Title: Managing Your Cravings Going for the 3 Increases: Increase in Health, Increase in Happiness
1Managing Your CravingsGoing for the 3 Increases
Increase in Health, Increase in Happiness
Increase in Energy
- Strategies for Success in Weight Management
- By James J. Messina, Ph.D.
2It starts with the Neurotransmitters
- Serotonin triggers cravings for sweets
- NPY - triggers a desire for pancakes and waffles
in the morning
- Galanin - triggers cravings to sweet-and-creamy
or meat-and-potatoes by mid-afternoon
- Endorphins triggers eating desserts pleasurable
3Eating to boost ones mood
- Feel sad, down, disappointed, low?
- Carbohydrates starches, pasta, or sweets, raise
levels of serotonin in the brain
- Carbohydrates boost mood but we need to eat them
in moderation!
4Craving differences between men women
- Typically women crave - sugar-fat mixtures ice
cream, chocolate, cookies, pies, doughnuts
cake
- Typically men prefer protein-fat mixtures -
steak, meatloaf, potatoes and gravy, or
hamburgers
5These cravings have existed since the cavepeople
- Researchers at Rockefeller University theorize
that these are age-old craving differences
between men women
- These cravings were useful in days when
- cavemen needed to maintain high levels of muscle
mass to hunt
- cavewomen needed to maintain body fat stores in
the event of pregnancy
6Cravings are mood related
- Women have reported feeling bored, lonely or
depressed when they indulged in their desired
food
- Men associated giving in to cravings with
feelings of happiness and relaxation.
- Less than 40 percent of cravers said they were
hungry when they experienced cravings
7You are born with a craving set
- Each person is born with a unique nerve chemical
profile set of cravings
- This fact is not a license to binge
- You cant change your genetic makeup
- You can coax these neurotransmitters
- Even small changes in balance of nerve chemicals
can have far-reaching effects on your mood,
energy levels appetite
8PMS and Over Indulging Cravings
- Cravings amplify during the two weeks prior to a
womans period, probably because fluctuating
estrogen levels have a domino effect on brain
chemistry, sending many appetite control
chemicals into a tailspin - But overeating sugar, salty or high-fat snack
foods, or caffeine will only make PMS symptoms
worse
9Give in to it or let the craving pass
- Sometimes a craving may pass after about 15
minutes
- Repeatedly resisting cravings may set you up for
bingeing
- Many dietitians recommend giving in when youve
got it bad, it takes 100 calories of a craved
food to quell the yearning e.g.Eight Nacho chips,
14 Gummi Bears or one fun-size package of MMs.
10Timing of Cravings
- Skipping breakfast or lunch can cause blood sugar
to drop - leading to afternoon cravings
- 3-6 pm is prime time for cravings
- Never let more than four hours go by between
meals or snacks
11Chocolate the Most Craved Food
- Taste of chocolate on the tongue is likely to
release endorphins in brain producing euphoric or
pleasurable feeling
- Sugar in chocolate may raise Serotonin levels
soothe gloomy mood relax you
- Creamy taste of chocolate may soothe need for fat
fueled by Galanin
- Aroma of chocolate may affect brain chemistry
12Nothing curbs chocolate craving but chocolatefor
crave-prone times
- Plan Late afternoon snack
- 3 to 4 Hersheys Kisses, not entire bag or Five
dried apricots dipped in chocolate or Slice
chocolate angel food cake topped with
raspberries - Plan In the evening snack
- Two cups of oranges, bananas strawberries
dipped in 1/4 cup dark chocolate syrup or cup of
fat-free chocolate cocoa
13Steps to control cravings 1. Listen to your
cravings
- Theyre telling you something
- Cravings for sweets are an unconscious effort to
raise Serotonin or NPY levels
- Desire for creamy or fatty foods ice cream to
steak may be a basic need to satisfy Galanin or
Endorphin levels
14Steps to control cravings 1. Listen to your
cravings
- Willpower wont work with these powerful brain
chemicals, so work with them instead, by using
nutritious foods to calm cravings and boost mood
- If mid-afternoon you crave something sweet, turn
to fig bars, graham crackers with peanut butter,
air-popped popcorn, or a raisin bagel with
all-fruit jam
15Steps to control cravings 2. Cut back on sugar
and caffeine
- These quick-fix solutions only amplify or
aggravate cravings in the long run
16Steps to control cravings 3. Give in to it
- If the craving doesnt go away
- Eat the desired food instead of stuffing yourself
with everything but kitchen sink
- Stop short of a binge
- Buy single-serve food packages
- Serve a reasonable portion and eat it outside of
the kitchen
17Steps to control cravings 4. Create a ritual
- Make eating treats special
- Instead of eating a half-gallon of ice cream in
front of the freezer, spoon some into a nice
bowl, sit in your favorite chair, eat slowly and
savor each bite
18Steps to control cravings 5. Exercise
- People who exercise report fewer cravings than
non-exercisers due in part to the mood altering
Endorphins released during physical activity
- Exercisers tend to feel more in control of their
bodies may be less likely to binge