Binge eating bread?
For some women, chocolate just doesn’t quite hit the spot when it comes to cravings. If you have constant cravings of bread or bread products, you are in dire need of a quick rush of energy. Any food that is based particularly on wheat has carbohydrates that are released quickly into the body. This is good in the short term, but once that initial high has gone down, you are going to feel pretty “blah!”
Rather than reaching for an energy fix for the short term, look at longer term solutions such as:
- – Brazil nuts
- – Foods with high protein – beans, nuts, fish, chicken
- – A multivitamin containing selenium
Coffee cravings – are you really tired?
Most of us turn to a cup of coffee first thing in the morning in order to wake us up, but do we really need it or again, are our craving control methods turning us the wrong way? According to studies, coffee cravings might not be because we are incredibly sleepy and need a pick-me-up, it could be because our bodies are low in vitamin B12 and also iron. Rather than having a cup of coffee, why not have a glass of lemon or orange juice? The vitamin C combined with the iron means that you will definitely be absorbing it, as caffeine-rich drinks such as tea and coffee can actually block the absorption of iron into our bodies. It could also be necessary to control sugar cravings too – how many sugars do you have in your tea or coffee?
Instead of turning for the cup of tea, try drinking a fruit juice such as orange or lemon and substituting certain foods for one of the following to raise the levels of vitamin B12 and iron in your diet:
– Red meat
– Seafood
– Breakfast cereals fortified with iron or vitamin B12
– Spinach
– Beetroot
– Oily fish
How to control alcohol cravings
If you have found that you are actually craving alcohol, it could be a sign that you are in a little bit of trouble. Alcohol is addictive, in the same way as many drugs and cigarettes. It gets rid of many vital nutrients in your body so it could be a sign that you urgently need to put them back in – vitamin B1, (also called Thiamin) and vitamin C. You can easily put these back in and substitute your alcohol with red meat, poultry, legume and nuts and fish for craving control. You may also want to consider taking a daily multivitamin or L-Glutamine tablets because Glutamine is what stops you craving, and alcohol leaches these in high levels.
When it comes to craving control, it makes sense to find out what your body is really saying. Craving salt, for example, could be a sign that you need to add electrolytes back into your body because of dehydration, craving potato chips could mean the same thing or a need for more healthy fats in your diet. Usually, (pregnancy aside) cravings mean that your body is low in something and once you have figured out what it needs, you can take active steps to healthy eating and craving control.