Q I'm an office worker in my 30s who often works late. At night I especially crave spicy and sweet things — are there certain foods that particularly trigger binging?
A Sweet foods, salty foods, and greasy, stimulating foods are the leading triggers of nighttime binging. These foods give momentary satisfaction but soon bring greater hunger and craving, creating a vicious cycle.
Detailed Answer
Refined carbohydrates and sweet foods spike blood sugar and then drop it, actually inviting stronger hunger. Salty, greasy late-night snacks make you seek ever more stimulating foods as you get used to the stimulation. After evening it's best to cut down on these stimulating foods, and if you must eat, replace them with warm, easy-to-digest food.
Our Korean Medicine Clinic's Perspective
At Dongjedang, we see repeatedly seeking stimulating late-night snacks as a signal that the body's rhythm has already been disrupted. In a state where you try to fill only with stimulation, no matter how much you eat you're never satisfied and only surplus piles up. When we release the stalled circulation and gently restore the digestive rhythm, the very craving for stimulating food at night subsides.
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