re: Cravings

[Guest guest]

I happened to find this little article...food for thought.

http://www.edietsuk.co.uk/news/article.cfm/article_id,1713

in NJ

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Fast Fixes for the Top 4 Cravings!

Bridget

eDiets Writer

Do you eat <A

HREF= " http://www.edietsuk.co.uk/news/start.cfm?code=24005 " >healthy, balanced

meals</A> all day long until 7 pm or so, when a

sudden and irrepressible craving for rich, dark chocolate or salty, crunchy

chips

strikes? Does your mind consistently wander to that carton of choc-chip ice

cream, tucked away behind the frozen broccoli, an hour or so before bed?

Lately, a popular theory attests that craving a particular food means you

must be deficient in one of its ingredients. For example, you might believe that

hamburger hankering is due to your need for the iron in red meat. But what’s

really behind those seemingly uncontrollable cravings, and how can you get a

handle on them before they wreck <A

HREF= " http://www.edietsuk.co.uk/news/start.cfm?code=24005 " >your diet plan</A>?

While some cravings may indeed relate to a need for certain nutrients (as you’

ll see below), employing this reasoning as a blanket justification for

nibbling on foods that are packed with fat and calories will only result in one

thing - weight gain. Many doctors and nutritionists dispute the claim, citing a

lack of good evidence, and raise a solid point: If you’re truly deficient in

iron, say, why not crave other iron-rich foods, such as spinach or black beans?

When it comes to food cravings, researchers believe there are other

biochemical and psychological processes at work. And they agree that

understanding the

cause behind a certain yen is the key to prevention.

So follow these basic strategies for staving off any kind of craving, then

identify your specific food lust and learn how to stop it in its tracks!

Dodge the desire

· Be a grazer. Nutritionists suggest that eating several small meals

throughout the day (or three meals and a few light, low-fat snacks) can help to

prevent cravings later in the day. Choose high fibre, low fat foods to keep

hunger

at bay longer.

· Go cold turkey. Some research has shown that completely giving up a

particular food can result in losing a taste for it. The longer you go without

eating

a particular food, the less you’ll crave it.

· Get distracted. When you feel a craving coming on, do something that will

get your mind off of it. Go for a walk or make a phone call. After 10 minutes,

you may notice that the craving has passed.

Fast fixes for the top four cravings

Although we all have our favourite must-have foods - ranging from pickles to

pastries - there are some common threads when it comes to the provisions we

pine for. Here, identify the type of food you desire, then read on to <A

HREF= " http://www.edietsuk.co.uk/news/start.cfm?code=24005 " >conquer

that craving</A>.

The craving: sweets If visions of biscuits and ice cream dance in your head,

what you may be craving more than the sugar in these foods is the fat that

provides their texture, taste and aroma. Several studies have shown that fat and

sugar may release endorphins into the brain (neurotransmitters that can

produce a feeling of pleasure or euphoria). This hypothesis may explain why

people

crave that sweet, creamy taste - it produces a pleasurable feeling.

The solution: Guess what? Good old-fashioned exercise also boosts levels of

endorphins (they’re the same substances credited with the so-called

“runner’s

highâ€). So next time you feel like biting into a chocolate-covered ice cream

bar, lace up those trainers or hop on your bike instead. You’ll get the same

pleasing feeling and the benefits of doing something <A

HREF= " http://www.edietsuk.co.uk/news/start.cfm?code=24005 " >good for your

body</A>. If you’

re on the job or unable to get immediate fitness gratification, you can still

get the creamy taste and texture you yearn for from low-fat yoghurt or cottage

cheese with fruit.

The craving: salt Many women experience salt cravings related to premenstrual

syndrome (PMS) since fluctuating levels of oestrogen can interfere with the

normal salt concentration in the body. Unfortunately, cravings for salt often

result in the consumption of foods that are not only high in sodium - dangerous

for anyone with hypertension - but also heavy in fat (think chips, crisps and

pizza). Some studies have shown that people who are deficient in calcium

crave salt more frequently than those who are not. The desire for salty foods,

such as chips or salted peanuts, may have more to do with the wish to crunch

than

the actual salt.

The solution: Try upping your calcium intake (which will also benefit your

bones) with low fat dairy foods or leafy greens. And reach for crisp, fresh,

munch-able foods, like baby carrots or pepper wedges - they make great stand-ins

for that crisp crunch. If you can’t forgo the salt, eat just one serving of

lower fat crisps, air-popped popcorn or pretzels.

The craving: carbs Cravings for simple carbohydrates are most frequently

associated with times of stress. The explanation behind this relationship?

Carbohydrates found in such foods as crackers, bread and rice have been shown to

help

boost levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, shown to produce a feeling of

calm and well-being.

The solution: Anything that relieves stress can help to inhibit these

cravings. Try deep breathing techniques, yoga or simple exercise instead of

resorting

to the refrigerator. When you feel the need to feed, go for snacks of complex

carbohydrates, such as wholegrain bread or crackers, or vegetables, which can

help fend off cravings for simple carbs.

The craving: chocolate They don’t call them chocoholics for nothing. While it

could fit into the “sweet and creamy†category by most definitions,

chocolate

’s complexity and the fact that it is the most commonly craved food, earns it

a class unto itself. Chocolate is the most difficult of foods to explain.

According to researchers at the University of Arizona who last year conducted a

review of the current research on chocolate cravings, the sensational

combination of the fat, sugar, texture, aroma and several ingredients with

addictive

properties similar to those in psychoactive drugs, are most likely responsible

for chocolate cravings. The researchers also suggest that these cravings can be

a result of a magnesium deficiency.

The solution: Uncompromising chocolate addicts may balk, but making sure you

have plenty of other magnesium-rich foods in your diet, such as nuts and

beans, can help. If you still Must Have chocolate, try a low fat hot chocolate,

chocolate mousse or go for a smaller amount of a high cocoa solid chocolate –

this will provide a strong chocolate hit with fewer calories.