Cravings? Yoga to the rescue! 23-01-2015

D o you gravitate towards the ice cream pint or the corn chips? Cravings are desires for food that speak to us about unmet needs. Keep reading and you will learn to listen to them correctly.

Past the holidays indulgences, many people think about going on a diet, a detox program and that sort of stuff.  Paying attention to your mind-body messages is key if you want to succeed and this is why there is a whole field of research centered around cravings, why we strongly desire certain foods over others and what those desires are telling us. Observing those signals and reading their hidden codes might help you change many eating habits and, yes, also loose the extra weight.

4 truths about cravings:

1. When you are stressed, your brain produces more "leptin", the hunger hormone. 2. The majority of cravings have an emotional/social reason. What people most yearn for are sweet, fat or high carb foods. All those produce "serotonin", a neurotransmitter that makes you feel calm and relaxed. They are often times associated with nice childhood memories, with happy moments when you felt good. 3.  Most times you think that you want to eat, but what you really need is to hydrate. 4. Fruits, vegetables and plant based foods can fulfill your body's nutritional needs in a healthy and effective way. If you are of the kind of chocolate monster that will go for the chocolate bar irrationally,  you can substitute it for some nuts that will give you the magnesium that your body is crying for.

Yoga and meditation are the best complement for your diets or detox programs because:

1. They reduce stress (if you are stressed, your body can not let go of the extra weight). 2. They teach you how to decipher the cravings language  and they show you what emotions you cover up with food. 3. They increase your capacity to distinguish physical nutritional desires from heart deficiencies. 4. They heighten your discernment by helping  you choose the healthy foods that are best for you at any given moment.

New reasons to get on the mat!

Om Shanti, dieters, detoxers and all kinds of conscious eating people...