Have your cravings ever gotten in the way of a weight loss goal?
Cravings are a lot more about what and how you’re eating, rather than about pure willpower
Here are a few of the things that may be driving your cravings:
- Insulin: Eating the wrong foods in the wrong way will lead to higher insulin levels in the body. High insulin is a driver for cravings, weight gain, inflammation, poor sleep, hormone disruption and much more. Check out this great reference.
- Balance: Getting the right balance of high quality protein vs carbs is crucial for managing cravings. This study shows that what you eat for breakfast will have an impact on how you will eat late in the day. It’s important to note that this balance looks different for each person; a possible reason why cookie cutter diets don’t work for everyone.
- Fiber: Once you’ve gotten the protein/carb balance right, getting the right kinds of carbs will also have an impact on cravings. Nature intended for most whole foods to come with plenty of natural fiber. Fiber helps keep the good bugs happy, helps keep insulin levels stable and helps us eliminate toxins. The processing of food often gets rid of the essential fiber component.
- Probiotics: How is your gut? What a lot of folks don’t realize is that our gut bacteria can actually have a huge impact on cravings if things get too far out of balance. Eating sour foods that naturally contain probiotics such as yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha… will actually curb cravings and rebalance gut bacteria.
- Nourishment: Is your food truly nourishing you or has it been stripped of its nutrients during processing? Are you getting enough variety? Nutrients are needed for every single metabolic process in the body. What do you think the body does when it needs nutrients? IT SIGNALS HUNGER.
- Healthy fats: Processed food gets stripped of its healthy fats which are then replaced by lower quality, inflammatory fats that are shelf-stable. Healthy fats nourish the body, help keep you satisfied longer and make your food delicious.
If cravings have caused you to slip up in the past, it’s likely because one of these crucial elements was left out – NOT because you have a lack of will power.
Contact me if you’d like to discuss next steps.
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