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ayurveda, blissful living, health and wellness, healthy eating, healthy living, stress reduction, Uncategorized

Master Your Bad Craving Habits

In my last article, Master Your Cravings, (Master Your Cravings) I realized that not only do we have cravings that can wreck havoc on our waistline but also we have habits that help us to hang on to these cravings. This made me take a look at what I do when I get challenged by my cravings that add to the enticement of the craving. What I discovered is that there are certain habits that naturally fall in line with our cravings. So what I decided to do is to discuss how you can get rid of these bad habits that may be keeping you hostage to your cravings.

How many of you fall into this bad habit of Late-Night Snacking? What this actually may mean for you is that you are overtired and are using the “snacking” to keep you awake. Hunger hormones like ghrelin, leptin and cortisol can all be affected by the lack of sleep. If there’s an imbalance it can change your satiety levels, causing you to crave carbs. Or hey, you just might be bored at night or looking to reward yourself after folding laundry or you feel you should have a treat as you watch your favorite TV show. I discovered that this was a major issue with many of those that I work with however most people were unaware that they even did this or why they did it.

To curb this bad habit is that when you feel yourself getting tired go straight to bed. If you truly can’t fall asleep, create distractions that don’t involve food. Try playing with your pet or doing something that keeps your hands busy. If you absolutely must have a late night snack try, warm unsweetened almond milk with a little cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. To rewire your brain pathway to eliminate this bad habit make your breakfast to set yourself up for success before bed. Having a morning meal with at least 35 grams of protein may lead to less snacking on high-fat foods at nighttime, compared with starting the day with a low-protein breakfast, like cereal or skipping it altogether.

The other bad habit that seems to be a major problem for people is what I like to call “ Bad Days” or “Pig Out Days.” There are reasons for this. When you eat comfort foods, you get a boost of serotonin and dopamine, feel-good neurotransmitters that act like antidepressants. To curb this bad habit simply do something like order healthy takeout. You can call ahead to your go-to sushi spot and grab it on your way home. It ‘ll feel like a pick me up and help you to control what you’re eating. To rewire the brain pathway for this bad habit remember that your food is medicine and should be treated as so. Instead of eating something, change your clothes right away and go for a jog or do yoga. Or take a hot bath and sip a glass of your favorite healthy beverage while you get lost in a good book or podcast.

Lastly, if you must submit to a bad habit craving, take the time to make the thing that you are carving, as healthy as possible.

Wishing you peace, wellness & tranquility!

Namaste,

Rochel Marie Lawson, RN,AHP,CMS

The Queen of Feeling Fabulous

Host of Blissful Living Show

ayurveda, blissful living, health and wellness, healthy eating, healthy living, stress reduction, Uncategorized

Master Your Cravings

Cravings are a huge problem for many of us. I have even had to rebalance myself to master my cravings this year, which is a first for me. So when I was going through the struggle of getting my cravings in check, I realized for the first time that this is what many of those that I work with struggle with on a daily basis and it can be extremely tough to refrain from your cravings if you don’t know what to do.

So I decided to share some wisdom on how you can successfully master your cravings. Check this out, whether it’s your sweet tooth, which was my problem, or your woe-is-me-mood nudging you toward the goodies, there are some things that you can to get the urge in check, without depriving yourself. If you’ve ever been called to the cabinet by a bag of chocolate chip cookies or better yet enticed by a bag of Oreo cookies and if you are hormonal, it could be a bag of Lay’s potato chips, just know that you are a normal human being. Even the most disciplined people can’t help surrendering to food cravings. To simply put it, a craving is just a habit that you have scored into your brain pathway. For instance, if you tend to eat when you’re anxious or at a certain time of night, the behavior just continues on as part of your lifestyle. What’s worse is a lot of people turn to mindless super snacking when they’re really looking to comfort themselves or just find a distraction.

So here’s the deal, don’t beat yourself up because of your succumbed to your cravings, just follow the suggestions below to get yourself back on track.

Salty Cravings ~ This can be a sign of dehydration or a mineral or electrolyte imbalance.

To curb this craving reach for the spice rack Adding spices like turmeric, rosemary, basil, cayenne smoked paprika will help curtail this craving.

To rewire and kill the cravings keep yourself hydrated divide your weight in half and drink that many ounces of water per day. Fill your diet with foods that are rich in potassium, like avocado and sweet potato. Potassium will bring water to your cells to hydrate you.

Sweet Cravings ~ Sugar is physically addictive, the more you eat of it, the more you want it.

To curb this craving grab a piece of fruit. Fruit contains natural sugar and carbs that are balanced out by fiber and other nutrients causing less dramatic blood sugar spikes.

Sweet Cravings ~ To rewire and kill this craving try going cold turkey on traditional sweets, for two weeks. Then over the next two weeks eat less of the not so obvious “sugar monsters,” like high sugar yogurt. By the end of the two-week cycle your sweet urges will be greatly diminished and by the fourth week your cravings will be dramatically reduced or none at all.

Here’s some more scoop for you, most cravings pass after about fifteen to thirty minutes so you also have the option of just waiting for them to pass. A great way to distract your brain from the craving is to go for a walk, turn on some music and sing at the top of your lungs or dance around like there’s no tomorrow.

Wishing you peace, wellness & tranquility!

Namaste,

Rochel Marie Lawson, RN,AHP,CMS

The Queen of Feeling Fabulous

Host of Blissful Living Show

ayurveda, blissful living, health and wellness, healthy eating, healthy living, stress reduction, Uncategorized

Can Omegas help you lose weight?

Losing weight can be a struggle, but incorporating more essential fatty acids into a balance diet may help you shed some pounds. Though it may seem counter-intuitive to say that adding more fats to our diets will help us lose weight, the science behind this seems to support this theory.

Essentials for Good Health

Omega-3’s essential fatty acids provide a wealth of health benefits. They are an important part of many processes in the body, and research suggest they can help prevent heart disease and stroke as well as help protect the body against cancer.

Are you wondering, So What’s The Catch? Well here it is; our bodies can’t make omega 3s so we must get them through food sources or supplements.

The three main types of these beneficial fats are Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA), which are typically derived from oily fish like wild salmon and tuna, and alpha Linolenic Acid (LNA), which is found in certain vegetable oils, like canola, soybean and olive oils, as well as in walnuts, flax seeds and green, leafy vegetables. Another good reason to eat your leafy green vegetables.

Omega- 6 fatty acids work to reduce inflammation, protect against heart disease and help lower LDL (Bad) cholesterol levels. They also help keep bones healthy and aid the body in regulating metabolism. Omega 6s, like omega 3s, also come from food sources. Omega 6s can be found in safflower, corn and soybean oils.

In addition to all the wonderful things omega 3s, essential fatty acids do, they have been shown to support weight loss and weight management, as well. Recent studies have shown that obese women, who received a dietary supplement containing EPA and alpha lipoic acid (ALA) as part of a weight loss regime, lost significantly more weight than a placebo group.

In addition to weight loss benefits, omegas help to manage levels of stress hormones in the body and perhaps help us to be in a better state of mind when it comes to managing our weight. It has been found that people that take fish oil supplements have lower levels of epinephrine and cortisol. They also perceive themselves to be less stressed.

My word of wisdom to you are this; If you are on the fence about adding omega 3s to your diet, I highly suggest that you reconsider and give your heart a chance. The benefits of taking omega 3s far out weigh you not taking them, so do your body a favor, help it out by adding omega 3s to your daily intake of nutrients. Your heart, mind and waist will thank you.

Wishing you peace to your mind, wellness to your body and tranquility to your spirit.

Enjoy!

Rochel Marie Lawson, RN,AHP,CMS

The Queen of Feeling Fabulous

Host of Blissful Living Show