FOOD CRAVINGS
The Webster’s dictionary defines a craving as an intense,
urgent desire or longing. A food craving therefore is a strong wish for a type
of food – solid or liquid. It is an imbalance of sorts that forces the body to
long for satisfaction. So what causes these cravings?
It all starts with our lifestyles; what, when and how we eat.
A good diet is extremely important to our health and weight and by altering our
eating patterns irregularly we send stress messages to our bodies and with it,
the instructions to hold on to fat and breakdown muscle to provide fuel. Simply
put, we experience irregular blood-sugar swings.
As we eat or drink,
our blood sugar goes up and insulin is released. If refined foods like sugar,
white bread, cakes and biscuits or stimulant drinks like coffee, tea or cola
are consumed, they will hit the bloodstream quickly. More insulin is then released
to deal with this sudden rise in blood sugar. Once dealt with, this level
drops, but because the release of excess insulin has been triggered, the levels
drop too low and we start to feel hungry again. The HIGHER the blood sugar
highs, the LOWER the lows will be afterwards. Excesses in the blood stream not
expended as energy turns into fat.
The drop in blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) does two things:
creates a physical craving for something sweet to up the blood sugar and
triggers the production of adrenaline and cortisol to help to release stores of
sugar. This rollercoaster cycle leaves you irritable, causes aggressive
outbursts, palpitations, lack of sex drive, dizziness, anxiety, confusion,
forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, fatigue, insomnia, headaches and
muscle cramps [which ones have you experienced either at home or in the office?]
To control blood sugar levels or unnecessary food cravings,
we need to stop comfort or stress eating. This means we produce less adrenaline
and less cortisol. Here are a few ways to curb future ‘harmful’ cravings:
1.
STOP DIETING: Eventually, we realise they don’t really
work as we weigh much more afterwards. It doesn’t give your body enough fuel to
do the jobs it needs to do thus causing cravings. It is simply “energy in” =
“less energy out” and this is a biologically unnatural state. Dieting tells
your body it’s starving, leading to hypoglycaemia. Yo-yo dieting is equally
bad, firstly, it disrupts your metabolism, slowing it down, then maybe after
two weeks you try to go back to normal, you will be eating on a slower
metabolism as your body needs time to readjust. This gives your body time to
pack on the weight. The advice here is to keep your body on an even keel by
eating right.
2.
EAT LITTLE AND OFTEN: The idea is to convince your body
that food is abundant and it doesn’t need to store extra fat and that it can
burn off any excess that is already stored. The trick is to eat three hourly.
If you go longer than three hours without food, your body will start to make
preparations for going into survival mode, eventually causing cravings due to
low blood sugar. Eating little and often has three main advantages: you get
your energy back as your blood sugar is stable; your cravings for sweet foods
and refined carbohydrate will stop; and your mood will be more positive. Advice:
Train yourself to become a healthy grazer. Don’t eat three big meals; eat
something small every three hours.
3.
DON’T SKIP BREAKFAST: Many people are stressed out very
early in the morning. Depending on where you live, commuting to work or
preparation to do so sometimes start off as early as 4am for some; then add
school run and you can forget breakfast. The best you get is an on-the-go cup
of coffee usually with sugar (and sometimes lots of milk). This is a recipe for
failure because once you miss breakfast; your body starts to attack the
muscles, breaking them down for fuel. Our muscles are metabolically active and
help to burn fat; you therefore won’t want your body attacking them for the
much needed fuel to take you through the day. The importance of breakfast can’t
be ignored, so the advice is to train yourself to do this (e.g. a sugar-free bowl
of cereal or porridge – cut in pieces of fruit or use cinnamon – this gives a
steady rise in blood sugar).
4. ELIMINATE SUGAR AND REFINED CARBOHYDRATE FROM YOUR LIFE: Another step in the right direction
is to avoid foods that make your blood sugar rise quickly, that is,
eliminate foods that are digested very quickly. Research has shown that eating
slow-release foods like wholemeal bread helps to balance our blood sugar,
benefit the heart and reduces or prevents diabetes. Examples of slow-releasing
carbohydrates are grains (whole
wheat, oats, rye, brown rice, barley, maize, millet, and quinoa), beans (lentils, kidney beans, soya), vegetables (exclude potatoes and sweet
potatoes), fruits (berries, apples,
pears, citrus, cherries).
Please note that our bodies need
carbohydrate because it is the most preferred source of fuel. Our brain run on
carbs, therefore, the quality of the carb we eat is very important. It is also
essential to balance carb with protein in any meal. A low-carb diet is a big
no-no as it affects thyroid function by lowering hormones, thus affecting our
metabolism.
So what about artificial sweeteners?
Saccharin, cyclamate, sucralose, aspartame to mention a few are known to help
lose and control weight, but this is a common misconception as they eventually
increase appetite (craving and binge eating).
5. ADD PROTEIN TO EACH MEAL: It is the basic building block for all the cells, muscles,
bones, hair, skin and nails. They contain twenty-five amino acids, eight are
essential and sourced from food and the other seventeen are made naturally by
the body. Our muscles are made from protein, so we need to eat enough (in good
balance) to maintain our muscle mass. Protein also helps to control insulin because it slows the rate of digestion,
preventing cravings. A
high-protein or protein-only diet is dangerous and unhealthy; it causes
ketosis, a condition that makes your body literarily eat itself to stay alive
due to the absence of carbs. It also causes a high build-up of nitrogen in the
body that can damage the liver and kidneys
6. DON’T EAT ON THE RUN: Doing this gives your body the message that time is scarce,
and you are under pressure are stressed. When under stress, your
digestive system shuts down and as a result after your rushed meal, you end up
feeling bloated and uncomfortable and the food isn’t being digested but just
fermenting in your gut. End result is that you are not nourished and will feel
peckish quickly thus craving for something fast, quick and sweet. Advice: give
your body a different message – sit down and eat your meals as calmly as
possible ensuring you chew well and slowly. Snacks may be eaten on the run as
they are usually in small quantities and within the three hourly meal
intervals. Remember, there is a big difference between hunger and appetite J
7. CHANGE THE WAY IN WHICH YOU THINK ABOUT FOOD: Start thinking about food and eating
in terms of your lifestyle so that enjoyable eating becomes a habit you do
every day without a thought. This way you curb food cravings and set yourself
up to be healthier with a good chance of preventing serious illnesses later on.
Enjoy!