Last week I left you with the question: Should we always
honor our cravings?
A part of our Eat By Design philosophy is to listen to your
body in order to give it what it needs.
So what role do cravings play?
Author Geneen Roth makes a clear distinction between
cravings of the mind and cravings of the body.
Your body always wants foods that will sustain it, energize
it and allow it to function at its best. Your body wants foods that are real,
By Design foods.
Your mind, on the other hand, may interpret cravings
differently.
Let’s use the example of craving something sweet.
When I say, “Think of something sweet.”
What comes to mind?
I bet it was something in the realm of candy, ice cream, chocolate
or baked goods.
Change that statement to, “Think of something
sweet that you can find growing in nature.”
Now what comes to mind?
Things that grow in nature that are sweet include fruit, sweet
potatoes and squash.
Nature’s sweets from the earth are always accompanied with
water, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Man-made sweets are almost
NEVER accompanied with these things.
When your body is craving sweet it is looking for nutrients.
Your body is the ‘voice’ that you should be listening to.
Not the voice in your mind that is maniacally screaming, “CHOCOLATE CAKE!”
Eating chocolate cake will not actually satisfy your body’s
craving. There are no nutrients or
physiological benefits that come from baked goods. Instead of feeling good, more alive and more energetic, when
you eat processed sweets, your body feels tired, lethargic, unfocused and
damaged.
Eating unnatural sweets also lands you a seat on the sugar
train that never stops: Quick sugar high, quick energy crash, hormone
fluctuations and then bigger, stronger cravings.
Another big problem is that you stop trusting your body when
you’re on the sugar train.
Many people who try to change their habits and eat healthier get into a mental battle against their cravings and start saying things like “my body hates me, all it wants is ice cream all the time.”
Many people who try to change their habits and eat healthier get into a mental battle against their cravings and start saying things like “my body hates me, all it wants is ice cream all the time.”
These negative thoughts about your body are destructive to your self-esteem.
Your body doesn’t hate you.
Your body doesn’t even want ice cream.
When you learn to turn off the voice in your mind that was
conditioned to tell you that desserts are comfort and love and satisfaction,
you will realize that the ONLY foods your body really wants are the ones that
bring you closer to health.
Your body is smart.
Your body is perfect.
Your body will tell you exactly what it needs.
You just have
to learn to actually listen to your BODY.
When you learn to interpret your cravings to mean natural,
real, By Design foods… You should give into your cravings.
Satisfying your body’s true cravings is part of living an
extraordinary life.
what does my body want when I am craving salt?
ReplyDeleteYour body actually wants salt when you're craving salt.
DeleteThe science discouraging salt consumption is not strong. The body requires salt. Many people do not get enough salt in their diet anymore because so many people think that they need to avoid it.
If you want my longer explanation about salt.. rom here down I'm getting science-y about it:
Sodium is a vital nutrient. It’s a major component of body fluids and is essential for maintaining blood volume and to allow proper fluid movement into and out of tissues. The maintenance of fluid volume outside of your cells is very important for cardiovascular health. Salt is also required for proper energy metabolism.
Besides helping to maintain fluid balance and cardiovascular function, sodium plays an important role in the nervous system. Movement of salt ions allows nerve transmission and muscle contractions to occur. Chloride ions from salt are used to make stomach acid which is vital for protein metabolism and for preventing bacterial growth.
If a true sodium deficiency occurs, the resulting symptoms include brain swelling, coma, congestive heart failure, acute blood loss and inability for the heart to adjustment to stress.
Too little salt has been linked to an increased levels of hormones and lipids in the blood stream, increased insulin resistance, higher risk for falls in the elderly and decreased cognitive abilities.
Low salt intake is associated with higher mortality from cardiovascular events. A 2011 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association demonstrates a low-salt cut off below which stroke, heart attack and death are more likely to occur.