Do You Really Want to Eat That?? Deconstructing Cravings

Cravings bring information

As a Health Coach, Ihear plenty about cravings.  Usually they are for things like bread, cheese, pizza, coffee, and so on.  And sometimes we give cravings more power over our lives and health than they have any business having.

Consider this thought.  The body is an amazing source of intelligence.  It is always there for you,  pumping blood,never skipping a heartbeat, digesting whatever food you put  in it and maintaining homeostasis.  Is this reliable, intelligent bio-computer making a mistake by craving ice cream or a hamburger or chocolate?  Are cravings due to lack of willpower or discipline?  I'dlike to suggest that cravings do not have to be a big problem.  They are, rather, critical pieces of information that tell you what your body needs.

The important thing is to understand why you crave what you crave.  Perhaps your diet is too restrictive or devoid of essential njutrients.  Perhaps you are living a lifestyle that is too boring orstressful.  Your body tries to correct the imbalance by sending you a message of

Have some water and wait

craving.  A craving fro something sweet could mean that you need more protein, more exercise, more water, or more live in your life.  Thekey to stopping the sugar craving is to understand and deliver what your body really needs.

No book or theory can tell you what to eat. Only awareness of yoru body and its needs can tell you.  Of all the relationships in our lives, the one with our body is the most essential.  It takes communication, love, adn time to cultivate a relationship with your body.  As you learn to decipher and respond to your body's cravings, you will create a deep and lasting level of health and balance.

The next tiem you have a craving, treat it as a loving message from your body instead of a weakness.  Try these tips to respond to your body.

     - Have a glass of water and wait 10 minutes. 

    - Eat a healthier version of what you crave.  For example, if you crave sweets, try  eating  more fruit and sweet or root vegetables.
     - What is out of balance in your life?  Is there something you need to express, oris something being repressed?  What happened in your life just before you had this craving?
     - When you eat the food you are craving, enjoy it, taste it, savor it, notice its effect.  Then you will become more aware and free to decide if you really want it next time.
     - Do you really need food righ now, or do you just need to go to bed and get a good night's sleep?  Sometimes we look for a bump in energy, when the best thing would be rest.

Most of all, remember that cravings come in service of  us being in balance, fully alive, filled with vim and vigor.  Listen to them.  Respond in the way that will give you what you most deeply desire.