Food Cravings – Beat them with lifestyle changes

Smitha Hemadri

Natural Healing - Leader & Influencer

10:04 AM | 13-01-2020

Part 1 of this blog series took a look at understanding the different causes of food cravings and the difference between craving and hunger. In this second part, we take a closer look at how to address food cravings with lifestyle changes and practical tips.

Primary focus

  • Natural foods - Include plant-based raw foods such as fruits, vegetables and greens as a major portion of your meal. Consuming seasonal and locally available fruits act as astringents which help remove all the wrong cravings over time.

  • Hydration – Often the role of hydration is underestimated. Our material in the body, may it be digested food/undigested food/ toxins move only with the help of fluids and muscular movements. The lymphatic system is the sewage system carrying wastes from all the 100 trillion cells to the excretory organs. The blood in turn, carries nutrition. The solids in the GI tract need liquids and fibre for the peristalsis action to be efficient. Hence, drinking 3lts or more of fluids especially during a cleansing process is going to flush the toxins away from the body and hence address wrong cravings too. Bad Germs breed on the undigested matter only if it remains stagnant.
  • Positive mental attitude - As natural foods continue to clean the body, positive thoughts of higher consciousness will flood the body. This is as a result of the change in biodiversity in the GUT. Constantly trying to focus on practising positive thoughts, words and actions will raise our vibrations and help in emotional healing as well.
  • Resting – Rest is the key to building a healthy body. I have worked with clients who ate healthy all day but were so stressed at work. This causes a hormonal imbalance which can contribute to overeating and weight gain. Lack of enough rest takes the body to a catabolic state. Resting does the opposite and brings the body to an anabolic state.

  • Exercise and proper spinal integrity - Moving all the body parts on a daily basis is like using a vehicle on a daily basis. A vehicle’s battery drains out if it is not used for a few days. Similarly, with a sedentary lifestyle, a human body also accumulates toxic wastes. To handle a craving, the key is to ensure that pathogens are starved. For them to starve, the acidic food supply must reduce and so the lymphatic system must move efficiently to disposeit via the excretory organs. For the lymphatics to move efficiently, the joints must be made to move. This is an indirect way to handle cravings.
  • Postponing the call for hunger – Work can keep us busy. Not planning ahead, not paying enough attention to healthy eating habits can make food cravings worse. When the body is very hungry and the right food is not available, it may crave more calorie-dense foods than usual, including fried and processed foods. Hence, always plan your meals in advance and stock the fruits, vegetables and greens.
  • Gradual lifestyle changes – I always believe in growing mentally, physically and emotionally with a lifestyle change as opposed to just getting into a rapid detox process. Anything that rushes the body into cleansing mode will also bring with it a lot of cravings. Unless you are detoxing from a destructive disease, do not right away switch to a fully raw lifestyle. Grow practically with the lifestyle gradually and learn to manage the cravings.
  • Pick healthy alternatives - If a person is prone to binge eating, a better option is to look for alternatives as a stop-gap arrangement. You will be rewarded for this good act in the long term. It’s a good investment and returns on this are 100% guaranteed.

  • Salt - Replace salt cravings with a healthy salad that has vegetables, chilli, spinach and lime.
  • Fried – Replace with a baked vegetable like potato, carrot, sweet potato or whole grain baked snacks that are gluten-free and oil-free.
  • Sweet – A person with a sweet tooth can pick dried fruits like dates, figs and raisins. Reaching for a sweet fruit also helps address the craving.
  • Chocolate – Did you know that you can stuff a date with a mix of cacao flavoured nut butter and enjoy this in moderation instead of processed chocolate?
  • Cheese – Blending soaked cashew with Italian spices, lime and salt can address a cheesy craving in a relatively healthier way.
  • Grains – When people are attempting to reverse from chronic diseases and are trying to avoid grains, rice can be replaced with raw cauliflower with spices. Grain-free flours like Amaranthus, chickpea, buckwheat, water chestnut can be some flours used instead of wheat or millets. Steamed/baked and spiced vegetables can be used as a main meal. Soaked, sprouted and steamed bean varieties can be prepared topped with grated fresh coconut and lime.
  • Going Half-way – Soaked, beaten rice or millets can directly be consumed instead of cooking it completely. The acidic nature of the grain reduces in such cases.
  • Soda – A fruit juice with some lime and ginger is a great way to address craving for aerated drinks.

Secondary focus

  • Sunlight - Human beings derive secondary sources of energy from plants that depend on the sun for their growth. When we can create a technology that can harness the energy from the sun and make appliances and cars work, we must instead apply this logic on our own body and learn how to absorb energy from the primary source, that is, the sun itself for our health and wellbeing.
  • Air – Although we cannot avoid pollutions levels in the city today, practising pranayama or any form of regulated breathing exercises on a regular basis helps the body. Taking regular breaks to go on treks outside the city, rejuvenates the cells with air prana.
  • Exposure to unnatural temperatures – Exposures to air-conditioner in all seasons and heater during winter is a common practice. This impacts the eliminations from the skin as an organ. Ensuring that we live honouring the seasonal temperature changes, helps the body in regulating its own internal temperatures and related actions effectively.
  • Grounding – The autonomic nervous system is independent of our outward consciousness and is responsible for regulating the involuntary actions in the body. Grounding calms this autonomous nervous system. This is exactly why a walk on a lawn/garden destresses people. The sympathetic nervous system which was active during the time of stress calms down and parasympathetic takes over when the body is connected to the ground. Such lifestyle changes indirectly impact craving by reducing the causes of inflammation and bacterial overgrowth leading to miscommunications between the GUT and brain.

Conclusion

Everyone has a craving for something but the wise always learn to manage it with healthier alternatives and plans to address the issue by making healthier lifestyle changes.

(About myself: Formerly I was with the IT industry for 2 decades and also have my venture on healthy vegan baking. I have suffered life-threatening allergies and survived twice. I learnt to heal naturally and applied the same on both my kids aged 13 &10. We as a family, live a healthy, disease-free lifestyle. Based on my experience and what I have gained from reading, I help others in reversing their ailments naturally and holistically.)

Help Vote (4)
Comments (2)


Disclaimer: The health journeys, blogs, videos and all other content on Wellcure is for educational purposes only and is not to be considered a ‘medical advice’ ‘prescription’ or a ‘cure’ for diseases. Any specific changes by users, in medication, food & lifestyle, must be done under the guidance of licensed health practitioners. The views expressed by the users are their personal views and Wellcure claims no responsibility for them.


Hemanth Bhaskar

02:33 PM | 15-01-2020

Superrr...super life...life is superrr...your superrr ulchemy HB...God blezzz...

Reply
Smitha Hemadri

02:33 PM | 15-01-2020

Thanks


Related Post

Natural Ways To Relieve Cervical Pain

Cervical spondylitis which causes neck pain and stiffness is affecting...

Don't Fear Fever - It Is A Friend

Do you panic everytime you get a fever? What is the body trying to sig...

This Is How Your Body Tells You That Somethin...

Do you know that the body talks to you through signals which we may na...

Why Do We Cough & What Should We Do?

Irritated with the cough that doesn"t seem to go away? All symptoms ar...

What To Do If You Have Migraine?

Migraines can be debilitating and interfere with normal day-to-day lif...

How To Interpret Thyroid From Nature’s Poin...

Hormonessecreted by the thyroid help maintain the brain, heart, muscle...

This Is Why You Don't Want to Eat in Illness

The sight of food is unappetizing when we are sick. There is a reason ...

Why Do You Feel Sleepy After A Meal?

Eat light and feel right. Eat the wrong food and you are off to dreaml...

This Is How You Can Get Rid of Constipation

Constipation is a problem faced by millions of people worldwide. It ca...

This Is What Pain Tells You About Your Body

Do you understand pain? So many people are living in pain. Many may...

The natural way to a pain free life

The natural way to a pain free life. Are you living in chronic pain...

This is How Body's Natural Healing Mechanism ...

We may all have used the services of the medical industry at some poin...

Is Your Lifestyle Responsible for Arthritis?

Arthritis is a disease affecting millions of people worldwide. The pai...

PSYsolution Series 1: ARTICLE 7 of 15: DISEAS...

Do you service your car? In the process, the car is cleaned and all...

Healthy hair – Nourish your crowning glory ...

Worried about your hair loss, thinning or graying hair? Tried all kind...

Diarrhoea (Loose motions) – Help yourself n...

Diarrhoea refers to the frequent passage of loose or watery unformed s...

Guide to Cure Diabetes With Lifestyle Changes

Diabetes mellitus, one of the most common health issues affecting Indi...

A complete guide to cure diabetes : Part 2 - ...

There are many myths and confusions about diabetes and implementation ...

Natural Ways To Reverse Dental Cavities & Too...

Can you reverse cavities and tooth decay by altering your diet? Certai...

This Is How Natural Living Can Cure Asthma

Suffering from Asthma? You don"t have to be saddled with it for life. ...

Hypo or hyper thyroid - Correct imbalance nat...

The glandular system Though we may be the members of a single famil...

How Can You Manage Blood Pressure By Nature C...

Blood Pressure - the name itself sounds like a life sentence. Once on ...

Nature’s Own Guide to Dealing with Menopaus...

Menopause is a natural process in a woman"s life. It should not be vie...

Understand Your Acidity & Help Yourself Natur...

Acidity is more than just those episodes of chest burn, and bitter tas...

Say Goodbye to Acidity Forever, Simply & Natu...

Lifestyle and dietary changes are effective tools to put an end to aci...

Keep Calm and Beat IBS Naturally with 8 Lifes...

When something isn"t right in your gut, it indicates something isn"t r...

Practical tips for handling fever in children...

Fever is the top most among the eliminations that are termed as acute ...

JUVENILE DIABETES - A RADICAL CURE IS POSSIBL...

There was a time when diabetes was rare among children. A man of 50 or...

Tackle Sleeplessness through Nature Cure

"Sleep, O gentle sleep! Nature's soft nurse, now have I frighte...

Nature Deficit Syndrome

You do a work out, sleep well and yet feel fatigued and listless for n...

Management of Sciatica through Natural Therap...

WHAT IS SCIATICA? Sciatica is a very common pain that starts in you...

What Causes PCOS & How To Prevent It?

In the last decade, PCOS has continued to haunt women of all age-group...

Motion sickness - Causes and natural manageme...

With the rapid growth in urbanization and due to acute pressure on lan...

NIPAH - A SUBSTANTIAL ANALYSIS (Aspects of ma...

In general, I avoid the regular following of Television News or Newspa...

Obesity - Cause and Natural Cure, Part 1

Obesity may be defined as an increase in body weight beyond the limita...

Cholesterol And Triglycerides - The Silent ...

Cholesterol and Triglycerides - The Silent KillersCholesterol and Trig...

Obesity - Cause and Natural Cure, Part 2

Lifestyle changes to get rid of obesity There is a mention of the w...

Natural cure of kidney stones

Normally, a person has two kidneys. The kidneys are bean- shaped organ...

Natural treatment of common cold (Coryza)

The common cold, which is varyingly described as "the elusive, ...

Food Cravings – Understanding the cause

Quoting JonathanSafranFoer-“Food is not rational. Food is cultur...

Food Cravings – Beat them with lifestyle ch...

Part 1of this blog series took a look at understanding the differ...

Natural cure for azoospermia induced infertil...

What is infertility? Infertility can be defined as the inability of...

Tonsils - Our first line of defense

We all know that the human body is more than the sum of its parts. Thi...

Natural cure of Haemorrhoids/piles

Dear health seeker . Persistent indulgence in unhygienic habits o...

Gallbladder - Is it Necessary?

This article focuses on a tiny organ tucked beneath the liver that not...

Cold and Cough – Nature’s healing mechani...

Irritated with the cold & cough that doesn"t seem to go away? They are...

Appendix - Demystified

In my previous article on tonsils, I described that as a lymph node to...

Raise your immunity against viruses & infecti...

A strong immune system lays down the foundation of a healthy body. Vir...

Learn to eat Clean Fresh and keep Viruses and...

Has the recent COVID-19 (Coronavirus) scare affected you too? Are you ...

This Is How To Save Your Family From Coronavi...

Worried about your family"s health and protecting them from coronaviru...

9 Natural Ways To Prevent & Cure PCOS

1 in 5 Women in India Suffer From PCOS ~ An estimate by experts PCO...

How A Natural Diet Helps In Relieving Autism

Nutrition & Plant-based diet for alleviating symptoms of autism 1 i...

10 Natural Eye Care Ways for Kids To Remove G...

With a digital world becoming a norm and an increasing amount of time ...

Fibromyalgia - Fibromyalgia cure

FIBROMYALGIA If you are someone feeling body pain all the time yet ...

Acne - A holistic approach to cure it natural...

Introduction Acne is a skin condition that occurs when your hair fo...

How to cure Psoriasis naturally?

Psoriasis – everyone says that it is uncurable. But I believe na...

Cure Diabetes Naturally

It is said that once you have diabetes it is for a lifetime, but Diabe...

How to take Steam inhalation?

Steam inhalation is a very common naturopathic modality and is easy to...

GH pack (Gastro-hepatic pack) Naturopathy tre...

Introduction Health-conscious individuals all over the world are ta...

HOW TO CURE FUNGAL INFECTION ON SKIN NATURALL...

Fungal infections can affect anyone, nearly everyone gets in once in t...

Cure constipation naturally through Enema the...

What is a therapeutic enema? Water (or the prescribed liquid) is in...

World Hypertension Day | 10 Ways To Reduce Hi...

Smart and natural solutions to bring down your BP and keep it under co...

3 Golden Rules To Get Along Well With People

No man is an island and it is well established that we are social...

Foods To Avoid For Healthy Lungs

Lungs are an organ of elimination. We inhale oxygen and exhale carbon ...

Can Your Feelings About Sex & Sexuality Impac...

Sex is the very act that created us. Something that creates life is d...

ILL-EFFECTS OF NIGHTSHADE VEGETABLES ON YOUR ...

The term ‘Nightshade vegetables" is not very common, and their i...

How Does Health Of Your Organs Affect Your Em...

(From the book THE ASTHMA CURE by Tarika Ahuja) Macrobiotics is a s...

The Art Of Living Well & Being 'Truly' Fine

What is the most common response when people ask each other ‘how...

All About Anxiety & What It Really Means For ...

“Existence exists in the moment of pause. To experience it, obse...

Here's What You Need To Know About Mental Hea...

What Is Mental Health? Mental is an adjective that comes from mind, so...