Herbs for helping to boost dopamine/stop sugar cravings?

[GraceUnderPressure]

So the LLMD reminded us that we need to avoid sugar as much as possible while we're treating.

 

I have been struggling with sugar cravings for a looong time. My biggest problem is that I have gotten into a cozy habit on Saturday nites of sitting down after the kids are in bed to watch a fluffy movie while eating a bowl of peanut butter with some other ingredients and chocolate chips sprinkled on top. It has become an addiction - an addiction I don't want to stop even though I know I need to. (It's not helping my weight either )

 

I spend my week looking forward to sitting down with this pleasant dopamine-boosting treat because no matter how bad my week is, I know that I will at least feel good during that relatively short time period on Saturday nite & I don't want to lose that. So I am hoping to find a non-sugary way to get my fix, is there maybe an herbal tea or something that I might use instead? It wouldn't be quite the same but if it was at least soothing & relaxing it seems like it would still help!

[LNN]

Peanut butter contains several "feel good" elements. Tryptophan and phosphatidylserine are the two that come to mind. I used to give my DS tryptophan because it's a precursor to serotonin. But he would still crave peanut butter. Then, based on his 23andMe results, I stopped the tryptophan and instead gave him phosphatidylserine (not to get him to stop PB but for methylation reasons). This not only ended his cravings for PB it also really helped his focus. So it's possible there's something in PB your body is craving and perhaps getting that "something" some other way would fix the craving. My son won't go near PB now, after practically living on the stuff.

 

As for sugar, well yeast is an obvious thought. Perhaps consider an Rx of nystatin. Garlic is also a good supplement to keep yeast at bay, tho it is high in sulfur and not everyone can handle that. I've found that a hot cup of green tea is both relaxing and helps me focus, as green tea contains theanine, which like phosphatidylserine, is good for ADD symptoms. Gaba is a good calming supplement as well.

[Chemar]

Cinnamon is frequently used to stop sugar cravings

[nicklemama]

LLM- I learn something new every day. My son eats peanut butter nearly every day. I keep thinking he will get sick of it. Hmmmmm..... It's the dopamine thing. Maybe I'll give phosphatyidalserine a try.

[LNN]

I don't know if PB is a dopamine thing. It contains tryptophan, which is a serotonin precursor. I don't know how it effects dopamine.

PB contains lecithin as an emulsifier (it keeps things mixed together). Lecithin has several components, two of which are phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine. Some stuff I've read suggests phosphatidylcholine is "better" or superior for brain function but more expensive.

 

Phosphatidylserine (which I'll abbreviate PS cuz I'm getting tired of typing that much) is one of the 3 ingredients in the ADHD drug Vyvanse (Omega 3 is one of the other 2). Some people who want to treat ADHD "naturally" use Omega3+PS. I don't use the Omega3 because DS has pyroluria and Omega 3s make his Omega 6 deficiency worse (they compete for the same receptors apparently). Instead we use Evening Primrose Oil.

 

So I come across PS while I'm researching ADHD stuff and I put it on a mental sticky note. Then we do 23andMe and lo and behold, PS is also recommended for one of his mutations (can't recall which). So now I have two mental sticky notes, plus a lot of PB consumption. So I try it as a supplement and it does indeed help DS's focus. I initially started with one 100mg capsule/day then worked up to 2/day. When I dropped back to one (trying to save money and not sure how much of an effect is was still having...) I got notes from the teachers saying he was off-task. So we went back up to 2.

 

That was last winter/spring. Over the summer, I dropped back to 1/day to lighten the pill load and didn't really care if he was as mentally attentive. So far, a month into school, he's staying on task with only 1/day in the morning. But if he gets sick or things start to slide, I'll add the 2nd pill back after shcool about an hour before homework.

 

As I recall, PS is patented but there are about 6-7 companies that license it and re-sell under their own brands. I started with Source Naturals because I consider then a higher end co. but have since switched to Jarrow which is a little cheaper on amazon.