Today our guest blogger is Carolyn Akens.
The body is an amazing source of intelligence. It is always there for you, pumping blood, never skipping a heartbeat, digesting whatever food you put in it and maintaining homeostasis. Is this reliable, intelligent bio-computer making a mistake by craving ice cream or a hamburger or chocolate? Are cravings due to lack of will-power or discipline? I’d like to suggest that cravings are not a problem. They are critical pieces of information that tell you what your body needs.
The important thing is to understand why you crave what you crave. Perhaps your diet is too restrictive or devoid of essential nutrients. Perhaps you are living a lifestyle that is too boring or stressful. Your body tries to correct the imbalance by sending you a message: a craving. A craving for something sweet could mean you need more protein, more exercise, more water or more love in your life. The key to stopping the sugar craving is to understand and deliver what your body really needs.
No book or theory can tell you what to eat. Only awareness of your body and its needs can tell you. Of all the relationships in our lives, the one with our body is the most essential. It takes communication, love and time to cultivate a relationship with your body. As you learn to decipher and respond to your body’s cravings, you will create a deep and lasting level of health and balance.
The next time you have a craving, treat it as a loving message from your body instead of a weakness. Try these tips to respond to your body:
- Have a glass of water and wait 10 minutes.
- Eat a healthier version of what you crave. For example, if you crave sweets, try eating more fruit and sweet or root vegetables.
- What is out of balance in your life? Is there something you need to express, or is something being repressed? What happened in your life just before you had this craving?
- When you eat the food you are craving, enjoy it, taste it, savor it; notice its effect. Then you will become more aware and free to decide if you really want it next time.
About the Author: Carolyn Akens, Board Certified Holistic Health Coach, Chef, and Raw Food Educator, helps women and families who are struggling with overweight and obesity to eat whole foods to transform their life so that they will live long and have good health!
As a world-renowned raw food educator, Carolyn has trained and coached raw food chefs, raw food instructors and raw pastry chefs locally, nationally, and internationally.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
For me, feeding my cravings with a little something helps. It’s usually a WW treat for like 2 or 3 points. It’s very helpful. And then I finish that off with a piece of fruit to cut further cravings. So far so good
Hi Kymberly,
Thank you. My goal is to let people know that cravings are there for a reason, your body is lacking something and that there are healthy alternatives. I am glad it was beneficial to you. 🙂
Have a wonderful day!
Blessings,
Carolyn
Once you articulate the reasons for cravings, they seem so sensible. However, I had never considered your points. What a simple, yet very helpful post!