Leptin Resistance
Leptin is a hormone your body produces in your fat tissue. Its primary job is to stimulate your appetite and tell you when you’re full. This all works fine when your stomach and your brain are in the same reality. But, the problem starts when constant surges of leptin trick your brain into feeling hungry, even when you’re not.
What causes this? One culprit is having too much body fat—more fat means more leptin is produced. Another cause is eating a diet high in sugary foods and processed carbs. The sugar triggers your fat cells to release surges of leptin. Whatever the reason, constant surges of leptin can lead to leptin resistance, which creates a feedback loop and further dulls your ability to perceive your real appetite. Eating a healthy, balanced diet is the best way to keep a normal balance of leptin in your body and, therefore, reduce your chances of being swept away by cravings.
Low levels of serotonin
Serotonin is a “feel-good” neurotransmitter produced mainly in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It’s directly tied to our mood, appetite and digestion. Eating carbs and sugar increases the release of serotonin, making us feel fabulous (temporarily). So, when our levels are low, our brains think, “Oh! That candy bar or bagel is going to fix this!”
A low serotonin level can be connected to a variety of things, including poor gut health (90% of serotonin is made in the gut), alcohol consumption, depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Endorphins and Food Addiction
Eating sugary foods, and even salt & MSG (hello, chips!), increases the production of endorphins in your body. Endorphins are basically opiates that make us feel relaxed. So when we eat these foods and experience this feeling, we want more—similar to the way drug users get addicted to narcotics. In fact, a recent study shows that sugar can actually have a more intense feeling of reward than cocaine. It’s that powerful. Another recent study looking at the addictive qualities of foods found that highly processed foods that are filled with fat and sugar can cause addictive eating because of their rapid rate of absorption. So the more you can avoid packaged and processed foods, the more control you’ll have over your food choices. You have to break free of the junk food roller coaster and choose to nourish your body with real lovely food!
A wonky gut
As mentioned earlier, low serotonin levels are linked to cravings, and your gut is the epicenter of serotonin production. In order to maintain feel-good levels of serotonin, your gut needs to be in tip-top shape so it can absorb nutrients from your food and pump out serotonin through your gastrointestinal tract.
This process is greatly dependent on healthy levels and the proper balance of good bacteria. But when your diet isn’t very healthy, the bad bacteria can overpower the good guys, creating more food cravings! Cultivating a healthy balance of good bacteria by eating fermented foods, taking probiotics and embracing other gut-happy habits can create the intestinal peace necessary to calm your cravings.
Emotional Triggers
This is a biggie. Sadness, boredom, stress, poor self-esteem, negative body image (and the list goes on) can prompt you to cruise the pantry for junk food. This is phantom hunger, not real hunger. But since food cravings are often fleeting and disappear within an hour, choosing to eat a healthier food or opting for a mood-boosting activity can satisfy you till the craving passes. This is the best time to surf a good nutrition site and create a very nutritious low carb, high veg/protein snack or meal. Or go for a walk, call a friend, meditate, take a nap. Do something healthful and healing for yourself rather than destructive. Your choices and focus on where and what you want to achieve are critical. Live life with intention, not reactive behaviours.
Now, let’s discuss some more strategies for how to stop food cravings…
5 Tips for Tackling Food Cravings
1. Stay hydrated. Make sure you’re drinking about half your body weight (lbs) in ounces of water daily (if you’re 140 lbs, drink 70 oz of water a day). Thirst and dehydration make you feel hungry, and may kick up your food cravings. Drink water throughout the day to help you stay hydrated and control your hunger. Add a little lemon to your water or switch things up by making a cup of tea.
2. Avoid sugary foods and processed carbs. To prevent leptin surges and blood sugar crashes that pump up your appetite, avoid processed carbs and sweets as much as possible. Sometimes the healthy protein in a handful of almonds or sunflower seeds is enough to help steer you away from the sugary foods. And you can still enjoy tasty treats, just whip them up with lower sugar, higher fiber and higher protein ingredients, like dark chocolate, almond flour, cassava flour and bean flours. These ingredients won’t trigger cravings and feed an appetite that just won’t quit.
3. Exercise and stay rested. Rather than relying on french fries and cookies to help you feel relaxed and happy, go for a brisk walk during the day and get into bed a little earlier in the evening. These habits produce endorphins just like the best tasting truffles on the planet. Plus, the exercise may boost your serotonin levels—something that should help you skip sugar and extra carbs more easily, too. And have you ever noticed that your food cravings seem to increase during PMS? As your hormone levels fluctuate, cravings can start to increase — so getting in a workout and some quality sleep are totally key during that time of the month too.
4. Make meditation and sunshine a priority. Taking a few minutes every day to meditate and getting 10-15 minutes a day of sunshine or light therapy may boost serotonin levels so you’re not reaching for Snickerdoodles to turn your mood around. If I’m still looking for a little more relaxation, I’ll practice some EFT, get it all out in my journal, or I’ll watch something that makes me feel all happy inside. FMTV is a wonderful site for movies and documentaries all focusing on healthful lifestyle. Regular TV viewing will hijack your subconscious mind. Lead your mind with intention.
5. Avoid trigger foods for 21 days. Your taste buds have a fantastic memory! If you really want to break food cravings, one of the best ways is to avoid eating those foods for a set period of time. Find healthier options to grab when you’re craving candy, cheese or chips—stuff like low-glycemic smoothies and desserts, fresh berries, guacamole or hummus with veggies or rice crackers, raw cashews and nut “cheese”. You can also incorporate more fermented foods which are good for your gut, like homemade kefir and kombucha. Keep these healthy foods on hand, and try to think about it like you’re adding in, rather than taking out. And here’s the best news — your taste buds will actually change over time. Your body will start to crave the healthy, whole foods once you begin to make them your new habit. The junk just won’t taste the same!
Most importantly, you gotta go easy on yourself. Trust that your cravings will fade, ride the wave, and you will build new, healthier habits.
Be Well,
Dawn Cormier, ND
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