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Food Cravings
It
is the complexity of the individual that is the key to food cravings,
not
simply a magical property of the food being craved'
-
(A. Hill)
Getting the Late Night
Munchies
Do you find that no matter how committed
you are to healthy eating or weight loss diets, there's a specific time
each evening that you get the 'munchies'?
...and that small square of chocolate
or a biscuit or two does nothing to alleviate this craving?
Have you really stopped to think about
this or do you just accept that this is the way it is?
Because it doesn't have to be this
way.
If you have eaten sufficient nourishment
during the day then a need for food is not what this is about...it rarely is in
our society.
What is happening is that there is some other
need, some psychological/emotional need that is not being met and because that
need is going un-noticed, un-acknowledged or even denied, it is seeping out
like water through a crack in a glass, and the more this need goes unmet, the
emptier the glass gets, transforming itself into the dreaded 'munchies' or as
is more commonly known in this profession - emotional eating or 'putting food
on feelings'.
To get to the source of this need often
takes some time and exploration but when you finally do acknowledge the true
source of this need and take the appropriate steps to get it met then you will
notice that the 'munchies' just disappear.
Hunger
V Craving
Whilst both hunger and food cravings are caused by the release
of certain chemicals in our body, the chemicals and the process of their
release are completely different.
Feelings of hunger are
produced by the release of the hormone ghrelin when our blood sugar and
insulin level drops, once we eat and these regulate, another hormone, leptin is
released to suppress our appetite. Basically it is our body that is
triggering the release of the hormones.
Cravings, on the other hand, are triggered more by the mind. They are
much more complex and can be triggered through eating certain kinds of food, through
sensory memories and through emotions.
Eating - Have you ever known anyone (other than pregnant women) to crave
foods such as celery? Cravings through eating result from eating sugary
or fatty foods which release a chemical called opiods into our bloodstream
which give feelings of pleasure. The more you eat the more you want.
Sensory
memories - this ranges from memories stored deep in
the brain from when we were in the womb, to seeing a picture of a
chocolate cake or a Macdonald's advert in a magazine. Sensory
memories trigger a part of the brain that releases the hormone dopamine, also
producing a feel good factor that has been described as similar to that of a
drug addiction in that the more you feed this craving the more you need to
keep your craving at bay.
Emotions - Studies on mood have found that our emotional state normally has
a greater impact on cravings than hunger [source: Hill 2007]. What this
means is that there is a direct correlation between our emotions and our
cravings. The hormone seratonin, also known as the 'happy hormone' is
released in response to balanced emotions, supporting our continued
emotional stability. If our mood is low or negative then the release of
seratonin is restricted and the higher the chance of us having cravings,
especially if our diet too is not particularly healthy.
So you can see from this small excerpt how
complex and individual cravings are and how, more often than not, it is
cravings that get in the way of people maintaining a diet or healthy eating
regime, especially in the early stages.
Tips
on Dealing with Cravings
- Don’t deprive
yourself - a little of what you fancy, occasionally, will satisfy the
craving.
- Vary your diet -
boredom and anxiety with what you're eating contributes to craving.
- If you are someone
that needs to snack then make sure that wherever you go you have some
healthy snacks with you e.g. fruit, nuts
- Less emotional
stress and more balance in your life will not only reduce cravings but
support you in maintaining a healthier diet.
- The more fat your
body has the more cravings you are likely to experience, losing body
fat will reduce the cravings.
- Become conscious
of your cravings. When they occur
sit and notice what’s happening.
- Journal about the
cravings - How often do you get them? Is it a regular time/day? What
triggers them? If you look deeper than the food, what is it that you are
really craving for – what is the food a cover up for?
- There are many
factors to cravings - each are unique to you as an individual, working with
a coach/therapist to explore yours will empower you to make better
choices.
Jacqui Brooks (Coach, Dip Couns, ICF, MBACP)
Jacqui is a
deeply intuitive coach and counsellor who listens with both her head and her
heart to what is NOT being said as well as what is.
She has an
innate ability to see the bigger picture which she holds for her clients,
encouraging them to explore deeper and aim higher than they’ve done before.
She inspires
her clients to work toward goals they REALLY want, not just ones they know they
can achieve.
Jacqui’s ideal
clients are people who want more – even though they may not know exactly what
it is they want more of, and who are curious and ready to explore who they are
at a deeper level.
She has been coaching, counselling and educating
women since 2002 and has recently led women's retreats in the U.K., Spain
and the U.S.A.
www.jacquibrooks.com
www.consciouseatingcoach.com
E-mail –
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Tel 958770962
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