We've all experienced weird food cravings at some point in our lifetime and usually on a saturady night we'll get the urge to dive for an unhealthy option. This post should explain why and hopefully help prevent unhealthy cravings in the future.
Food cravings mean that the body has its signals mixed up. When we are exhausted or blue, we have low blood sugar and/or low serotonin, and the body signals the brain that it needs a pick-me-up. This signal causes a sugar craving or carbohydrate craving.
Serotonin is our basic feel-good hormone. If serotonin is low, we feel sad or depressed. And hormonal imbalance or weak digestion can lead to low serotonin. Unfortunately, sugars and simple carbohydrates release a short burst of serotonin — we feel good for a moment, but soon return to our low-serotonin state — then crave more sugar and simple carbohydrates. It’s an uphill battle from here.
If you eat a low-fat diet in the hope of losing weight, you unintentionally make the problem worse. Insulin is responsible for maintaining stable blood sugar levels by telling the body’s cells when to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. But many healthy diets tell us to avoid gluscose and carbs. However if you suddenly make the jump form normal to carb avoiding diets then your in serious trouble! Your body cannot cope with the suden drop in carbs and stimulates your brain to crave them . In a few days time you will give in and eat too much carbs at once, leading ultimately to weight gain!At the same time, your cells cannot absorb the glucose they need, so they signal your brain that you need more carbohydrates or sugars. The result is persistent food cravings.
Another cause of food cravings is adrenal imbalance. If you are under a great deal of stress, or suffer from sleep deprivation, you are probably exhausted much of the time. This situation causes your body to call upon your adrenal glands for more stress hormones to act as a pick-me-up, but over time, your adrenals become less able to respond appropriately. You may resort to sugar or carbohydrate snacks or coffee during the day and carbohydrates or alcohol at night, all of which exacerbate the problem.
To try and prevent this there are a few tips we can give.
1. SLEEP! Its vital that you get enough sleep to prevent this adrenal imbalance that leads to cravings. About 8-9 hours should be great.
2. Don't completely ditch carbs! As I've already said a sudden drop can lead to extar consumption in order to compensate for the lack of carbs and so you end up eating more and gaining weight! Instead try to gradually reduce the carbs until you see your weight dropping and then keep it there.
3. Keep your timing accurate. This means that you stick to the same nightly routine. if your usually in bed by 11 on a week day then keep it up over the weekend. Studies have shown that even oine hour of extra alertness can lead to cravings due to a drop in your brains glucose levels and it craves carbs to give it a sudden energy boost!
Food cravings mean that the body has its signals mixed up. When we are exhausted or blue, we have low blood sugar and/or low serotonin, and the body signals the brain that it needs a pick-me-up. This signal causes a sugar craving or carbohydrate craving.
Serotonin is our basic feel-good hormone. If serotonin is low, we feel sad or depressed. And hormonal imbalance or weak digestion can lead to low serotonin. Unfortunately, sugars and simple carbohydrates release a short burst of serotonin — we feel good for a moment, but soon return to our low-serotonin state — then crave more sugar and simple carbohydrates. It’s an uphill battle from here.
If you eat a low-fat diet in the hope of losing weight, you unintentionally make the problem worse. Insulin is responsible for maintaining stable blood sugar levels by telling the body’s cells when to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. But many healthy diets tell us to avoid gluscose and carbs. However if you suddenly make the jump form normal to carb avoiding diets then your in serious trouble! Your body cannot cope with the suden drop in carbs and stimulates your brain to crave them . In a few days time you will give in and eat too much carbs at once, leading ultimately to weight gain!At the same time, your cells cannot absorb the glucose they need, so they signal your brain that you need more carbohydrates or sugars. The result is persistent food cravings.
Another cause of food cravings is adrenal imbalance. If you are under a great deal of stress, or suffer from sleep deprivation, you are probably exhausted much of the time. This situation causes your body to call upon your adrenal glands for more stress hormones to act as a pick-me-up, but over time, your adrenals become less able to respond appropriately. You may resort to sugar or carbohydrate snacks or coffee during the day and carbohydrates or alcohol at night, all of which exacerbate the problem.
To try and prevent this there are a few tips we can give.
1. SLEEP! Its vital that you get enough sleep to prevent this adrenal imbalance that leads to cravings. About 8-9 hours should be great.
2. Don't completely ditch carbs! As I've already said a sudden drop can lead to extar consumption in order to compensate for the lack of carbs and so you end up eating more and gaining weight! Instead try to gradually reduce the carbs until you see your weight dropping and then keep it there.
3. Keep your timing accurate. This means that you stick to the same nightly routine. if your usually in bed by 11 on a week day then keep it up over the weekend. Studies have shown that even oine hour of extra alertness can lead to cravings due to a drop in your brains glucose levels and it craves carbs to give it a sudden energy boost!
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