What if a “pill” existed that would help slash your cravings for those highly palatable foods such as chips, fries, chocolate, cake, cookies, and ice cream? Would you be interested? Would you be curious? If you answered yes, to either of those questions, read on, this article will speak to you.
Does such a supplement exist? Yes indeed it does — and people are taking notice.
Why do we crave sugar? There are clear, biological reasons why we all crave sugar from time to time. Our body relies on glucose as a major source of energy. Naturally, we are hard wired to recognize and desire things that are sweet. The bright colours of fruit, the sweet smell and taste of honey are almost instinctively passed down over thousands of years. As such, our bodies will recognize and crave sugar which it recognizes as a reliable source of glucose/energy for the body. In modern times, there are many circumstances which will tap into those evolutionary desires and influence people to crave something sweet. Being fatigued, sleep deprived, chronically stressed or their daily diet is lacking in key nutrients can all cause our bodies to crave, quick absorbable sources of energy. Unfortunately, those quick sources are not typically broccoli or a lean breast of chicken. Our body knows what is a quick source or energy and they tend to be packaged foods (typically high in simple processed carbohydrates) and sweets. Other triggers for sugar cravings include low blood sugar, pregnancy, thirst, and certain prescription medications.
Why do we crave carbs? Other than the above-mentioned reasons of quick sources of energy. We crave carbohydrates because very simply, we’ve trained our bodies to do so. Eating these carbs on a regular basis has trained our system to understand that they too can provide that fast source of energy. When we consume these carbs, it causes our body to produce more of a hormone called insulin than we would want. Increased levels of insulin signal our bodies to accumulate fat by shuttling those nutrients into our fat cells. As insulin helps move energy into our fat cells (for storage), it isn’t able to do its other job which is shuttling other beneficial nutrients into our other cells such as lean muscle. This in turn makes us crave carbs.
Can you beat cravings with a supplement? Technically, yes. Supplements meant to curb cravings can be a helpful tool for people with diabetes as well as for people who want to lose weight.
The decrease in caloric intake could lead to weight loss, if it is sustained over time. Our bodies are then encouraged to tap into our “stored energy” (body fat), if other sources of energy aren’t always present.
How can we manage cravings without supplementation? We can do so by limiting the amount of added sugars we eat. Rather than focusing on altering the flavour of foods to reduce sugar cravings, we should stick to more natural foods and foods with natural sugars, such as fruit. The absolute best way to limit food cravings is by eating regular, well-balanced meals. That means incorporating more whole foods through proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
Managing your cravings with a regular diet is the best way to keep them in check, but some of us still struggle with this. EWYN’s Crave Control is a great way to manage those cravings and keep your diet on track!