Craving Sweets?

When people comment that I must have a sweet tooth, I counter with "Actually, they're all sweet." I LOVE sweets. I tried to live almost solely on them my first semester of college.. All-you-can-eat ice cream at the diner, every night?! Didn't work out so well. Hello, freshman fifteen! Why is the call of sweets so powerful?  When was the last time you just had to eat something sweet? For me, it was this morning. Today I realized our hypothalamus has a bunch of answers to the 3 o'clock need (or all-the-time need) for sweet things. It basically  keeps tabs on how much energy you have stored, while also keeping an eye on blood sugar levels. Of course, it's also influenced by personal preferences and experiences with food. This article explains the cycle of eating that first bite of delicious food and whether you reach back for another bite, and what makes you feel full vs. still hungry for more (hint: FRUCTOSE isn't the fairy godmother that you thought it was).