This topic is inspired by the upcoming Winter Solstice. When I say “craving carbs,” I’m talking about the kind that spike your blood sugar – also known as high-glycemic carbohydrates. This includes sugary foods as well as white bread, white pasta, white potatoes, instant foods, whole wheat flour, chips, juice, bottled smoothies, etc. There are also “good” carbs like whole grains, fruits, and veggies, and that’s not the problem.
Spiked blood sugar leads to cravings and extra fat storage – not what we want! As you move through the holidays, keep these mistakes in mind, and do the opposite.
Choose even just ONE thing from the solutions below to have a healthier and happier season.
It makes all makes a difference!
MISTAKE #1: Allow un-abated stress to run your life. Chronic stress depleted your body of the “feel good” neurotransmitters – serotonin and beta-endorphins. To compensate, you’ll then crave sugar/carbs to give you a temporary “hit” to help you feel good, but it sets you up on an addictive cycle. Over time, you need more and more sugar/carbs for the same hit. Stress also increases your cortisol levels –> your body then releases glucose –> your body then creates new fat cells, puts you on the sugar roller coaster, and sets you up for cravings later.
SOLUTION #1: Seek moments of pleasure every day. When you catch yourself all stressed out, light a candle, call a friend, take a deep breath, walk around the block, listen to a favorite song, laugh, or find something that feels good – if only for a moment. Take baby steps towards reducing the busyness in your life, a.k.a. The Addicted to Busyness Syndrome. What can you release to leave more room to….breath? Allow stillness. Truly great people are not addicted to busyness. They “allow stillness while staying in motion,” as my friend Barbara Stanny puts it.
MISTAKE #2: Skimp on water. If you live in a colder climate, you’ll probably need more water than usual in the winter months, since the heat can be dehydrating. Your thirst pangs are easy to misinterpret as hunger pangs, and then you may crave a high-glycemic carb/something sweet. In addition, your liver can be overburdened under dehydrated conditions, and it then has a harder time with its job of fat excretion.
SOLUTION #2: Use a water bottle with a specific number of ounces, and keep track of how many you need to consume in a 24-hour period to get at least ½ your weight in ounces. I use a pint glass (16 ounces), so I know I need at least 4 of them per day.
MISTAKE #3: Let yourself get REALLY hungry, EVER, and show up to parties and restaurants completely starving, because you’ve been “saving up” all day. The problem here is that you’ve let your blood sugar crash, which as you know causes your body to go into a stress response. As you know, then it releases cortisol, then it releases glucose (sugar) to provide an energy source for your emergency. The sugar roller coaster ensues, which bring cravings for high-glycemic foods, and fat storage.
SOLUTION #3: Eat every 2-3 hours, in small quanties, always including a low-glycemic carb with protein and fat. Have a snack an hour or so before going to a party or a restaurant. The extra 150-250 calories from a small snack are nothing compared to the entire bread basket you’ll want to devour when you’re starving. For a snack, try Mary’s Gone Crackers brand crackers with hummus, some veggies with humous or a hard-boiled egg, or a small apple with almond butter.
MISTAKE #4: Skimp on sleep. Sleep deprivation results in a hormonal imbalance that causes your body to think it’s not full when it is, and to feel hungry when it isn’t. Have you ever notice how much more likely you are to go for that sweet indulgence when you’re exhausted? You’re body is looking for a quick energy source, and sugar does it.
SOLUTION #4: Find ways to expand your sleeping hours. By the flow of nature, we actually need more sleep in the winter months. Get to sleep a little earlier, even if you start with 15 extra minutes. Set the alarm clock 15 minutes later. Take a cat nap. Skip the alarm clock, at least twice a week. Start your day a little later if you can. You’ll probably get just as much done, if not more.
MISTAKE #5: Skip breakfast. The only as bad as skipping breakfast is eating something like a bowl of cereal and processed orange juice. If you’re not hungry for breakfast, it can be a sign of ill health in your liver, and you may need extra support for optimal liver function.
SOLUTION #5: Have breakfast! And please don’t make it cereal and processed juice, or anything “white” or instant. Be sure you combine good carbs with good proteins and good fats, like a Nutrimeal shake; buckwheat pancakes with almond butter and sliced apples; steel-cut oatmeal; whole-grain toast (NOT whole wheat flour, go for whole grain, stone ground, or sprouted) with almond butter and an orange; or a veggie scramble topped with some avocado.
What’s one little thing that you will change from these ideas? Or, do you have some of your own?
