In TCM, we classify the therapeutic properties of foods and herbs through a framework of Five Flavors, with each taste serving important functions in our overall picture of health. Just as we can gather insights about the benefits of a given food from the flavor signature it holds, we can learn a lot about our own internal state of affairs from the types of foods we’re craving. Sweet is arguably the most common of the flavors we collectively crave, but it’s not just the taste we love. Often, what we are really seeking is regulation and by leaning on TCM wisdom we can understand the deeper dynamics at play.
Sweetness corresponds to the Earth element, which governs nourishment, digestion, stability, and our ability to feel centered and supported. By feeding this element, sweet flavors support increased energy (especially after depletion), tonify deficiency, moisturize dryness, and help take the edge off by softening harshness in our bodies or lives. At the center of the Five Element wheel, Earth harmonizes and stabilizes the other elements, so in a way it really is ground zero. Wanting sugar doesn’t need to be pathologized; it is simply the body asking for more Earth in order to create a cascade of healing.
As an extremely concentrated form of the sweet flavor, sugar has both real and perceived benefits for our bodies and spirits alike. By providing immediate energy when our deeper reserves are low, it temporarily relieves fatigue, creating a sense of abundance or fullness associated with the Earth element. Such a potent dose of sweetness can also be very comforting, even promoting a felt sense of safety. When the mind is restless, lonely, overstimulated, or emotionally taxed, sugar can soothe the spirit and feel like an infusion of tender care. Its consumption also releases dopamine, enhancing our capacity for pleasure, altering mood, and registering as a reward, which can be addictive.
TCM helps us trace the energetics of imbalance beneath these somewhat surface-level benefits. Firstly, sugar cravings can arise when there is a deficiency of the Spleen, the organ corresponding to the Earth element. Responsible for metabolizing our food into Blood and Qi (life force energy), it can best complete its mission when fed easily-digestible nourishment like cooked, warming foods. Blood deficiency is another pattern underlying sugar cravings, which can result from menstruation, postpartum recovery, overexertion, or insufficient rest. Sugar feels like fast replenishment to someone experiencing this imbalance, but incorporating He Shou Wu (a Blood and Jing tonic) would really nourish those deeper reserves of energy. Of course, Heart and Shen (spirit) disturbance is another common pattern, indicating a need for restorative sleep and deep rest.
While sugar can be a nourishing, comforting, grounding, and invigorating input, it supplies too sharp a delivery of the sweet flavor when enjoyed in excess. It may also contribute to the masking or bypassing (if temporarily) of underlying deficiencies contributing to low Qi, which can ultimately harm the Earth element and its constellation of corresponding organs, emotions, and spiritual force. The Yi (intellect) is housed in the Spleen and has a similar role; just as the organ is tasked with metabolizing food into energy, the spiritual force is responsible for metabolizing information and experiences into wisdom, helping us make meaning and find a sense of integration. Its pathological inversion when imbalanced or undernourished is worry, potentially leading us to self-soothe by indulging in sugar cravings.
Unfortunately, excess sugar can create Dampness, one of the most damaging forces for the entire Earth constellation. Obstructing the flow of Qi and causing stagnation, it potentially leads to a wide variety of downstream health issues. It’s important to note that foods classified as “sweet” in TCM might not taste sweet to those who have been overexposed to sugar (which is most of us). One of the ways we can tonify Earth when cravings arise is by desensitizing our flavor palette and reaching for traditionally sweet foods like roasted squash, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, and dates more so than sugary treats. Unsurprisingly, all of these foods are nourishing to the Spleen and therefore to the Yi!
