Have you ever constantly felt the urge to eat a block of chocolate or a whole piece of cake? We've all been there. Luckily many of these desires can occur when our glucose levels have dropped. Here are 5 things you can try to do to curb the craving before reaching for that pie!
Cravings can really happen at any time, even when we work out 5 times a week and eat relatively healthy, filling meals. Jessie Inchauspé or the Glucose Goddess explained, "Many people who are trying to lose weight get confronted with an enemy: cravings. But actually, if you're experiencing cravings, trying to will your way through them is a recipe for a lot of pain and not much success. Instead, we need to look at the root cause of the cravings, which is often unsteady glucose levels."
When it comes to maintaining a certain physique, a person should try and understand how their body reacts to different food, especially ones that affect blood sugar levels. "Here's the solution: steadying your glucose levels. This will dissipate your cravings, bring balance to your body, and reduce hunger, and a very common consequence of those benefits is losing weight without even trying to," Inchauspé said. The first to do when you feel the urge come in is set a timer for 20 minutes. Typically that's the same amount of time that the glucose level will spike and then drop. So, if the craving is gone by the time the clock rings, it was due to a drop.
Once those 20 minutes are over and you still want the sweet treat, then save it for later. It's best to eat sugary foods after a meal as dessert, rather than on an empty stomach. But in that exact moment that you want the cookie, cake, or whatever it may be, try to go for better ingredients - "try these craving killers: licorice root tea or a spoonful of coconut oil swirled into coffee or tea. Other things to try: peppermint tea, pickle juice, gum, or a big glass of water with a big pinch of salt," Inchauspé suggested. And if those don't work, "Drink a tablespoon of vinegar in a tall glass of water before." Lastly, her 5th tip is to get the body moving. Go for a quick 15-30 minutes walk around the block, maybe do some yoga, and just let it pass. But of course, if the craving is too large to ignore, listen to your body and enjoy what it wants. Yet still, don't forget to try and balance out sugar levels for the long run. Check out Inchauspé's Instagram for more tips.
Related
