"I WAS ADDICTED TO SUGAR, ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT WHAT TREAT I COULD EAT NEXT. NOW I CHOOSE FOODS BASED ON HOW THEY WILL NOURISH MY BODY. IT IS SO FREEING AND I FEEL SO GREAT!!! I'M NOT CONTROLLED BY FOOD!"
Hopefully after reading Part 1 of our 4-part series on the True Causes of your Cravings, you have a better understanding of the nutritional causes for your cravings AND that a lack of willpower is NOT the issue. You are not 'bad', broken or to blame when it comes to your cravings.
It's a huge mindset shift for most women we know to realize that:
Cravings are not your enemy. They are messages from your body and spirit, trying to get your attention and help you.
Today in Part 2, we're talking with you about bacterial reasons for your cravings. We're guessing this might be brand new information for you and just in time with Halloween and the sugar-packed holiday season right around the corner. Plus we're giving you our Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookie recipe and the names of our favorite go-to store-bought sweets.
PART 2: BACTERIAL REASONS FOR YOUR CRAVINGS
As two recovering sugar addicts, we know first-hand how powerful sugar cravings can be. Part of Angelle's story goes like this:
"I remember having such strong cravings for sugar that as a young girl I would eat it by the spoonful. I drank Mountain Dew daily in high school. I craved my Cap'n Crunch cereal, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, bread and pasta. Single and in my early 20's, after an evening of dancing and drinking, I can remember waking up and craving ice cream for breakfast! I loved sugar and I thought because I was always thin that it wasn’t a problem for me. I could eat what I wanted and as much of it as I wanted, including the sugar that I adored and craved, and all was well in my world. Until it all came crashing down for me and my emotional and physical body finally said, “we tried and tried to whisper to you but you didn’t listen so now we have scream and have a tantrum so you pay attention to what we’re trying to tell you! My cravings and my diet led to chronic stomach aches, out-of-control PMS and periods and incapacitating depression among other issues.”
And Jill's story is very similar:
"I grew up on pop as a very young kid. So much so that it was a regular staple in my life every single day, and pretty much anytime I wanted it, it was available at home. I remember heading over to Donutville when I was 10 years old for a huge cream filled donut, followed by a trip to Skip’s pharmacy on my bike to load up on a few dollars of straight up candy and would eat it all that day. My mom made really balanced meals for dinner but throughout the day was cakes, cookies, crackers and chips. In high school, my soccer pre-game diet was two pieces of fried chicken and a 20 oz. bottle of Mountain Dew. When I was done each game, I’d drive to the Hot n' Now drive thru for another 48 oz. of Mountain Dew. In college, going through my eating disorder, I switched to diet soda. I had two glass of diet Mountain Dew with my fat-free corn flakes on skim milk for breakfast every morning and when I was 20 years old I was drinking 4 Liters of diet soda EVERY day."
Little did we know at the time that sugar was addictive. As addictive as cocaine. It's true--scientists have studied the brain scans of people on cocaine and people on sugar and sadly we now know that sugar is a socially acceptable drug that keeps you hooked and going back for more.
When we talk about sugar cravings with you we need to also talk about bacteria and yeast in the body because they play a big role in cravings for sugar.
Your body is home to 10X the amount of bacteria as it has human cells. These living bacteria help us in so many ways--to digest food, produce neurotransmitters, support your immune system. However when these bacteria get out of balance and you have too many unfriendly bacteria and yeast, they start to crave sugar because that is THEIR fuel. And when they crave sugar, guess who craves sugar? Yep, you will feel an insatiable need to eat sugar.
How does your body’s bacteria become so out of balance? Years of eating refined processed foods with sugars and grains. Taking even one round of antibiotics disrupts the bacterial balance in your body. A void of probiotic rich foods and drinks in your diet each day. And then there is stress. Stress can wipe out good bacteria in your gut in the blink of an eye.
HERE'S WHY THIS IS RELEVANT TO YOUR CRAVINGS: The bottom line is that because of the world we live in and the way we live, your bacteria is likely out of balance and those unfriendly 'bugs' are causing you to have some crazy sugar cravings. These unfriendly bacteria don’t go down easily – they will send the message to the brain that THEY want to be nourished to survive.
Bottom line: BACTERIAL IMBALANCE = SUGAR CRAVINGS
So what can you do? BUMP up the quality of the food you are eating like we talked about in Part 1 of this 4-part series on cravings. By giving your body what she needs nutritionally and avoiding the foods that feed the unfriendly bacteria and yeast, your cravings can calm down. Plus you want to eat probiotic rich foods and possibly take a probiotic supplement. We teach about all of this in our Signature NtF 14 day Cleanse and our upcoming 28 Day Calm Your Cravings course, and we've witnessed cravings greatly decrease and even disappear completely in the hundreds of women we support.
Our Nourish To Flourish INVITATION for you:
YOU DON'T HAVE TO LET SUGAR CRAVINGS RULE (AND RUIN) YOUR LIFE.
Does this mean the only way to get rid of sugar cravings is to never enjoy a sweet treat again? We think if we told you yes, you'd go running the other way as fast as possible and we'd never see you again. We do know that when you enjoy sweets with less sugar and more nutrients, your body can begin to calm down and that means your cravings will calm down too.
To help you get started we a FREE gift for you:
Grab your FREE Sweets Bonus + Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookie recipe!
AND, if you are ready to finally calm your cravings and learn how you can rock the holiday season WITHOUT cravings being in control of YOU, we invite you check out our upcoming 28 Days To Calm Your Cravings course.
If you have any crazy cravings stories or questions about cravings, find us on FACEBOOKor INSTAGRAM or email us hello@nourishtoflourishsociety.com!
28 Days to Calm Your Cravings? Yes PLEASE.
This program is for you if you are a woman who is ready to invest in yourself and say "Yes, I'm ready to CALM my cravings!". You'll have all the support you need and you'll rock the holidays this year looking and feeling your best! Registration is open. All the details are HERE.