We all have cravings for comfort foods. Whether yours are bagels, chips, cookies, chocolate, donuts, pizza or fast food, completely eliminating them from your diet is not only unimaginable, it’s also impossible to “feel” satisfied without having these refined carbohydrates in our diet.

Such cravings are very common, and the reason for them can vary. One of the most recurrent causes of carbohydrate cravings is our body’s ability to suffer from low blood sugar. Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, is defined as a serum glucose level (the amount of sugar or glucose in your blood) below 60 mg/dL. The body regulates its level of glucose, a primary source of energy for the brain, muscles, and other cells, by the actions of different hormones such as insulin, glycogen, and epinephrine. Insulin’s job in our bodies is to decrease the amount of glucose in the blood by causing it to be stored or used by other cells in our bodies. When we eat too many refined carbohydrates (white breads, pastas, pastries, etc.) blood sugar rises quickly, and when blood sugar levels drop, the urge to eat processed carbohydrates intensifies.

Another trigger that may contribute to food cravings, is stress. Epinephrine, or adrenaline, also known as the stress hormone, is made in the adrenal gland and in certain cells in the central nervous system. When stressed, our bodies attempt to boost the brain’s production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, which produces a feeling a satisfaction or pleasure.

If you classify your carbohydrate cravings as “uncontrollable,” a diet that is low in sugar with a balanced distribution of protein from low-fat animal sources and vegetables could be the answer. Eating healthy fats like adding olive oil to a meat dish, avocado to a salad, or having a handful of organic almonds or nuts as a snack, will assist in keeping blood sugar at an even level and help prevent extreme carbohydrate cravings.