Sounds like you're ready to make some lifestyle changes. Great! Let me tell you something you may or may not be aware of when it comes to cravings. Cravings for sweets and carbohydrates are so common that most of us think nothing of them. Yet, giving in to those cravings can set us up for a lifetime of ill health. Eating what are known as high-glycemic-index carbs - foods like processed grains (white bread), breads, chips, and candy (also known as "Empty calories")- creates blood-sugar swings that provoke cravings and leads to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a contributing factor in almost all or our major health issues, from diabetes to heart disease. Learning how to improve your diet and lifestyle can be the key not only to freedom from cravings, but to dramatically improved health and weight management.
As a Nutrition and Wellness Coach, I have shifted away from a traditional "post-problem" medical approach to a preventative one. My goal today is to empower people through lifestyle changes to avoid the devastating degenerative diseases afflicting our nation. In addition to recommending regular exercise and high-quality nutritional supplements, I alos promote a diet of low-glycemic-index foods. Clients who adopt my healthy lifestyle approach see dramatic results in as little as four to six weeks. They feel better, their health improves, and they NATURALLY lose unwanted weight.
Excess weight is a concern for many of my clients who consult with me. Unaware of the connection between cravings and a diet of high-glycemic foods, most attribute their spreading waistlines to a tendency to overindulge, which they feel powerless to control. They believe they are just emotional overeaters with insatiable appetites until I put them on a glycemic-controlled nutritional program. Within 3-5 days, for many, the addictive eating patter is broken. Then they are on their way to freedom from excess weight for life.
Understanding the consequences of eating high-glycemic carbs can encourage anyone to make the switch to low-glycemic choices instead. Let me explain: Let's say you eat a high glycemic breakfast that consists of a white bages with orange juice. The sugar from the these foods enters your bloodstream rapidly. In response to the spike in blood sugar, your body produces insulin, which moves sugar out of the blood and stores it as fat. As a result, your blood-sugar level drops way down. To drive blood sugar up again, your body produces the stress hormones adrenalin and cortisol, which stimulate cravings of hunger. Meanwhile, the excess blood sugar from teh meal also irritates the fine lining of your arteries, which become inflammed and go into spasms and can continue even four to five hours after your meal. Over time, as these spasms thicken the arteries, your body becomes more and more resistant to insulin, creating further health complications. Signs that you have become insulin-resistant can include weight gain around the waist, high blood pressure and inflammatory diseases.
I realize this is alot of information at once, however, I am extremely passionate about sharing proactive preventative health and it is my hope that it helps you and anyone else that can relate that may be reading this!
A couple of resources that may help you www.releasingfat.com and google "low-glycemic foods" and get a print out of foods that are healthier choices.
Yours in health,
D.