Food Cravings
Food cravings occur when your body lacks nutrients, including vitamins and minerals. Most of them are caused by a lack of the mineral chromium and further complicated by bad eating habits like starvation and overeating at night. Cravings may be harmless for the people with perfect health and satisfied with their weight. A really strong craving for sweets can often be stifled by eating a peppermint washed down by a few ounces of fruit juice, certain spices such as cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg can satisfy a sweet tooth. Generally one of these simple alternatives results in the satisfaction of your craving.
Virtually everyone suffers from food cravings. Food cravings can come from many sources. One may use certain foods for comfort. Another reason for food cravings is that they are a signal from the body that nutrients are missing from the diet. Sometimes they are a signal that your body needs more water.If you do not eat well and know you need to do something about it, instead of grabbing your favorite carbohydrate or sweet, start using some Green Vibrance. It is high in nutrition and low in carbohydrates.
People who crave carbohydrates while dieting can control this more easily by eating mini meals and snacks throughout the day. It is important to have meals and snacks at the same time each day.
Carbohydrate craving can result when there are low levels of a brain nerve chemical called serotonin. This chemical regulates mood, sleep and other physiological functions. A low level is also associated with depression, irritability and feeling agitated. It is thought that this metabolic imbalance can be brought on by fad dieting. Serotonin is manufactured in response to the dietary intake of an amino acid called tryptophan. The brain levels of serotonin also rise when carbohydrate rich foods are consumed, because these foods have low levels of amino acids that compete with tryptophan for entry into the brain. Some research shows that high-protein fad diets lower brain serotonin and this results in carbohydrate cravings in some people.
Chocolate cravings appear to satisfy the need to eat a high-carbohydrate food, this then affects serotonin levels in the brain, which calms a person down. Chocolate contains caffeine and this gives a temporary lift to a person and also soothes mild depression. It is the chemical phenylethylamine, which improves mood and feelings of well-being.
A wide range of specific food cravings can result when a person's body is actually seeking a nutrient. A pregnant woman can become hooked on lemon delicious dessert as the body seeks an acid food or a protein food. Elderly people who have reduced taste acuity will add salt or sugar to their food.
Tips to overcome food cravings
- Brush your teeth after eating to signal the brain that eating has ceased.
- Simply stop eating the food and the craving will subside in a week.
- Face the reality as to why you crave a particular food and go all out to change. This may mean travelling to work using a different route to bypass a coffee bar.
- Find an alternative away from the kitchen such as going for a walk.
- Substitute a lower-fat food or beverage such as popcorn or mineral water.