Food Cravings and Imbalanced Hormones

Do you feel someday that all you have such uncontrollable cravings for both salt and sugar that you ready to jump out of your skin!

Well…that, believe it or not, could be a sign of hormonal imbalance. Let’s look at some lifestyle choices and the hormones that drive those cravings.

Lack of sleep - will cause hormonal shifts in ghrelin (hunger hormone), leptin (hormone indicating that you are full), and cortisol (your stress hormone).⁣ Solution: implement evening routines consisting of putting on the blue-light blockers after 8 pm, limit electronics use 2 hours before sleep, doing light stretches, reading a book before bed.

Too much stress - releases cortisol which in turn affects your blood sugar making you crave sweets. Solution - meditation, breathwork, spending time in nature, sleep.

Crazy diet restrictions - by placing your body in starvation mode, your body is not getting enough energy and nutrients, often if you deplete your body of those things as a result of the diet your body will begin to crave easy-burning glucose & sugars to “protect” you and keep you alive which is why you have cravings. Solution - steady meals containing fats, protein, and carbs throughout the day will make sure to keep you off cravings.

Carb restrictions - carbs soothe your nervous system and are the main source of energy for your body and brain, if you don’t have carbs you putting your body through stress which causes insomnia, anxiety, and increases cravings. Solution - understand that carbs are not the enemy and they come in many forms like - wile rice, sweet potato, vegetables - all of which are very nutritious. 

Blood sugar imbalance - eating sugars and processed foods will send your insulin and blood sugar up and down on the sugar rollercoaster enhancing cravings. Solution - cut out any added sugars and processed foods, you don't need them in your diet - I promise!

It is A-ok to have a little chocolate once in a while and enjoy it! Make sure they don’t take over your life and sweep off the cardboard worth of sweets! Take care of your sleep, stress, and aim for nutritious meals! 

Your hormones will love you for it!

If you're ready to make your health a priority, balance your hormones so you can feel healthy, balanced and centered, schedule a health consultation with me and I will help you build an easy plan to follow for you to get and stay healthy.

 

Dinara