Chocolate, bread, steak, eggs, french fries, ice cream, coffee -- it really doesn't matter what you crave. The important thing is to understand why you crave what you crave. The key to deconstructing cravings is to look at the foods, deficits, and behaviors in your life that are the underlying cause of your cravings.
Food is the only half the equation when it comes to creating health. Eating well helps, but don't expect it to work miracles. It can fill you but not fulfill you.
Whenever your body is craving something, please pause and wonder, "What is really going on here?" For example, if you are craving ice cream, ask yourself what it is, exactly, that you crave. Do you want something creamy? Or is it the sugar? Maybe you need comfort? Perhaps your body is in need of fat? Or it could be that you simply need to cool off. Once you determine what it is about the ice cream you crave, you can make well-informed, and possibly healthier, food choices. If you discover that it is the fat that you crave, you can eat some avocado or nut butter instead of gorging on a pint of sugary ice cream.
We can, and must, develop dialogue and relatedness with our bodies because they are talking to us all the time. Please remember, your body loves you. It does everything it can to keep you alive and functioning. You can deprive it of sleep, but it still gets you up and running in the morning. It loves you unconditionally.
The real issue here is whether you love your body. In any relationship, if one partner is loving, faithful, and supportive, it's easy for the other to take the person for granted. That's what most of us do with our bodies. It is time to shift this paradigm. Working to understand your cravings is one of the best places to begin.
Be Well,
Dr. M
1 comment:
I just found your blog. It is interesting! I know some about nutrition but, unfortunately, can't say I practice much of what I know. I have changed my diet a lot over the last four years and for the most part I eat a high fiber diet. Though I know there is a difference between soluable and insoluable (is that spelled right?)fiber. My biggest drawback is that I still eat too many snacks. I try fruit but I guess the sugar is different because fruit doesn't quite satisfy like ice cream or a candy bar. I wish I had more self-discipline in this area. Oh well, nice blog and I think I'll put it on my bloglist.
Thanks,
Richard
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