Sugar Cravings - a weakness or just your body's Tweet for help?
Our bodies are amazing. They know when to sleep, when to wake up, how to maintain the perfect temperature.....Our hearts never miss a beat, our lungs don't forget to fill with air. The truth is, the body is a super computer that rarely makes a mistake. If you listen, your body is constantly sending messages about what it needs in order to do all you ask of it (in 140 characters or less of course!). All this time you’ve been tweeting and not knowing it! Many of us crave sugar each day (whomever decided chocolate fountains were only for special occasions is no friend of mine), in fact, Americans consume 100 pounds of sugar & sweeteners each year - 30 teaspoons each day! What if we viewed our cravings as ‘body tweets'? Something to be listened to, thought about, then acted upon with purpose and clarity after really understanding the message. Retweeted throughout our bodies as we check in to see where this message came from. Head? Heart? Stomach? You know, view these cravings as a simple message, instead of a weakness, something to beat ourselves up over, or feel guilty about. I know I certainly don't shake my head in disgust when Deepak sends a Tweet and think to myself 'What a loser! Can't this guy go one day without tweeting?’On the contrary my friend. I read the text while driving! Since this is illegal in Utah, I practically risk jail time each time I devour his scrumptious words. Why don’t we listen to our own bodies with such excitement and reckless abandon, eager to put its suggestions to use? Let’s put our decoder rings on and examine a few underlying issues that may be the REAL cause of our craving for deep fried Twinkies….
• Lack of 'Primary Food' - Being dissatisfied with a relationship or having an inappropriate exercise routine (too much, too little or the wrong type), boredom, stress, feeling uninspired by a job, or lacking a spiritual practice may all cause emotional (read: cake) eating. Eating is often used as a substitute for entertainment or to fill the void of primary food.
• Dehydration - Lack of water can send the message that you are thirsty and on the verge of dehydration. Dehydration can manifest as a mild hunger, so the first thing to do when you get a craving is drink a full glass of water. Excess water can also cause cravings, so be sure that your water intake is well balanced.
• Fatigue/Stress - When you are tired or stressed, your body will crave energy—usually in the form of sugar. These cravings are often a result of being sleep-deprived, stressed, over-extended, sometimes for months and years on end.
Too much refined sugar in our diet can suppress our immune system, interfere with our body’s ability to absorb nutrients, contribute to diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s, depression, migraines and even speed up the aging process of our skin!
This week, just notice what’s going on, emotionally or physically, when you get a sugar craving. No judgement, just observation. Next week, we’ll discuss simple ways to manage these ‘Tweets’.
• Lack of 'Primary Food' - Being dissatisfied with a relationship or having an inappropriate exercise routine (too much, too little or the wrong type), boredom, stress, feeling uninspired by a job, or lacking a spiritual practice may all cause emotional (read: cake) eating. Eating is often used as a substitute for entertainment or to fill the void of primary food.
• Dehydration - Lack of water can send the message that you are thirsty and on the verge of dehydration. Dehydration can manifest as a mild hunger, so the first thing to do when you get a craving is drink a full glass of water. Excess water can also cause cravings, so be sure that your water intake is well balanced.
• Fatigue/Stress - When you are tired or stressed, your body will crave energy—usually in the form of sugar. These cravings are often a result of being sleep-deprived, stressed, over-extended, sometimes for months and years on end.
Too much refined sugar in our diet can suppress our immune system, interfere with our body’s ability to absorb nutrients, contribute to diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s, depression, migraines and even speed up the aging process of our skin!
This week, just notice what’s going on, emotionally or physically, when you get a sugar craving. No judgement, just observation. Next week, we’ll discuss simple ways to manage these ‘Tweets’.
To the Happy Life!
Penny
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