What does the word “craving” bring to mind?
Something you want, or need, or must have, or can’t live without—sounds OK, right?
What about the flip side of that? Feeling out-of-control, all consumed, obsessed, anxious. Do any of these words trigger your food cravings? Usually, when we think about cravings, it is connected to specific foods. And not always healthy foods. Did you ever think about who craves broccoli? Who craves a piece of celery? Who craves a chicken breast?
It’s almost like something out of your control is saying “give me more chips; where can I get more chips”? Maybe you have driven to the convenience store in your jammies to get your sugar fix. Maybe you go through the self-checkout lane at the grocery store to avoid the cashier giving you ‘the look’ about what you are buying. Maybe the fast food drive-thru is too easy to visit regularly.
And the thing about sugar is that it is SO addicting! Yet it is legal everywhere. And sugar sneaks into our food supply in many ways. Our processed food supply is where we can get extra sugar without even knowing it. Processed means something from a factory, that was manufactured, or created by the big food companies to appear to be real food.
Most of us have been there and felt those intense cravings!
So, what causes cravings?
- Part of your craving is visual – the thought of it or the sight of that specific food. For example, just seeing your favorite cookie package, might start a craving. A pizza delivery commercial may trigger you to place an order for pizza. Or the fancy desert tray at a restaurant makes not even think twice about paying $10 for a piece of chocolate cake.
- Part of your cravings are biochemical– like low blood sugar. Maybe you’ve skipped a meal. And it’s been a few hours since you last ate. Your blood sugar has dropped and you will eat anything that you can get your hands on as soon as possible. Or you have eaten lots of junk food recently and now all you want is sugar, deserts, chips, popcorn, and candy.
- Part of your cravings are emotional. Emotions can be trapped in little balls of energy in your body for a while. These emotions can overtake us to think we need more (fill in the blank) to feel better. What about those trapped emotions? What can you do about that?
So, what is going to stop those cravings for the unhealthy processed carbs? What can you do to curb your carb cravings? Is it the cheesy crackers or the lime-flavored tortilla chips, or the popcorn? Now, these are not sweet foods. How come they would cause cravings? Sorry to say that these foods are all processed and will break down to a lot of sugar in your body. These foods will add to your cravings and not help your eating plan.
Here are a few solutions:
- Record everything you eat for 3 or 4 days. Take a picture of your meal or snack, write it down on a notebook, make notes on your phone, use a food-tracking app, whatever helps you keep track of what you are eating. This practice helps with accountability. If you ate it, record it.
- Notice what you are choosing and eating. Are you eating real whole food or something that‘s manufactured? If it did not grow in the ground or a tree, or come from an animal, it, most likely, is not real food. Are there any specific times or events going on when you eat a specific unhealthy food?
- Check your awareness. Maybe you never really thought about what you are eating and didn’t notice when you grabbed a handful of sweets from your co-worker’s candy dish. Did you think about the healthiness of food from a fast food place? Is it a habit to grab a cookie 2-pack at the grocery store? I bet your awareness will start to change.
These solutions are a great place to start. And, Yes, I feel your pain – I’ve been there! Binge eating and then feeling nauseous after a whole bag of cherry sours or potato chips or 6 cupcakes or half a pan of brownies. Been there, done that!
Now it’s time break free from these cravings. Many people don’t even think about the emotional connection to cravings and it sometimes goes unnoticed because we are so caught up in the shame of eating all that ——whatever!
Be Positive Wellness can help you release your cravings for a specific food or foods.
I can help you get back on track and create a meal plan that is meant for you, your tastes, and your lifestyle. It will be healthy and balanced. We will also work to eliminate those cravings, energetically, so they don’t return! Through an energy healing technique called Emotion Code, I can release trapped emotions that you probably didn’t even know were in your body that are contributing to your food cravings.
Book a Discovery Call with me to find out more. Click here.
I look forward to working with you!