Cravings for carbs and sweets?
Cravings for carbs and sweets are always hard to control, especially in today’s busy world. You need to be motivated and alert because these cravings for carbs creep up on you and are often sparked by unseen additives in the foods which make us crave even more. It takes determination and education to help you stay on track and in control.
Craving for carbs and sweets often can tell us a lot about our body. Most times it happens in the evening when you are sitting in front of the TV or computer after a hard day and, without thinking, head for the fridge. It’s easy to fulfill your craving for carbs and sweets with that leftover bowl of pasta or the junk foods we often keep in our cupboards. If these cravings are not curbed all the extra kilojoules you eat at bedtime will not only put on weight but cause you reflux and other digestive problems. In some cases, it means you have some kind of nutritional deficiency, but usually it’s more about satisfying your emotional needs.
First of all, go through your kitchen cupboards and fridge and throw out all the foods that are just junk foods. They are better off in the bin than your stomach. Hardest of all, perhaps, is not to buy the products. Cross chips, chocolate and biscuits off your Grocery list. Even some of the yummy gluten-free ones. If they are not there, you can’t eat them. Instead, keep some fruit and yogurt handy in the fridge and make it a rule not to eat at least on hour before bedtime. If you are craving carbs and sweets, drink water. Sometimes you may find you are just tired and it’s time to go to sleep. Get a good night’s sleep and have a good healthy breakfast in the morning.
Stay alert for the feelings that spark the cravings for carbs and sweets. Be aware also that some medications can stimulate your appetite. Anti-depressants, other prescription drugs, non prescription medical drugs and recreational drugs can often stimulate you to eat things you would not normally eat. If this is what is happening, you need to be aware of it and discuss it with your doctor whilst perhaps looking for natural alternatives that may not have the same effect. Of course, recreational drugs should be eliminated if you are going to be conscious about your health.
It could also be that you are bored, stressed or just need some emotional sweetness in your life. This often translates as chocolate. Often hunger cravings are stress related, so find ways to relieve your stress such as a taking bubble bath, meditating, going for a walk, chatting to an old friend or reading a good book. Your craving for carbs and sweets could be because you are craving the comfort. Substitute pleasurable experiences for the food and you may find those cravings disappear.
Do not be too quick to dismiss medical reasons such as hormones that are out of control. Craving for carbs and sweets often increases when women have their monthly menstrual cycle and it can be a symptom that your hormones are not working properly. If your cycle is accompanied by stomach pains, sore breasts, bloating, mood swings and clots, as well as an intensified craving for carbs and sweets, please seek help from a natural therapist. This is not how your monthly cycle should make you feel. Feeling ill and edgy only increases the craving for carbs and sweets more and will not help with your self control.
If you have self control though, sometimes you can have just a mouthful or one chocolate square and then stop. Sometimes that is enough to curb your cravings for carbs and you can deflect from the craving. Go and do something else. However, if the trigger is emotional, it will not go away on its own. You need a good support network of friends or family that can assist you. You need people around that will remind you to not eat that chocolate late at night or to perhaps have less pasta on the plate but in a gentle nurturing way, not as a judgement. Craving for carbs and sweets has probably been a habit with you for some time and is entrenched so perhaps you need even extra help. Try seeing a natural therapist to assist you to find the cause, change the pattern and resolve the issue.
If you are going to control your cravings for carbs it’s important to never skip a meal. In fact, make sure you eat at least five times a day to keep your sugar levels balanced. Eat a healthy breakfast to start your day and drink lots of water to flush through toxins and help your digestion. If the cravings for carbs and sweets come during the day, divert yourself some way. I tell people when they come to see me for hypnotherapy to give up smoking that the craving for a cigarette usually lasts only about three minutes and to deflect themselves and wait it out. Similarly, just deflect from the cravings for carbs and sweets and tell yourself to wait a minute and just wait it out. You will be surprised how easily the craving will subside sometimes. Sometimes you can divert yourself with exercise or meditation. Go and do something productive and beneficial for your health to take the attention away from the cravings you have. Exercise will also help by increasing endorphins and those will cut down on your cravings.
However, if you find that you have started to munch on high kilojoule foods and it is out of control on any one day, it’s important to not beat yourself up about it. It’s just one day and tomorrow is another day. Be kind to yourself and realise that you can do it better tomorrow and start again. Do whatever you need to in order to get that control back and start on the road to a healthier life.
