Are You Prepared For A Halloween Food Hangover? Is It Worth it?

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Now before you go eating your kids or any "leftover" candy, read this.

Research out of the University of Michigan revealed that fruit flies put on high sugar diets were depleted in key metabolites related to improved brain health. I understand humans are not fruit flies. However, a ton of research is being done is this area. A previous study from the same institution showed that metabolites with a high sugar diet caused overeating and obesity in fruit flies. This could affect how quickly the fruit flies feels full, leading to over consumption ( know the feeling guys?). The question really is ................

Can humans that are addicted or tend to have an addiction to sweets, have just one? We do not have sweets or candy in our household. That does not make my family "So good". If I stay away from sweets, I DO NOT crave them. It is that simple. Are you ready for a Halloween food hangover tomorrow? Or would you rather wake up energized and ready to conquer the day?

Food cravings are driven by a range of stress, hunger, anxiety related neurotransmitters and hormones. They center around the brain chemistry of pleasure and reward. The amount of hormones and neurotransmitters our body produces and how fast our bodies process them out of the system depends on your DNA, your gut bacteria and food you consume.

Our brains and our gut are in constant high speed bidirectional chatter ..think of it like, they have a dedicated high speed connection thru a nerve called the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve represents the main component of the nervous system, which oversees a vast array of crucial bodily functions, including control of mood, immune response, digestion, and heart rate.

While genes play a very apparent role in our looks and personalities they also determine our preference for taste and cognitive behavior towards food like cravings, binge eating and reduced satiety. These differences in taste perception and preference influence food choices and have significant impact on nutrient and caloric intake.

A 2017 study conducted across 800 adults at Friedman School of Nutrition at Tufts University, showed a gene variant that regulates the feel-good hormone oxytocin was related to how much chocolate people ate. Oxytocin is part of the brain's reward system—and the researchers theorized that it's possible that lower levels of the hormone might boost cravings for chocolate in an effort to get that pleasant "reward" feeling.

Bottom line...............if you can eat just one, go for it. However, for most people that one bit of sweetness, leads to craving for more.

-Meg