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We mentioned that some researchers
claim that food cravings are body's way of "demanding" nutrients it lacks. Of course some cravings
can be based on other various physiological needs. On Serotonin we mentioned that If you increase
serotonin availability or activity you will tend to reduce food consumption and if you decrease
serotonin system activity you will tend to increase food consumption.
So, now that you know about the causes of food cravings, let us
look at natural ways to stop food
cravings. For starters eating healthy foods and exercise
can curb cravings almost instantly. This is because your metabolism will be restored to
normal when your body gets the right nutrition.
One thing is for sure, by trying to stop eating some foods, people
tend to want it more and if they get their hands on it they eat more and beyond. Below are some few
tips about how to curb food cravngs.
1.If you find that over eating has become your way of life and
feel like you'd die before you stop, then you have a disorder and getting professional help might
be a very good idea.
2. Some medication may be causing your cravings, check in with
your doctor to see if he/she can prescribe something else.
3. Watch your emotional triggers that provoke your cravings. Ask
yourself why you crave a particular thing, could it be because you feel depressed, stressed, tired?
Once you identify the cause find something good to do.
4. Improve your mood through exercise. This will stimulate your
feel good hormones like endorphins.
5. Drink a glass of water: you might be dehydrated and not
hungry
6. Sugar cravings are the strongest when you are hungry so do it
but eat well. Chances are after a good meal the craving for some sweets will disappear.
7. Find other replacements for what you eat e.g. sugar less
chocolates.
8. If you crave chocolate try eating some raw nuts and seeds,
fruits can work also help curb cravings.
9. If you crave anything else that is sweet try some broccoli,
grapes, chicken, liver, fruits, eggs, or some fish. Generall vegetables can be be used to curb food
cravings.
10. You need to eat food that does not release carbohydrates
quickly so you can retain the
serotonin realeased through these foods longer in
your body.
11. Cook real food! avoid processed food that provide little
nutrition and extra ingredients your diet doesn't need. Eating healthy food often involves
preparing fresh food at home.
12. Try to eat in smaller portions: Since it has been illustrated
that carbohydrates that are absorbed gradually into the body are preferred. This then means you can
eat smaller portions of food across the day so that you keep your sugar levels steady.
13. consider taking vitamins, more specifically b-vitamin
complex (B vitamins). These are essential for the metabolism of carbohydrates into the simple sugar
glucose. If you want to keep it all natural, the B-complex vitamins can be found in liver, nuts,
leafy green vegetables, rice, milk, eggs, meats, fish and whole-grain cereals fruits. There are
more other foods but these should be enough to get you going.
14. Drink green
tea: it can help reduce food cravngs. Green tea is made from
unfermented leaves and is said to have the highest concentration of powerful antioxidants called
polyphenols. It is at least 100 more times more effective than vitamin C.
15. Avoid artificial sweeteners: These can exacerbate an array of cravings,
and many diet foods are filled with them. Look for natural or organic processed foods if you must
have them
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