There’s sweat pouring down my face as I watch a group of mostly Latinas walk past a table full of decadent, fall-themed donuts, pan dulce and pastries.
I’d be in shock if I weren’t in so much pain from the HIIT workout I just finished. My heart’s racing, my body’s on fire, but the wildest part is—I don’t even want the carbs. Not the conchas, not the pumpkin empanadas, not even the glazed donuts that look like they were designed by a marketing team to keep me from remembering what macros are.
That’s weird for me. Because even though this was one of the first real days of LA fall—the winds whipping my skin into a dry frenzy, mornings finally cold, daylight shrinking by the hour—I didn’t feel the usual pull of sweet bread.
According to Luis Hernandez, a certified dietician and trainer at The Camp Transformation Center in Whittier, there’s a reason for that.
“It’s simple,” he tells me. “Working out raises your dopamine and serotonin levels. Your body doesn’t need sweets because it’s already happy.”
That nearly made me spit out my protein shake. Because two questions hit me right after: Yeah, but could I be happier if I had a piece of sweet bread? And why do I crave pan dulce so much during the fall and winter months?