MY HAPPY ME {com}

By: Liliya Vafina, Nutrition Expert

Have you ever felt that the more you succumbed to your cravings, the more you craved? Or have you noticed that when you occasionally fell off the health wagon and indulged during some special festive occasions, you then got hungry faster, craved various foods more often and needed more effort and mental determination to get back to your healthy eating ways?

Cravings are usually a good indicator that something has gone off within your system. Pay attention to your cravings. This is your body’s way to signal that some nutrients such as vitamins, minerals or essential fats are insufficient. Cravings can also be a result of lack of fluid intake and dehydration. Cravings usually manifest themselves as intense desire for some particular food, most often sweets and refined carbohydrates such as chocolate, buns and breads.

Most cravings are the result of fluctuating blood sugar levels. It becomes a vicious cycle: the more we give in to cravings, the more we feel the unpleasant symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), such as feeling moody, foggy, tired and sometimes dizzy. As we experience these symptoms our brain signals another craving to eat something sweet or starchy to quickly counteract these effects.

Refined, fast-absorbing carbohydrates rapidly bring blood sugar levels up as they get digested and absorbed into blood in mere minutes. The body reacts with insulin secretion, or rather insulin oversecretion, into the blood in response to high blood sugar levels. Insulin acts as transporter of glucose from blood into cells and is responsible for regulating sugar levels in blood. With too much sugar in blood, insulin starts transporting glucose from blood into cells as quickly as possible until a rapid “crush” of blood sugar levels with associated symptoms of hypoglycemia occurs. This results in cravings for more carbohydrates in a body’s continuous attempt to normalize blood glucose levels. Repeated oversecretion of insulin causes the following undesirable symptoms and dangerous long term effects: weight gain, mood fluctuations, fatigue, cravings, Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease.

So, when you next look at a chocolate chip cookie and feel like you can’t concentrate on anything else until you have a bite, it’s time to act. Here is what you can do to keep your cravings at bay:

- avoid refined and over-processed white and starchy foods such as cakes, candy, pop, cookies, muffins, white pasta, white potatoes, white bread, white rice, refined cereal – these all cause oversecretion of insulin
- eat a balanced diet consisting of high quality protein, healthy fats, complex (slow) carbohydrates* and lots of fiber to ensure you get proper nutrients;
- drink plenty of fresh water, herbal teas or sweet berry teas- these are great for taming cravings;
- eat often (3 meals and 3 snacks) and consume complex carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats with every meal and snack to ensure slow absorption and constant blood sugar levels. For example, a snack can be a few slices of apple with some peanut or almond butter.

It will take a little effort to get back on track, but you will be amazed to see how quickly your cravings disappear as your body gets properly nourished and cleansed. You will benefit from improved mood, feeling of well being and increased energy levels.

Crave life and be healthy!

*Complex carbohydrates (absorbed into blood slowly): whole grain breads, whole grains, such as long grain and brown rice, fruits (except raisins and dates-these are insulin oversecreters due to their high sugar content), whole wheat pasta, legumes.