Most people think so, but I have an entirely different take on this topic which is nothing new because I’m generally the misfit in most circles. But I do consider myself the Queen of Cravings, or at least I used to be.
I’ve craved it all. Sugar, chocolate, carbs – just about anything that’s associated with cravings I’ve craved. I’ve even had nonfood cravings such as cravings for new shoes, jewelry, and pocketbooks.
Is that a bad thing? Some might think so, however here’s the truth: cravings are not the enemy. They are simply messages from your body alerting you to a critical imbalance.
No matter what you’re craving, your body is always seeking balance, in every given moment of every given day, and whether it’s craving satisfying relationships, exercise
, inspiring work, or food, it will crave and crave and crave until it gets there.
There is nothing more powerful on earth than your physiology, hence the reason you give in to your cravings. If your body wants something, it will get it and it will keep making you crave it until you get it. It has to have it! With good reason - to balance you out, a state otherwise known as homeostasis.
I’d say sugar is probably the #1 cause of food cravings. People love it. They’re addicted to it, which is exactly how food manufacturers want it. Even though it is officially classified as a drug, it’s not outlawed like other addictive substances such as heroin or cocaine. Go figure!
I wonder if that has anything to do with their profits?
The more people eat it, the fatter, moodier, and lethargic they become. But the reason they crave it in the first place is to get energy (unless they’re strictly emotional eaters). It’s 1 of 2 popular choices of artificial fuel, coffee being 2nd.
What’s driving the craving in the first place is 1 of 3 things:
• Adrenal exhaustion
• Candida
• Hypoglycemia
Over 80% of the American population are so stressed, have poor digestive health, and eat so much sugar that they develop a condition called hypoglycemia, a.k.a. low blood sugar, and the only thing that’s going to manage the condition short term is to get sugar in their system ASAP which gives them a temporary burst of energy so that they can keep going.
1 alternative I prefer over sugar is any form of natural sweetener. Stevia, agave or brown rice syrup all have lower glycemic indexes than refined sugar and thereby don’t rush your blood system as much, which will keep your pancreas stable along with insulin production.
Too much insulin too often will tax your pancreas and send your blood sugar skyrocketing then crashing, ultimately leading to more severe blood sugar imbalances such as diabetes.
There are plenty of foods available made with natural sweeteners, but my favorite by far is a delicacy known as raw chocolate. Raw cacao is what all chocolate is made from, yet certain constituents like Hershey’s and M&M Mars get their hands on it and turn it into junk food.
When chocolate is made raw, it’s not heated above 118 degrees and all the precious vitamins, minerals and enzymes needed to nourish your body remain intact. It’s loaded with magnesium for good heart and brain health, plus neurotransmitters that regulate mood, sleep, and appetite. Plus it has the most antioxidants of any food on earth making it 1 of the world’s healthiest super foods!
And the best part is it’s made with agave. Agave’s is a natural sweetener with a GI of about 30 as long as it’s raw, organic agave, and it’s even sweeter than sugar. But it won’t produce insane cravings for it like sugar does; a little goes a long way with agave.
So next time you want to beat yourself over the head because you have a craving, 1st realize it’s your body’s way of talking to you and figure out what it wants, and if it needs something sweet to balance out, consider feasting on a few pieces of raw, dark chocolate. The guilt factor need not apply, and your taste buds will love you for it.
Angela Minelli is a Weight Loss Expert who helps dedicated women entrepreneurs get their message out to thousands and feel confident stepping on to a bigger stage.
Having an over 20-year corporate background, Angela knows stress only too well. She often logged 70, 80, or 90 hour workweeks in her former career, which eventually took a toll on her and led to near burnout. It became obvious that a change was necessary, so soon after, she switched careers and became a Holistic Health Coach and Certified Natural Health Practitioner and opened her coaching practice in the field of natural health. She now maintains her emotional and physical well-being by choosing to follow natural health protocols and has never felt better, and she teaches her clients how to do the same so that the quality of their lives improves as well.
After founding Wellness With Angela in 2009, Angela quickly rose to the top of her game becoming a highly sought after speaker and 1:1 nutrition coach. In 2010, she was featured as a guest expert on Lifetime TV and later that year created her 1st signature system, Crack the Code on Sugar Cravings: 4 Simple Strategies to Slim Down, Shape Up and Regain Control in Less Than 30 Days!™ that offers step-by-step instructions on how to eliminate refined sugar from your diet without feeling deprived, thereby reducing your risk of developing long term diseases such as diabetes, stroke, and cancer.
Eliminating sugar invariably leads to weight loss, and her overall approach to losing weight is considered to be less restrictive and much more innovative than typical diet plans which sets her apart in the industry. While diet centers focus mainly on cutting calories, extreme exercise, and willpower, Angela understands that weight loss is multi-faceted and goes much deeper than just what’s on the surface. She’s skilled at identifying the root cause of symptoms, including excess weight, fatigue, mood swings, and more, and helps her clients work in reverse so that they not only balance their bodies for life, but ultimately become their own best expert.
Her client’s results include natural weight loss, less cravings, better relationships, more cash flow and generalized feelings of euphoria. They often report relief that they’re not stuck counting points all day or forced to eat like a rabbit. Angela believes that lasting weight loss is inevitable once your mindset shifts, which is what her clients find to be an invaluable component to their success, and a reliance on outdated behaviors such as weighing and measuring food that don’t serve you simply melt away along with the weight.
Angela is passionate about helping her clients forge a renewed relationship with themselves so that they build trust in knowing that they are their own nutritional novice. She offers private and group health coaching to clients worldwide and is also a lecturer, blogger, accomplished copywriter, and freelance holistic health writer.
To access Angela’s free virtual workshop, The Top 10 Secrets to Conquer Sugar Cravings Fast! plus 2 FREE RECIPES and a 9-Week E Course on the Hidden Causes of Cravings, visit WellnessWithAngela.com.
She lives in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, where she spends her time with family, friends and her pets, Shelby, Molly, and her latest addition Bella!