You Crave What You Eat

You remember that ol' saying, "you are what you eat?" Don't you just want to kick someone for saying that to you?

Well, get your steel toed boots out, and kick the sh*t out of me....as it's TRUE!!

You are what you eat. You CRAVE the food you eat!

This was inspired by a book I'm currently listening to, called Made to Crave, by Lysa TerKeurst. It's available in book form too, but I'm an audiobook gal. Audible is my jam.

Cravings are a part of life.

Some are healthy, other are not. 

When we eat or crave sweets, or maybe savory is your jam, it sets off the dopamine rewards, and sends a chemical reaction to the brain, which is similar to how the brain responds to drugs. 

Speaking of, go Google "Your brain on sugar".

If that doesn’t scare you straight...I don't know what will. Sugar is a BEAST! It's a cancer (and some say leads to it). It's a DRUG. 

But reality is, sugar is in our favorite "comfort foods". There’s also a lot of emotion that’s tied to food. 

You know, when you eat a warm cinnamon bun, you think of the smell in your grandma’s kitchen, right? 

Or having a certain candy, reminds you off going to the “treat” store with your Dad on Saturday. Ok, maybe that’s just me! :) Saturday was our "treat day", so we would ride our bikes to the corner store and get my favorite, Skor bar. It was a routine. It was something I craved, because of the memory and experience. 

When the food is consume, it triggers another chemical in the brain to be released, called opioids. And opioids are what send the signal to the brain about emotional relief, to said fond memory.

As we grow up and are around some of these experiences, they become hard wired in our brain. Which is why, a lot of us have such a taxing relationship with food, and now in our adult years, have to find ways to change that behavior or emotion behind something we crave so much. 

I mean, we grew up around “comfort food”. Your moms homemade Mac & Cheese, your Grandma’s Pot Pie or your Dad’s danishes. Whatever…it was comfort. And we as humans, eating is a primal activity, so again, another hard wire to the brain!

How do we over come it? How do we break the craving and not the memory? We teach you how to CRAVE the right foods, so when these comfort foods come around, they are WORTH IT, not just a routine in our eating regime.

Let's share some tips on how you can overcome some of those, as a pace that suits your goals and needs. 

Some people are ALL or NOTHING, others need gradual. Let’s see if we can conquer both appeals. 

1. Make it WORTH IT. Indulge into the craving in a smaller amount. 
2. Start with a healthier option first, then had a small portion of your craving. 
3. Replace that specific food or treat, with a healthier version…and again PORTION!
4. Pair your foods. Get your MACROS in with each meal. Check out my 5-Day Clean Eating Series to speaks to this. 
5. Have fruit on hand! Maybe it’s the crunch of an apple or the sweet of the first bite. 
6. Switch up your routine a bit. Maybe the function of the routine, needs to change, so you can start to shake the “craving” aspect of whatever your fancy is. Take another route to the bathroom or conference room. Bypass the kitchen or close the pantry door. 

Easy enough to fold into your lifestyle, right? Ok, it sounds easier said than done. So send me an email, and let me support you through it. I am here to hand hold or put you on a strict regime to kick it into high gear. Now is the time!

My next Challenge group is right around the corner, so if that's the calling you have, then check out more info on it and let's do this! You are never alone!!