipation as it promotes regular bowel movements. Furthermore, the fiber in dates may be beneficial for blood sugar control. Fiber slows digestion and may help prevent blood sugar levels from spiking too high after eating.
- Low Glycemic Index: The glycemic index (GI) is a method of measuring the effect of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. This value is measured on a scale of 0 to 100, and the glycemic index of pure glucose (sugar) is set at 100 (the highest amount that your blood sugar can increase after eating). Carbohydrates with a low GI have a glycemic index of 55 or lower, while carbohydrates with a GI of 70 or higher are in the high GI group. Dates have a glycemic index of 50, and studies have shown that the consumption of differing varieties of dates does not significantly affect acute glycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. Meaning it does not cause significant blood sugar spikes when people eat it in moderation. So it tastes sweet, but it is kind to the body!
- Rich in potassium: A serving of dates (2 medjool dates) covers 10% of the suggested potassium intake per day. Potassium actually has a major role to play in heart health. Since this mineral helps counterbalance the effects of sodium in the bloodstream, it can help reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. In a 2011 study, a diet high in potassium and low in sodium significantly lowered the odds of dying of a heart attack. Today, most Americans get barely half of the recommended amount of potassium in their diets. The adequate intake recommendation for potassium is 4,700 mg. Bananas are often touted as a good source of potassium, but it's worth noting that dates offer double the potassium
- Antioxidants: Antioxidants are chemicals or materials that interact with and deactivate free radicals, therefore preventing them from causing harm. Free radicals are atoms that are extremely unstable and cause cell damage and premature aging in the body. Free radicals are constantly forming in your body. Free radicals would quickly cause significant harm and even death if antioxidants didn’t counteract them. The prevention of the actions of free radicals is an important step in the management of disease. An important finding showed that dates constitute a good source of antioxidants, and another study has shown that dates have the highest concentration of polyphenols among the dried fruits. The antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds is a result of their redox properties, which can play an important role in absorbing and neutralizing free radicals.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of reasons that support dates as an ideal solution for sugar cravings. So next time you're craving something sweet, reach for some dates! Explore all the different ways that you can enjoy dates in all their forms and combinations with other foods to deliver on those craved tastes and textures.
