Every night you finish dinner and just like clockwork those sugar cravings come on. Chocolate, I need chocolate. So you head on over to the cabinet (thinking just one little bite will be enough) and one small cookie turns into 2, which turns into 3, and then before you know it the whole box is gone! You feel guilty, out of control and like you continuously keep "ruining" your healthy eating streak.
Because the body is so complicated, with trillions of cells working to keep us in balance, it would be silly of us to think that cravings were simply just a matter of will power. Cravings are messages sent by our bodies that are telling us something is missing. The body is trying to put us back into balance. So the good news is, will power has little to do with it!
Getting rid of your cookie monster cravings means getting to the root of the problem. What is missing from your diet? What is missing from your life? You are not weak, it's not that you don't have will power, there's a reason so let's find it! Once you do that, you'll be able to create healthier habits and be able to feel in control with the food choices you make.
For me, I realize that the times I get cravings are when I'm stressed out, tired, or don't have a good breakfast. If my emotions or normal habits are out of whack all hell will break loose. Hide your cookies. Hide your cake, because i'm comin for them... I've learned with my body that everything is connected from your spiritual and physical to emotional well being. If you are falling short in one area, you'll be more likely to make poor choices with your health.
Take a look at some of these tips to help you understand why we get cravings in the first place and what to do about them!
1. You're missing something in your diet
When the body doesn't get enough of the right macro and micronutrients it's going to let you know in the form of cravings. What your cravings really mean are that you might be missing out on...
2. Underlying emotional issues
Our brains remember that sugar makes us happy. So when we are lonely, stressed, fighting with someone we love, angry with ourselves, uninspired or sad our bodies will reach out to sugar to make us feel better. If this is the case for you, recognize that no amount of brownies will make your underlying emotional issues go away and the cycle of emotional eating will continue until you fix the real problem. Take a deep breathe and really figure out what's bothering you and take one step at a time to bring yourself back into a healthy emotional balance.
3. You didn't eat a good breakfast (or breakfast at all)
Dr. Oz (god i love that man) says that if you don't eat a good breakfast in the morning your body will be all thrown off. Your body slows down your metabolism since it detects a famine coming on and then when you are later presented with food, it leads you to eating everything in sight! My favorite breakfast lately has been 2 eggs cooked in coconut oil with either a green smoothie on the side or a piece of whole grain toast with avocado and sea salt! Keeps me full and energized throughout the morning!
4. Yin/ Yang Imbalance
According to health coach Margo Gladys', "Some foods have more yin qualities while other foods possess more yang qualities. Consuming too many yin foods or too many yang foods will cause cravings in order to maintain balance. For example, eating a diet too rich in sugar (yin) may cause a craving for meat( yang). Eating too many raw foods (yin) may cause cravings for extremely cooked foods (yang) and vice versa."
5. You didn't get a good night sleep
When your tired your body is going to look for sugar to perk you up to keep you up! If you're bored late at night and are eating because you're body wants sugar, what it call might just need is your bed!
And some bonus tip ideas for dealing with cravings without giving into to addictive sugary foods are:
- don't skip meals
- keep healthy snacks around
- try increasing your protein intake throughout the day
- try a cup of tea with lemon or stevia (plant based sweetener)
- drink water (your body manifests its thirst in the form of hunger)
- and of course my personal favorite…dark chocolate above 70% cacao always does the trick!
Stay focused, find balance, be happy :)
Lauren
No comments:
Post a Comment