Everyday Systems

... that eating sweets after meals doesn't provoke such an overwhelming hunger and craving as eating them BETWEEN meals?

I hadn't really thought about it, but I have noticed it. Small servings of sweets after a meal just provide a nice finish to the meal.

I've noticed this. Having sweets all by themselves for me sends my blood sugar up (I'm not diabetic, but have the all the makings of getting it), and I feel jittery and crummy, then sugar comes crashing down and I feel hungrier than any other time.

Yup, very definitely. I figured it was some level of sugar sensitivity, since diabetes runs in my family.

When I eat sweets after a meal, it's as if the protein provides an "anchor" for all those simple sugars... which is probably not technically correct, but "feels right" to me.

Dessert as part of a meal also helps with portion control, since you have to "leave room" for it.

Yeah, if I have something sweet in between meals--say late afternoon--I end up with an overwhelming desire to either sleep or keep eating more junk. One of the reasons why I tend to stick with dessert after dinner =)

I find that I only ever crave sweet food when I am already full or satisfied. If i'm really hungry I always feel like eating something savoury, but If I do end up eating something sweet instead, it never fully satisfies me, no matter how much I eat.

Yep, I have noticed that! Back when I was eating sweets more often, I would always eat my dessert with lunch. The protein and fat from the rest of my lunch definitely kept my blood sugar in check.