How to control cravings for certain foods

A food craving can arise from spending several hours doing a job that requires a lot of concentration, to following a strict diet, practicing intermittent fasting, or being the subject of an emotional or physical disturbance that leaves you stressed.  And it's because satisfying a food craving would give you the feeling of regaining control.

Although there are other potential reasons for sudden cravings, such as a nutrient deficiency (due to dieting that is too strict), sleep deprivation (where the endocannabinoid receptor 2-AG is activated, triggering the consumption of salty and fatty foods); or low blood sugar.  This is why it is good to understand why cravings occur and how they can be stopped or, better yet, prevented.

 

When you crave flour and other carbohydrates

It usually occurs when you have been on very strict diets, you deal with high levels of anxiety and stress, or if your diet consists of too many simple carbohydrates such as those containing refined sugar. This causes your blood sugar level to drop, which causes your body to seek out starchy foods that are quick and easy to digest, so that your blood sugar level will rise and normalize, but most likely, it will not satisfy you.

Eating foods rich in starch and sugar increases levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin, which makes us associate well-being with carbohydrate intake.

Plus, your brain prefers glucose for fuel, so when your blood sugar levels drop, so does your willpower.

How to combat the craving for flour

Consuming something with protein without thinking twice.  Also, fiber (check out my recipes for breads and wraps or tortillas whose ingredients contain psyllium husks), green leafy vegetables and also some healthy fat.  These foods can satisfy you because they easily stimulate the production of leptin, the hormone that makes you feel full.

When you crave something sweet

Our brain has NST neurons responsible for detecting the levels of angiotensin (a polypeptide produced and released into the bloodstream, mainly by the liver) and whether our blood pressure and sodium levels are low.  If they become low, angiotensin increases, which causes you to retain water and minerals.  But what interests us here is that when angiotensin is elevated it sends a signal to the NST neurons that you need salt in your body.

The curious thing is that the neurons that respond to sugar cravings also respond to salt cravings.  The problem is that nowadays, if you have a craving for something salty, you probably end up eating something sweet or sweet and salty.  It's not always the case, but chances are good that if your brain is craving something sweet, it's actually needing salt.

Several studies indicate that when a person is stressed, they release cortisol, the stress hormone, which is related to the desire to consume sweet foods.  Of course, the easiest thing to do is to use whatever they sell at the cafeteria or bakery on the corner, which is not exactly the healthiest.

If the craving occurs occasionally, there would be no problem, however, this is a trigger because your brain begins to associate stress compensation with food which, consequently, activates the mesolimbic dopamine system. 

Dopamine is a brain chemical released by neurons that can signal that an event has been positive. When the reward system is activated, it reinforces behaviors and increases the likelihood that we will perform them again. 

IMPORTANT! To better understand why it is key to maintain dopamine at healthy levels:

An experiment conducted by the University of Michigan (USA) with fruit flies, which have dopaminergic neurons just like rodents and humans, showed that with a diet rich in sugar, fruit flies are less active, because the high sugar intake decreases the intensity of the sweetness signal that arrives from the mouth . The animals use this dopamine feedback to make predictions about how rewarding or satiating a food will be. In flies on a high-sugar diet, this process breaks down: they receive less activation of dopaminergic neurons and, therefore, end up eating more than they need, which over time makes them gain weight.  The same thing happens with humans.

More and more studies link sugar to high cholesterol and blood pressure, an increased risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and, of course, excessive weight gain.  Plus, a sweet craving can trigger a spike and crash in blood sugar, leaving you feeling down and cranky.

How to fight the craving for something sweet

We have already seen that sometimes it is really a matter of sodium deficiency.  Options are to have a consommé or broth, make sure it does not contain ingredients like starch, MSG and other weird ingredients.  You can also drink water with a pinch of salt, or add half a small avocado to the broth.

Some experts advise consuming some protein, in this case you can have hard-boiled eggs to immediately satisfy hunger and another way is to prepare a kind of omelette, pancake style, but sweetened with stevia or another sweetener that does not raise blood sugar.

Use spices like cinnamon which helps to regulate blood sugar, also cardamom and fenugreek.

If the sweet craving persists, I suggest something like Greek yogurt to which you can add just enough stevia, or allulose, or another natural sweetener to satisfy your sweet tooth.

 

When you crave something salty

The adrenal glands are activated under excessively stressful conditions or when you have not slept enough.  Whenever you get stressed, your adrenal glands release adrenaline and cortisol, and as a result, glucose (your main source of energy) is released into your bloodstream. All of this is done to give you the energy you need to escape a risky situation (also known as the fight-or-flight response).

Once the threat is gone, the adrenaline rush fades and blood sugar levels drop. This is when cortisol kicks in to quickly replenish energy supplies by triggering a surge of hunger.  As a result, they may crave salty and fatty foods.

We've seen before that another reason you might experience salt cravings is that your body actually needs it. Everyone needs sodium, and research suggests that when the body is deficient in this nutrient, the brain triggers appetite signals to consume sodium, but that it is sometimes confused with sugar as well, or both.

The curious thing is that in the Western diet we consume more sodium than necessary, to the point that it can be harmful to your health, increasing the probability of suffering strokes, heart disease and hypertension.

How to fight the craving for something salty

Because modern foods contain significant amounts of sodium, before you jump into salt cravings, think about what you've eaten during the day, whether you've drunk enough water, or perhaps you've sweated excessively from exercise or high temperatures, whether you're stressed, or whether you didn't get enough rest at night.

Addison's disease is the only medical condition that would trigger an unusual urge to consume salt.   In other cases, it may be appropriate to maintain balanced electrolyte levels: you can drink a sugar-free electrolyte drink and within 15 minutes you will start to feel more balanced. 

You can also season some of your foods with potassium salts and other preparations that do not contain sodium if you feel that your overall diet already contains enough of this mineral.

 

Chocolate cravings

Again, stress plays a role in the appearance of cravings because it activates the hormone cortisol, which uses our energy reserves, and that is why we feel that we need something sweet to increase and/or replenish levels due to energy shortages.

Paradoxically, simply eating sweets — like sugar-sweetened chocolate — can also trigger a spike in blood sugar, followed by a crash, possibly setting off a roller coaster of stress and cravings.

Why is chocolate the only thing that can satisfy us?

According to Dr Nicky Keay, a sports and dance endocrinologist and Honorary Clinical Lecturer in Medicine at University College London,

“Chocolate has effects on the brain that help you relax and feel good, as it increases brain levels of several chemicals, including Amphetamine-related phenylethylamine (AMP), which alters mood and produces a slight buzz that inspires confidence.

Chocolate also contains tryptophan, a chemical that is converted to serotonin in the brain to improve mood and increase euphoria; and theobromine, a stimulant that lifts your spirits.

And chocolate is practically unique in that it melts in the mouth at body temperature, producing a silky and delicious sensation that increases its appeal and that, according to many psychologists, is one of the main reasons why chocolate is so addictive." ( article )

Additionally, research has found that some women of childbearing age experience a significant increase in appetite and cravings for chocolate, sweets and salty foods during the last phase of their menstrual cycle.

Another reason? Magnesium. Adults often consume less magnesium than recommended in their diet, which may explain why many people turn to chocolate, which is rich in the mineral.

How to combat chocolate cravings

I'm not going to tell you to stop eating chocolate.  First, it's delicious.  Second, it has important benefits such as serotonin production, the flavonols in cocoa that you can see in my video and article about chocolate can have a rejuvenating effect, increase blood flow to the brain improving cognitive function and more.  The only thing is that these properties of chocolate are cancelled out if it contains sugar.  So try to consume dark chocolate, without sugar, or at least sweetened with one of the alternatives we have mentioned such as stevia, allulose or erythritol, for example.

Chocolate is a naturally high-calorie food, so if you still need to reduce your consumption, other habits and foods that allow you to balance minerals such as magnesium in your body would be,

• Try to eat at the times you have scheduled,
• Let each meal contain enough protein, fiber and some healthy fats.
• Focus on eating large salads, with lots of green leafy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, chard, avocado and artichoke, for example.
• Use olive oil, coconut oil, MCT oil (medium chain triglycerides) or ghee in your preparations.

 

Are you hungry and don't know what you want to eat?

Stay hydrated . It is thought that our bodies can occasionally mistake thirst for hunger, which is why it can be so difficult to know exactly which food will satisfy a craving. The same area of ​​the brain that controls hunger also controls thirst, so sometimes the signals get crossed when you haven't had enough water during the day and they get confused, making you feel "hangry."

It turns out that when your body needs water, it doesn't particularly care whether it gets it from a glass of plain water or a milkshake.  The best thing to do is to drink a glass of water whenever you get a craving and wait 15 minutes to see if you still feel like eating something.  I have noticed that sometimes, about two hours after lunch, you feel hungry and it turns out to be thirsty.   If this happens to you, you can try it.

 

Endless hunger when breaking an intermittent fast or a very restricted diet

It is normal to feel hungry after fasting or following a very restrictive diet.  The problem is that once the fast is broken, it seems that nothing satisfies the hunger. 

Before breaking the fast, it is good to consume electrolytes because these preparations usually come with the right proportions of the minerals we need to be in balance.  Many times, hunger continues because the food you break the fast with does not contain balanced minerals and even after you have finished eating, you feel that something is still missing. Has this happened to you?

Another alternative is to break the fast with a broth that contains enough sodium and then proceed to consume some protein.  After about 15 minutes and having eaten your entire meal, you should feel as full as normal.

 

Lack of sleep

As a first step, dopamine, the hormone that increases as a result of the feeling of reward, must be modulated.  Foods rich in tyrosine (because it increases the availability of dopamine) would be cheese, fish (salmon) and yogurt, mainly.

Likewise, something with a sweet taste does not mean that it is something full of sugar, it is just about the flavor, which can be compensated with a yogurt sweetened with stevia, or erythritol, allulose or another natural sweetener that does not raise your blood sugar.

The other thing to consider is sodium . Activation of the endocannabinoid receptor 2-AG causes fat and salt consumption.  By consuming a little water with sea salt to stabilize said activation, it acts directly on the Nucleus Accumbens (where the neurons equipped with dopamine receptors are located) in the brain.

Finally, control the production of leptin, a hormone that is activated when we feel satisfied after eating. It works in reverse to the endocannabinoid receptor 2-AG, that is, if 2-AG is elevated, leptin is at a low level. To activate leptin production, make sure your food contains enough complete protein, fiber and a little healthy fat.

 

Above all, listen to your body

Although many cravings have emotional or environmental causes, others are a consequence of what happens in the body. 

Sugar cravings, for example, often increase around menopause, or chocolate cravings in women of childbearing age when their period or moon time approaches.

Likewise, iron deficiency has been linked to cravings for iron-rich foods (like red meat), and even some non-foods (like dirt or chalk). If you are following an extremely restrictive or vegan diet without adequate amino acid supplementation and you start craving protein-rich foods, it could mean you are lacking complete protein or certain amino acids.

Rather than thinking that it is inevitable or that you simply lack willpower, think that cravings are your body's way of telling you about a deficiency in your body.  Now you have the tools to better understand what may be happening inside your body and some alternatives to resolve it.