How to Stop Food Cravings
Say goodbye to the cravings trap…
Unconsciously consuming food due to your cravings can create many health problems in your body.
Have you ever felt like you are not hungry but still, you constantly want to eat? Or you have sworn that you will never eat the food that makes your body feel horrible, but you find yourself not being able to resist despite this? Maybe you feel an uncontrollable urge for a specific food that no matter what you do or eat, you can’t stop thinking about it. This is the cravings trap sister!
Having an unhealthy relationship with food means that you eat for pleasure rather than caring for your body. Cravings for unhealthy food can disrupt your life drastically. From making you feel unwell, exhausted & depressed.
But do not worry or feel ashamed of it my love because we all experience it at some point in our lives; I feel you. And let me tell you, you can get to the root cause of your unhealthy cravings & discover how to stop food cravings.
I will tell you how.
But first, let me tell you a story.
Food Cravings are a Trap!
After many years of detoxing, clean eating & turning my cravings into healthy ones, I decided to try eating sugar, dairy, gluten, meat, alcohol & coffee on a holiday in Turkey.
Guess what I experienced? Just after having some of them, I WANTED THEM MORE. I stopped feeling full. I couldn’t stop thinking about eating them again. I would see others eating it & feel frustrated & Then it clicked, this is the craving trap!
After many years of detoxing, clean eating & turning my cravings into healthy ones, I decided to try eating sugar, dairy, gluten, meat, alcohol & coffee on a holiday in Turkey.
Guess what I experienced? Just after having some of them, I WANTED THEM MORE. I stopped feeling full. I couldn’t stop thinking about eating them again. I would see others eating it & feel frustrated & Then it clicked, this is the craving trap!
If I ate them again the craving would go away & I would feel good again. But once the sugar hit, the “feel good” hormones or caffeine wore off, I would feel empty again, wanting more & unsatisfied, a feeling I didn’t have when not eating these foods.
It took almost a week for the cravings to change & for me to feel connected with what was best for my body, but more than a month to really feel back to myself again. I even noticed when I would eat foods that I knew were healthy for me my body would react.
This is the trap most people fall into. They eat what makes them feel good.
I AM SORRY TO SAY, BUT THIS IS A TRAP.
I want to support people to listen to their bodies, however when you are eating certain foods it’s basically impossible too!
Why Do You Have Food Cravings?
Here is why….
IT IS SO NORMAL TO CRAVE SUGAR, CARBS, FATS & SALT – they are highly addictive! They are hiding in everything from yogurt to plant based milks, jams, breads etc &most people consume WAY TOO MUCH of these foods!
Ultimately you crave the micronutrients found in fruits & nutrient dense foods. If you do not eat enough of these foods, you are then more likely to indulge in other unhealthy foods.
Your body’s most preferred fuel source is carbohydrates, especially for energy for the brain & muscles. If the body cannot get ahold of carbohydrates it can use protein for fuel instead which can affect the building of muscles & other cells.
This is why a carb free diet is not something I recommend unless for a very short period.
You are wired to crave food when you feel stressed as the body wants to then store up calories as it fears you will run out of food.
This is how you are programmed as a human. When you consume addictive carbs it also stimulates the release of serotonin & dopamine which makes you feel good!
When you taste sugar it also releases endorphins that calm you down. No wonder you cannot get enough when you are going through a hard time.
Strong cravings can also be a sign of parasite activity, under-active thyroid, hormonal imbalances or bacterial overgrowth.
What Do Your Cravings Want?
Your food cravings more often than not is an outward sign of an inward problem. It’s a direct reflection of your digestive system. Your gut is a home to trillions of bacteria. Some good, some bad.
Just like your brain, your gut bacteria are communicating with you that they want something. Different food cravings have different meanings & when you know about these indications, you can utilize them. So whether you are craving carbs or craving ice cream there could be information for you to transform your health & body.
So what could your gut bacteria be trying to tell you?
𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐭: When you’re craving for salty food, there’s a good chance that you’re dehydrated & lacking in electrolytes, or your adrenals need some love.
𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝: This is a sign that your gut bacteria might be in need of essential omegas. Trouble is if you reach for the fried foods you will throw your omega 3,6,9 ratio way out of balance. Instead of fried food try to get your fats from healthier sources.
𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐬: Your gut bacteria could be in dire need of anything that could boost your energy supply, or maybe you just need something to make you feel good! Having a diet full of healthy carbs is essential for your health, but notice the difference between eating pasta vs veggies!
𝐒𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫: It’s pretty awesome when you uncover why your body is craving sugar. It’s because sweeter fruits are more nutrient dense. So before processed candies, humans long before our time would naturally forage the sweetest fruits from nature as they would receive the most health benefits.
For women, things get a little more interesting. As a woman, your hormones fluctuate every day & you need different nutrients. When your gut is balanced you will be able to trust the wisdom of your body & your cravings, but while it isn’t indulging in the cravings could throw your hormones all over the place!
Want to stop your food cravings?
These tips will help you discover how to stop food cravings. Often there can be a tendency to choose a faster route but I recommend you try them all to see what works best for you & be consistent. It takes time & dedication!
- Eat small meals often
Keep your body satiated with nourishing & frequent meals. This will help you to regulate your intense hunger & you will be less likely to act on your cravings & binge eat.
- Start a food journal & check in with your emotions
Start a food journal to notice when you are having cravings. Address the emotions that are arising during that time. Most of the time cravings can arise to cope with uncomfortable emotions such as anxiety, anger, grief, etc. A journal can help to process those emotions without turning towards your cravings.
- Pause & take some deep breaths
Cravings can be an indication that blood is not circulating through your body properly. Blood carries nutrients & oxygen to all the cells. Practicing deep belly breathing can do wonders– it can circulate your blood, increase the oxygen level in the body & calm any anxiety or worry that comes up. So, take a pause when you have cravings & Breathe!
- Sleep well
Build a good sleep routine for yourself. Not having enough sleep throws your body & mind off balance. Good sleep resets your whole nervous system & which allows you to have healthy hunger cycles instead of unpredictable craving strikes. I love this tea to help me sleep.
- Ensure that you are having at least one bowel movement per day
Having a good bowel movement 1-2 times daily shows that you’re digesting your food properly. Constipation leads to toxin buildup in the body & you will have a hard time absorbing the nutrients which can lead to wanting more food. For more support with this I have a program for women with digestive issues, see it here.
- Practice Mindful & intuitive eating
Sit with your food without any distractions– no reading, no phone or TV. Give all your attention to the food you are eating, observe how it makes you feel in the body, chew slowly & completely, breathe & calm your mind, look at the food, smell your food, take the whole experience in, ask your body what it needs to eat today & listen to your body when it is satisfied. Being mindful & intuitive when you eat brings you closer to your body. And relaxing without any stimulation allows your body to digest food better.
- Balance your hormones
Hormones play a vital role in your digestion & overall rhythm of your bodily system. When they are not balanced, your body’s intuitive switch can turn off & then you completely go under the control of your hormones. Extreme hunger or no hunger, both can be a side effect of that. Keep your hormones balanced & your cravings will fade away. I share more on this topic in my blog.
- Avoid restrictive diet
Don’t change your diet drastically overnight or go on a restrictive diet that your body isn’t ready for. Your body needs time to change a habit & there is no overnight solution to that. Take one step at a time to gradually build up to your optimal diet. For people who binge & have extreme cravings, restrictive diets can result in more severe binge eating.
- Eat nutrient dense meals
It’s often the nutrients that you are craving. When your body’s nutrient need is fulfilled, your food cravings drastically decrease. Eat foods that are high in nutrients, low in toxins & easy to digest.
- Move your body
When you feel food cravings, go for a walk or do some exercise to release trapped energy & distract your mind from thinking about the craving. It will increase your blood flow, oxygen level & release endorphins which will boost you up.
- Eat a small amount of what you are craving
If you really can’t resist the craving just have a small amount which will prevent the big binge. Gradually reduce the amount you eat, eventually it will allow you to give those foods up overtime.
- Do a natural parasite cleanse & candida detox
Candida & parasites can both exist in the human body and create a wide range of health issues. When they are plentiful, they might change the body’s delicate balance & cause desires for certain food they need to survive. It is possible for parasites to interfere with digestion & nutrient absorption, which can result in nutrient deficits & cravings.
Sugar & carbohydrate cravings might result from a candida overgrowth in the gut. Additionally, candida has the ability to harm the gut lining, resulting in leaky gut syndrome, which can make desires for food worse.
Parasites can be removed through detoxification & a healthy balance of gut bacteria can be restored. Cravings can then naturally diminish as a result of removing parasites & lowering Candida overgrowth. Find out here how to detox from candida & parasites here.
Understanding the relationship between food & your body is a doorway to enhancing your overall health. When you start seeing your cravings as a messenger from your body & understand how different foods are addictive in nature, you will be able to not fall for this trap & stop your unhealthy food cravings naturally.
I understand the pain of going in circles with food cravings. After years of dedication to overcome this in myself, I now help people to do the same.
How To Intuitively Eat is a book I wrote from my 10+ years of experience with balancing my relationship with food. This is a guide to not only help you to become an intuitive eater but also to apply intuition in all areas of your life.
This book tells the story of my personal journey with intuitive eating & how I managed to completely change my life, heal my physical health, listen to my body’s wisdom, & reclaim my power!
Are you ready to trust your body to guide you just like it did for generations before you had Google to send you around in circles of misinformation? You can purchase a copy of this book here.
It is my hope that this book & blog inspire you on your journey of disocovering how to stop food cravings.
Much love
Jodie Louise xx
