Curb Your Cravings G U I D E

Transcription

1 Curb Your Cravings G U I D E

2 CONTENTS 1. Why You Get Cravings 2. A Simple Trick 3. Food Choices To Avoid 4. Better Swaps 5. Bonus Recipes

3 DISCLAIMER This book is not intended to treat or prevent diseases, nor as a substitute for medical treatment. This program mentioned here should not be adopted by a purchaser without review and consent of your health professional. The authors are neither responsible nor liable for any harm or injury resulting from these programs or the use of the exercises described herein. COPYRIGHT All rights reserved. No portion of this manual may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical. Including fax, photocopy, recording or any information storage by anyone but the purchaser for their own personal use.

4 Chapter 1 Why We Get Cravings

5 Most of us can experience cravings on a daily basis. 11 am for a muffin with a coffee, 1 pm for a burger and some fries, or a mid-afternoon pickme-up Coke. Every single day we try to resist these temptations, and we end up blaming ourselves if we fall into the trap and consume something we know we shouldn't. You end up telling yourself that you are weak and you punish yourself with negative thoughts, which make your cravings worse. But what if I told you that these cravings are your body trying to tell you something? We know that our bodies are amazing, processing millions of chemical reactions every second. And multiple studies prove that cravings are to do with our body urges for specific vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. It's not in your mind, and it's not down to your willpower, but mostly to do with what your body is lacking. And this guide is a plan to help make sure your body has what it needs, so you can curb those cravings!

6 Cravings are essential messages sent by our bodies to let us know that something is missing. The way I like to think about them is that they are cues that can assist in maintaining balance. When you think of them as 'cues', when the urge to eat something hits you, you can stop for a second, and then try to understand what this craving could be concerned with. Let's look at the four key things to look out far. 1. Nutritient Deficiencies We need to nourish our bodies every day with a variety of macronutrients and micronutrients. If we don't get enough, it will send messages in the form of cravings. For example, that crazy craving you have for chocolate is normally a sign that you are deficient in magnesium. Simple fix - eat more magnesium based foods (quick google search), or supplement with magnesium daily. 2. Dehydration Seventy percent of an adult s body is made up of water and dehydration hides as hunger. See my 'Simple trick section'. 3. Hormones When females go through menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause, we have a fluctuation of testosterone and estrogen that can cause unique cravings. Always be aware of your cycle - understand that it can affect your desires, but know that it will pass. 4. Emotions Staying in an unhappy relationship, loneliness, disappointed, stressed, or just feeling hopeless may all lead to emotional eating. Food can serve as a substitute for entertainment or filling a void. In times of emotional stress, focus on love, inspiration, friendship, fulfilling career, movement or hobby. I love to exercise, and I turn my stress into something worthwhile!

7 Chapter 2 A Simple Trick

8 When we get intense cravings after a meal, we automatically assume it is because we are still hungry or that meal didn't satisfy our sweet or savoury tooth. It's very, easy to reach for a small chocolate bar or some crisps when we feel that void in our stomach - we want to feed our hunger and be full so that we have had enough and cannot consume another bite. As mentioned in Chapter 1, what we overlook a lot of the time, is dehydration and the thirst for water. Dehydration manifests itself as hunger, so the first thing you should be doing when you get a craving is to drink a full glass of water. Many people do not drink enough water as it is and surprisingly enough, just drinking a glass of water can curb your appetite and take you off the path of binge eating!

9 My advise that you aim to drink around 2-3 litre of water a day to stay hydrated and to make sure you are consuming the right amount of liquid that your body needs to function. Do This: Next time you feel like you are not full and you are still hungry later on in the day, check how much water you have had first. Drink a glass and then assess how you feel. If you are still hungry, then, of course, reach for a healthy alternative snack instead. You can check out my healthy recipes in Chapter 5 and also Better Foods Swaps in Chapter 4.

10 Chapter 3 Food To Avoid

11 Our brains have evolved over the years to give us a high when we consume sugar. Moreover, sugary foods engage all our senses. Your body responds to sugar intakes by releasing insulin, making your blood glucose levels drop, and your stomach muscles relax, so you feel as though you need to eat more to be satisfied. When we get these intense cravings, whether that's in the morning, midafternoon or after dinner, there are certain foods that we should be aiming to avoid or at least limit the intake of completely. Many kinds of foods that we tuck into for a snack or at meal times contain lots of sugar, processed carbs, and no nutrients. These kinds of foods can lead to weight gain, low energy, bad digestion, and increased insulin levels which have a negative impact on our health. Along with this, it can also lead to unhealthy eating habits which can become destructive on our health. We are going to break down some of the popular types of cravings into sweet and savoury categories. I will show you what you need to be avoiding to stop weight gain and the swaps you can make in Chapter 4.

12 Sweet Milk and White Chocolate Ice Cream Cakes + Muffins Brownies Doughnuts Candy Processed Sugar Soda Savoury White Bread Pastry White Pasta Crisps Cinema Popcorn White Crackers Processed Hams Instant Oatmeal French Fries Greasy Pizza

13 Chapter 4 Better Food Swaps

14 In this section, I am going to be sharing with you how you can swap the "bad" food cravings for healthier options. These food swaps that I have included will help stabilise your insulin levels, prevent you from having an energy crash and feed your body with better nutrients that you need. Having the willpower not only to say no will make you feel amazing, but you will start to feel the benefits right away. The foods have been divided into sweet and savoury categories so you can head straight to your biggest weakness first.

15 Sweet Food Swaps Chocolate Dark Chocolate (75%+) Sugar Honey, Agave, Maple Syrup Ice Cream Yogurt + Fruit Sweets Fruit and Nuts Soda Sparkling Water

16 Savoury Food Swaps White Bread Crisps Sourdough, Whole Wheat, Rye Homemade Veggie Crisps Fries Homemade Sweet Potato Instant Oats Steel Cut Oats White Crackers Cucumber + A Dip

17 Chapter 5 Bonus Recipes

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19 Salted Chocolate Almonds - 175g dark chocolate chips - 112g unsalted, roasted almonds - ¼ teaspoon sea salt, to taste 1. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper 2. Either use the microwave or melt your chocolate and coconut oil over boiling water. 3. When melted, fold in your almonds using a spoon. Scoop and drop piles of chocolatecovered almonds to create clusters. Drop clusters evenly spaced apart on the sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt. 4. Chill in the refrigerator, for minutes. Enjoy! Eat only one cluster at a time

20 Quick + Easy Crisps - 2 sweet potatoes (sliced) - Cinnamon or sea salt - 1/2 tbsp olive oil 1. Lay sweet potatoes slice on a baking sheet and lightly cover with olive oil, sprinkle with either cinnamon or sea salt (depending on your taste). 2. Bake at 350-degrees for 50 minutes. They come out sweet, and salty and crunchy!

21 Double Chocolate Pudding - 2 scoop chocolate protein powder - 100g plain Greek yoghurt - 2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder - 1 tsp of vanilla essence - 6 raspberries or strawberries Mix all the ingredients together and eat right away. Quick and super easy!

22 Hummus and Veggies - 1 tablespoon of hummus - 90g red pepper - 1/4 cucumber - 1/2 lemon squeezed Cut your peppers and cucumber into slices and dip into the hummus. Super quick and easy to take to work!

23 Creamy Oats - 45g Steel Cut Oats - 118ml water If you want it creamy: - 60ml of unsweetened coconut or almond milk Flavors: - 2 squares of 85% dark chocolate, - 1 tablespoon of cinnamon Toppings: - Berries and Almonds - Walnuts and Raisins - Banana and Nut Butter - Honey Heat your oatmeal and water over the stove. Add milk if desired. Add in your flavours and top with toppings!