The Most Wonderful Time of the Year…
Maybe it’s the holiday season, or maybe it’s the colder weather in many areas. But around this time of year, many individuals seem to suffer from carb and sugar cravings. We can’t help ourselves. We want to eat cookies, candy, cakes, and otherwise holiday goodies. With all the peer pressure, it has to be mandatory, and therefore we all have to gain holiday weight, or so we like to think.
As such, many would be relieved to hear from Judith Wurtman PhD, coauthor of The Serotonin PowerDiet. Wurtman claims that some individuals may actually be subconsciously trying to improve their mood by increasing carb intake. So how do you know if it’s the holiday blues or peer pressure?
Scientists suggest that you are more likely to suffer from holiday blues related carb cravings if you are on a high protein, low or no carb diet in any season. Evelyn Tribole RD, a dietician based out of Newport Beach, CA says, “It’s a survival mechanism. You don’t want to kill for a piece of broccoli, but you’d kill for a piece of bread.” In other words, your body is reacting to its needs, rather than just unhealthy desires.
Wurtman also suggests that blues may be more common around the holidays due to SAD, otherwise known as seasonal affective disorder. These individuals are likely to take in an extra 800 calories in an effort to boost their mood, and this can lead to higher rates of obesity. One study conducted by Wurtman suggests that these carb cravers actually do experience a lift in mood after consuming high carb snack foods, while those individuals not affected by these cravings reported being sleepy after the same intake.
Extra caloric intake is normal during the holidays. Most people cook extra treats, and parties are more prevalent. But if your carb cravings seem to increase during the winter season and you actually experience an elevation in mood after significant carb intake, it may have something to do with your body’s needs and seasonal affective disorder. And if you decide these cravings are out of control, you may want to consult your physician.
- Judith Wurtman, PhD, former research scientist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; co-author, The Serotonin Power Diet.
- Evelyn Tribole, RD, dietitian, Newport Beach, Calif.; author, Healthy Homestyle Cooking and Ultimate Omega-3 Diet.
- Edward Abramson, PhD, professor emeritus of psychology, California State University, Chico; author, Emotional Eating.
- Wurtman, R. Scientific American, January 1989: vol 260: pp 68-75.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness: “Seasonal Affective Disorder.”Reviewed on October 19, 2008