Listen to Your Body: Tips to Beat Sugar and Chocolate Cravings

Most of  people think that having cravings is a bad thing and that we have to do our best to get rid of them.

It’s not true!

Our cravings tell us that some brain chemicals are missing in our bodies. Having cravings is a unique way of our bodies communicate with us and a wonderful tool for finding which foods work best for us.

In general, we might have cravings if we:

• don’t drink enough water (dehydration is considered to be a mild hunger);
• are bored, stressed out, dissatisfied with our relationship, (emotional eating);
• eat too much sugar, salt, processed food;
• don’t eat enough seasonal foods;
• have hormonal changes;
• don’t eat some foods for a long period of time.

Tips to Beat Sugar and Chocolate Cravings

Whenever we have cravings, our body tries to tell us something, which means it’s time to learn how to listen to our body in order to understand its needs and imbalances.

• Feel like eating sweet foods?

It always means that your blood sugar is low and your body is asking for energy.

Try to eat more sweet potatoes, yams, winter squash, beets, carrots.

Whole foods such as grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds will be very helpful because they contain complex carbohydrates – chains of three or more single sugar molecules linked together- and are digested slowly and steadily.

Studies show this helps control blood sugar, diabetes, and insulin levels. Because whole foods are rich in fiber, they can help with weight loss and detox of your body.

• Feel like eating chocolate?

Did you know that chocolate (dark, healthy for us) is very rich in Magnesium? People who crave chocolate may have a  low Magnesium level. They can also eat more whole foods, such as beans ((mung, aduki, black), whole grains (buckwheat, millet, barley), nuts and seeds (almonds, cashews, sesame seeds). A good source of Magnesium is spirulina, dried seaweeds, chlorella.

Learning how to listen to our bodies can be a rewarding process.

Let us be crave smart to feel and look fabulous, shall we?

Breathe, smile and be happy.

©Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health Coach and Nutrition Counselor