Why do we crave sweets after a meal?
In: Biology
Who is “we”? I never “crave sweets” after a meal…..but I’m the kind of person to rarely indulge in sweets to begin with. In a more broad scope, sweets (sugar for example) are quite high in calories, and in the less-processed, fend-for-yourself kind of world we evolved in, sugar was pretty rare. Early humans evolved to “always have room” for sugar when they could find it because it offered a lot of, genuinely difficult to come by, calories. In the much more modern world with abundant amounts of sugar, you still have that evolutionary trait because evolution takes a long time, so you always feel you have room for something sweet once you’re already full.
Sugar cravings that strike after a meal may be due to serotonin, a feel-good brain chemical that’s associated with an elevated mood. Eating a sugary dessert causes serotonin levels to rise in the brain, which can make you feel calmer and happier.
It’s most likely a conditioned response. People who regularly eat sweets after a meal will be conditioned to expect sweets after eating, if you prevent yourself from having any sweets after dinner for a couple weeks you’ll probably notice the craving getting weaker
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