How To Bust Food Cravings For Weight Loss and Well being
Food cravings especially for sweet things is often a major hurdle for those wishing to lose weight or improve general health. There are two core reasons why so many get cravings.
- Expectation and beliefs.
We grow up seeing sweet foods as treats or rewards. Special times are celebrated with cakes or spectacular desserts. We expect to suffer if we can’t eat sugar rich foods. Adults take a childlike delight in choosing desserts in a restaurant, and a coffee is usually accompanied by a muffin or cake of some kind
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Most cultures revolve around a staple food which is always a carbohydrate. Such as wheat, rice, potatoes, yams and even quinoa. All of which break down to sugars in your body. Trouble is most people can’t conceive of eating a meal without one of these staples.
- Sugar makes you want sugar.
When you are eating meals with lots of carbohydrate staple you are consuming sugar. Your blood sugar swings and soon you feel hungry even if you have a stomach full of food.
This is when the cravings really kick in and it is very common to think of dessert or chocolate or whatever your sweet poison is. We have all heard of the Chinese food syndrome, have a meal and you are hungry a couple of hours later. Many Chinese meals have sweet sauces and your blood sugar crashes soon after eater leaving you hungry.
Fortunately there are three ways to avoid cravings.
- Stress management
This is how you deal with the cultural, family and society and your own expectations and beliefs. Active methods such as box breathing and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) are very useful because they can be applied without sitting cross legged in the lotus position while chanting
- Insulin control
When you consume processed foods which are mostly full of sugar you have to manage your blood sugar with insulin. The more insulin you have circulating in your body the more you struggle with weight loss, pain and a host of health problems including auto immune problems.
When most people try to lose weight they cut down on fats and fill the gaps with carbs. This sends their insulin into up and down spirals. The solution is to eat a diet which includes fats, proteins and carbs derived from mostly vegetables and some fruits.
Two herbs are useful in reducing cravings. Fenugreek and Gymnema. But it’s a bit pointless to eat sugar and take these herbs, but if you stop the processed foods then these herbs taken for a couple of weeks may be helpful.
Wishing you Great health and happiness
Ian & Dr Susan Newton