Everybody has had a craving for a certain food at one time or another, whether that is for a good salad after a vegetable-drought or your favorite ice cream on a warm summer evening. But some people suffer from insatiable cravings that drive them on a regular basis. I’m talking about a “get between me and my chocolate and you risk kissing the floor” type cravings. If you are one of those people, or know somebody that has these, read on.
(This post comes to us from our friends at Natural Solutions for a Healthy You.)
Most of the time, these strong, often insatiable cravings are caused by imbalances in brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is often associated with mood; new research is showing that it is also likely responsible for cravings, especially for sugars, sweets, carbohydrates and soda as well as increased appetite.
If your serotonin levels are low, your mood will suffer, and you will also be more likely to crave carbohydrates, especially in the mid-afternoon and evening. For those trying to lose weight, this is a recipe for disaster as your willpower is no match for your brain chemistry, and you will eventually give in to the cravings and “blow” a diet. Whether you are trying to lose weight or not, having these strong cravings can make us feel out of control, which can lead to anxiety, depression, despondent and stuck.
This was a huge problem for me. If I hadn’t become a naturopathic doctor, I think I may have ended up being one of those “speed-eater” guys–the ones that stuff huge quantities of food into their mouths as quickly as possible without throwing up. I’ve seen some of those contests, and I think I would have done pretty well. The reason was that I NEVER felt satisfied, and I was ALWAYS hungry. I never understood when people said things like, “The last bite of food just doesn’t taste as good as the first,” or “I’m stuffed–I couldn’t possibly eat another bite.” Even though I was physically full with a distended stomach to prove it, my brain was still sending the signal to EAT. Somehow, the connection between my brain and my stomach wasn’t working. It wasn’t until I learned about neurotransmitter imbalances that my overwhelming desire to eat finally made sense.
We’ll go over just how this occurs in Part 2 of this series.
In the evenings I crave sweets. I esp. like ice cream and have a very hard time resisting it every evening. In fact I rarely do resist it. Difficulty with any sweets and my husband insists on buying them, so I often give in and have some of it.
Hi Mary Ellen,
What you describe is VERY common. From your brief description, there are two variables I would suggest trying to control: (1) not having the stuff in the house and (2) eliminating the craving. The first may actually be the hardest one to implement, as you stated that your husband buys the products (i.e., ice cream) and has them in the house. It may be worth one more conversation with him just to let him know that you’d really like to kick this craving and you need his help to do it. His part would simply be not to bring the stuff into the house.
Whether that tactic works or not, the second part is to get control of the craving. Very often, cravings for sweets, especially when they occur later in the afternoon or evening, can be triggered by neurotransmitter imbalances. The first thing to try is simply to eat more protein throughout the day and cut back on grain-based carbohydrates, like breads, pasta, cookies, cakes, etc. If that doesn’t help, you may benefit from targeted amino acid therapy to help eliminate the cravings. If you’d like to learn more about amino acid therapy, please see: http://amino-acid-therapy.com/.
Good luck! Please let us know if we can every be of assistance –
Sincerely,
Dr. Chad