Do you find yourself craving sour candy? Well, while it may seem strange, but I can think of other things that are a lot worse! Besides, sour candy is actually a very normal thing to crave. So if you find yourself fantasizing about sour candy fairly regularly, or even all of a sudden, don’t worry. You’re not alone. But why is this the case? Should you be concerned? Are there ways of quashing your cravings for sour candy without actually eating it? Hmmm. Well, these are all very good questions. And luckily for you, I have the answers.
So, why do I Crave Sour Candy? You may crave sour candy for several reasons. You may currently have low stomach acid levels that your body wants to replenish by eating sour foods, which include sour candy, of course. Your brain may just really like sour candy and want more of it because it releases serotonin. Or it may be down to evolution, as scientists believe our bodies have evolved to crave sour-tasting foods.
It could be one of, or perhaps even several of a few things.
So let’s delve deeper into these before turning to whether you should satisfy them and how you can help calm them if you feel like they’re getting the better of you.
Reasons Why You May Crave Sour Candy
You may crave sour candy because your stomach is currently lacking the right levels of acid; your body remembers that it feels good to eat, and evolution has led us to crave sour foods.
So, a fair few scientific processes could be the potential root of your sour candy cravings. Let’s explore them one by one.
Lack of Stomach Acid
Sour candy tastes sour because it contains edible acids. The most commonly used edible acids for making sour candies are malic acid and citric acid.
Now, hold that thought for a moment!
Our stomachs also contain acids that are there to aid the digestive process, mainly by breaking food down.
But there’s not a constant supply of stomach acids in our bodies. It needs to be refilled from time to time.
And we refill our stomach’s acidic content by eating acidic foods.
If we don’t eat enough acidic foods, then can you guess what happens? Yes! Our stomach acid levels will drop significantly.
Our stomachs will consequently struggle to break food down after we’ve eaten them.
In addition to this, it will also cause us digestive discomfort and, in the worst cases, food allergies and other illnesses.
So, are you starting to piece together why low levels of stomach acids can cause us to crave sour candy? The body is an intelligent organism, isn’t it?
Because when it needs more stomach acids, it recognizes this. And so it will make you crave sour food and sour candy!
It Feels Good
We eat candy and sour candy because it tastes good. But did you know that we also eat them because they make us feel good?
When we eat sour candy, a response is triggered in our taste buds, which leads to the release of chemical compounds.
This process then sends a message to our brains that release another chemical called serotonin.
Now, if you don’t know about serotonin, it is a chemical that regulates the mood of us human beings. It is a happy chemical.
But it’s also released to help us sleep and aid our appetite.
So when we eat sour candy, serotonin is released, and we feel good.
Our brain recognizes this, so it will want to experience that good feeling again. We crave sour candy.
This is the same process that occurs when people get addicted to drugs and other vices.
Fortunately, a craving for sour candy is nowhere near as dangerous. That’s not to say you shouldn’t eat too much candy.
You shouldn’t. It still needs to be consumed in moderation as it is a sugary candy at the end of the day.
Evolution
Then there is perhaps the most intriguing cause of a sour candy craving habit. And this comes down to human evolution.
Humans, at some point, lost the ability to naturally produce ascorbic acid and vitamin C. We now have to get it from external sources.
Our craving for sour foods might therefore be because it’s a way for our body to ingest foods containing ascorbic acid and vitamin C.
We, therefore, might crave sour candies because they taste like sour foods that would contain ascorbic acid and vitamin C. Fascinating stuff!
Should You Eat Sour Candy When You Crave It?
Eating sour candy when you crave it may quash your cravings but only temporarily. You shouldn’t eat sour candy to the point that it’s extremely unhealthy, no matter how intense your cravings might be.
Sour foods, including sour candies, stimulate digestion because, as you now know, they replenish our stomach acid levels.
So eating sour candy in a case where you’re craving it because your stomach acid levels are low might be a good idea.
But of course, you can overdo it no matter what the cause of your cravings is.
Too much of a good thing can be bad for you, as my grandmother used to say. And so did everyone else’s grandmothers, from what I can gather.
The same is the case with sour foods, including sour candies.
If you eat too much sour candy, it can cause muscle contractions and soreness.
Furthermore, we know that too much candy is bad for you because it contains high amounts of sugar.
So yes, you may want to eat sour candy as a temporary sour candy craving quasher. But long term, you will want to think about how you can stop your cravings through a healthier method.
Things To Consider When Eating Sour Candy While Craving It
When you eat sour candy whilst craving it, you should consider that you shouldn’t eat too much. Not only is eating too much sour candy healthy for you, but it could also burn your tongue.
Let’s talk through both of those serious factors that you need to consider when eating sour candy while craving it.
Don’t Eat Too Much
This isn’t just a situation where you fancy a few bites of sour candy.
This is a situation where you are craving sour candy, which means that if given the chance, you will probably eat as many sour candies in one sitting as you can.
That’s not a good situation to be in.
Because eating too much sour candy is bad for you.
It’s very high in sugar, so it will make you sick.
But if you do this regularly, then it could lead to long-term health issues, as too much sugar can be bad for certain organs.
Watch Your Tongue (For Burning)
The other issue you need to look out for is the potential damage inflicted upon your tongue by consuming too much sour candy.
You see, sour candy has to get that sour taste from somewhere.
And it gets it from certain edible acids. Many of these acids are naturally found in other foods like citrus fruits.
But when included in a candy recipe, they can give that candy the sour kick it is aiming for. The higher the acid measurements in the recipe, the sourer it will be.
Two of the acids predominantly used in making sour candies are citric acid and malic acid.
Now, let’s just hold that thought for a moment and talk about pH levels. This is the measure of acidity.
A lot of the sour candies you will find on the store shelves contain pH levels closer to battery acid score than that of water. So they’re very sour indeed.
If you consume too many of these edible acids via sour candy and they are left on your tongue, they can actually burn your tongue. OUCH!
How Do You Get Rid Of Sour Candy Cravings?
You can get rid of sour candy cravings by eating other sour-tasting foods that are healthier.
My young sour candy lover, you must go out to the woods and practice the art of abstinence…
Only kidding. You just need to change your grocery store list.
As we’ve explored today, we know that eating lots of sour candy to satisfy our cravings for sour candy isn’t good in the long term because it’s too unhealthy.
So, we can satisfy our sour candy cravings by eating healthy sour foods that aren’t candy.
Vinegar, for example, is a great alternative to satisfying those cravings. Vinegar comes in many forms as well. You have balsamic vinegar, malt vinegar, wine vinegar, and the list goes on.
Because vinegar is alkaline-forming, it’s quite healthy even if it has a very acidic flavor.
So when you eat vinegar, it should quash your cravings for sour candy.
This is particularly true if the cause of your cravings is low stomach acid levels.
Vinegar, because it contains acid, will substantially raise these acid levels in your stomach. And as we know, that stops the cravings.
If you’re worried about too much acid in your mouth, remember to drink a glass of water to wash all of it down your throat and into your stomach.
Below is a list I have compiled of some other great, tasty, and healthy acidic sour foods that will help quash your cravings.
- Pickles
- Olives
- Berries
- Kiwis
- Lemons
- Limes
- Juice Oranges
- Pineapple
- Sauerkraut
- Plain Yogurt
Finally
Today you started the article by merely acknowledging that you get cravings for sour candy.
Now you have plenty of information and tips to help you deal with these sour candy cravings.
Just know that it’s nothing to worry about.
You crave sour candy because it’s good!
And because it helps increase your stomach acid levels.
However, it’s not the only food out there that can do this.
So take a break from your favorite bag of sour candy and try something a bit healthier instead!
Good luck!!
Check out my other related, sour candy articles:
- Why Does Sour Candy Help Nausea?
- Can Sour Candy Cause Sore Throat?
- Sour Candy Makes Me Sweat • Why & What To Do!
- Best Sour Candy For Pregnancy Nausea • The 6 That Will Help! •
- Candy Leaves A Sour Aftertaste• This May Surprise You! •
Hello, I’m Matthew, a candy expert and enthusiast with over a decade of experience in the candy industry. My passion for candy started at a very young age. Since then, I have worked in numerous, large candy stores, and have been fortunate enough to try out hundreds of brands of candies, different types and flavors. In addition to my work, I enjoy sharing my extensive knowledge with others, and decided to create Sugar Stand in order to do so. My mission is to make the world a sweeter place, one candy at a time.
