The Pendulum of Cravings

Yiska and I both have a background in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, and sometimes a gem from that perspective is worth sharing here.  Since our focus during these two weeks is on eliminating sweets (2 Week Sugar Challenge), it’s a great time to look at sugar from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  There are some helpful tools to share here!  

Here is the skinny: in this perspective, food takes on various personalities.  A food/drink has a particular quality and once consumed it has an immediate effect on the body and our mental state.  In Chinese Medicine and Nutrition, foods are categorized as being more Yang or Yin; an easier way to think about this is that foods fall on a spectrum being either more Expansive or more Contractive or somewhere in between.

A more expansive food (e.g. alcohol, caffeine and sugar) will have us feel lighter or we may even experience mood elevation; however in excess too much of an expansive food will have us feeling scattered or forgetful.  Contractive foods on the other hand (e.g. salt, meat and eggs) will create a more grounded and focused feeling in our body.  In excess however contractive foods can cause tension and tightness (and sometimes constipation).  

Our body is always working to create balance.  If we overindulge in a very contractive or expansive food we might find ourselves craving a food from the opposite side of the spectrum to help bring our body back to balance.  For example, you go out to dinner and order the steak (which is more contractive), do not be surprised to find yourself interested in the desert menu or the wine list which is more expansive.  A handful of salty popcorn or pretzels may have you then reaching for a sweet beverage or something else that’s sweet.  Bar owners are smart to have a bowl of complimentary salty nuts (contractive) that will make the beer (expansive) that much more appealing.  

Also interesting to notice that if we have more tension, tightness and contraction in our life, we may crave sweets and coffee and alcohol to help us disperse our tension and overwork.

It’s a helpful perspective when trying to better understand and temper strong cravings.  The other day I had some super salty pretzels and I was plagued for a few hours with really intense sugar cravings.  So, lesson of the day: if I want to avoid pesky sugar cravings don’t eat much of the contractive stuff.  So, to make my life a bit easier in these 2 weeks without sugar, I have tried to hang out in the center of the spectrum (fruit, veggies, grains, and beans).  These foods don’t cause the same swings in cravings because they are pretty well balanced on their own.  Lovely.  Nothing wrong with making things easier!