Crave for nothing!

In sad, desperate tones I often hear the following plea, “But Jill, I can’t control my carbohydrate/sugar cravings. At 3.00 pm I’ll be pulling out all my work drawers to find a hidden sweetie and, after dinner I’ll turn the house upside down until I find something sweet!” Familiar?!

There are a couple of ways to address this sugar/carb addiction. Firstly ensure you consume adequate protein at lunch time. Often this sugar craving is simply due to inappropriate blood sugar levels, and a method to keep it stable is to have a higher protein meal at lunchtime.

Likewise, eating a carbohydrate-drenched lunch, such as white bread, pasta or rice will have your blood sugars soar, then crash and you will be fidgeting the rest of the day to quickly elevate them again with a quick fix . . . a chocolate bar or a sweet biscuit. Not good. Thirdly, low magnesium can predispose to low blood sugar, so a little dose of magnesium (which has a plethora of other benefits – increased energy production, adrenal support, decreases lactic acid, soothes the nervous system, prevents cramps etc.) may be a simple answer to the 3.00 pm carb blues and the after-dinner sugar madness!

Lastly and most importantly… ignore that inner saboteur urging you to find a quick fix! I guarantee if you wait 10 minutes the urge will disappear in a cloud of selfdiscipline!

We need to be a little more patient and not to look for an immediate “solution” to a craving.
What is more important, to give into your fleeting craving, or the success of sticking to your health goals?
Remember, what we want is not necessarily what we need!