You know we all get them around 4:00 o'clock the urge hits
you, the chocolate chip cookie is whispering your name. It's crazy but cravings
happen to most people and if you understand a little bit about cravings maybe
you can outsmart them.
Cravings are not the same as just feeling hungry. Instead,
you feel driven to have a chocolate chip cookie every afternoon, or you crave a
glass of wine after work. Salty foods and late-night snacks can get to be a
habit too.
The majority of women have food cravings — especially for
sugary, “simple” carbohydrates, salty foods, and alcohol — and many of us feel
powerless against them. But when you “give in” to the desire to eat sugar or
drink alcohol, you can be consumed by guilt and remorse.
The word “cravings” is not code for lack of willpower. In
many women, cravings are signs of hormonal issues, which are often tied to
inadequate nutrition. But cravings can also be related to attempts to lose
weight, especially if you have metabolic or physiological imbalances that make
it very difficult to drop excess pounds. Some of these imbalances even involve
the neurotransmitters in your brain. A third option traces cravings to issues
with adrenal function.
Cravings mean that the body has its signals mixed up. When
you are tired or sad, you will have low blood sugar and/or low serotonin (a
“feel-good” brain neurotransmitter). Hormonal imbalance or weak digestion can
lead to low serotonin. Low blood sugar or low serotonin sends a signal to the
brain that it needs a pick-me-up. It is this signal — which you don’t
consciously control — that causes a craving for sugar or carbohydrates.
Look at the foods, deficits and behaviors in your life that
are the underlying causes of your cravings.
The primary causes of cravings are:
1. Emotional stress. Eating can be used as a substitute to
fill the void for being bored, uninspired, stressed, problems with
relationships or any other emotional triggers.
2. Dieting. If someone told you not to think about
pink zebras, your mind would be filled with images of galloping pink zebras.
The same goes for dieting -- when you ban certain foods from your diet, you are
going to crave the very foods you are trying to avoid, and may end up binging
on these outlawed morsels. Which, of course, defeats the whole point of a
diet.
3. Water. Lack of water can send the message that you are
thirsty and on the verge of dehydration Dehydration can
manifest as a mild hunger. When you start to get the craving, take a drink of
water instead.
4. Lat of nutrients. If the body has
inadequate nutrients, it will produce odd cravings. Low blood sugar
can cause carbohydrate cravings, since low glucose levels indicate that the
body's glycogen stores have become depleted (often due to heavy exercise or
going long periods without eating).
5. Hormones. When women experience
menstruation, pregnancy or menopause, fluctuating testosterone and
estrogen levels may cause unique cravings.
6. Evolution. For early humans, high-calorie foods were
scarce, and the human brain became programmed to crave these types of foods
since they boosted the body's calorie count. Now, when we go a long time
without eating, the first thing most people crave is fatty food because high
fat foods have more calories than protein- or carbohydrate-rich food, and will
quickly make up for lost calories.
7. It's in your head. Some cravings exist due to habit.
For instance, your family may have eaten dessert every night after dinner while
you were growing up. Now, if dessert doesn't appear every night after dinner,
you crave something sweet.Or maybe the cravings are all in your head. The mind
is a very powerful tool, and mental associations can often trigger cravings.
Passing a bakery on your way home may elicit a craving for donuts, or a
billboard ad for McDonald's may trigger a craving for french fries. Certain
activities are also linked to cravings. Watching movies, for example, is
heavily associated with eating popcorn and candy, so just the mention of a
movie can drum up a craving for junk food.
8. Seasons. Often the body craves food that balance the
elements in the season. Spring we crave detox foods like green leafy
vegetables, summer-cooling foods, fall, grounding foods like squash,
and in winter, heavy foods like chili.
What you can do about cravings?
1. Try to identify why you have the craving first, then make
a healthy decision as to what you should drink or eat.
2. Eat breakfast — and make it a healthy one with a source
of protein. Add a serving of fruit or a whole grain, and enjoy a big cup of
herbal or green tea. You won’t be hungry ‘til lunch. Why it works
Starving yourself or skipping meals leads to overeating and
sends a distress signal to your brain that triggers cravings. Eating regular
nutrient-rich meals and snacks, especially breakfast, can help prevent this
from happening.
3. Carry a healthy snack with you. When the urge hits you
don't rush off to the vending machine or the nearest gas station or fast food,
be prepared! Pack, nuts, seeds, granola bar and fruit and of course water.
Live Healthy Everyday!
-Kimberly
