Do You Crave for Sweets? Read This to Know Why and How to Overcome

Craving for sweets is a problem that many people suffer from. The problem is not when you consume sweets, but it is when you over-consume them. It can be very bothersome for people who are trying to reduce weight or maintain it. People who have diabetes can do themselves a huge harm by giving in to sugar cravings. It is very important for you to differentiate the cravings that your body absolutely needs from those that your body wants as an addiction. The following sections will explain why you crave sweets and how you can overcome your cravings.
Emotional eating
Most people turn to sugar and sweets when they are stressed or unhappy. More specifically called 'emotional eating'; people reach out to sweets in order to comfort themselves. Severe stress, overwork or lack of sleep can make a person crave for energy dense sweets to get the sudden rush of energy. The instant sugary treat makes the brain release natural chemicals called opioids which give the body a feeling of pleasure and happiness. This explains the 'high' you get after eating a chocolate cake or a donut.

Deficiency of Vitamin B Complex
If a person is deficient in Vitamin B, he tends to be low on energy. To make up for this, his body starts giving out craving signs which make him want sugary or fatty foods that can give him instant energy. It is very important for a person to understand what his body exactly wants for. The only way to fight cravings is to ensure that the body gets its share of nutrition and healthy foods.
Low adrenal function
Adrenal glands secrete hormones like epinephrine (adrenalin), cortisone, oestrogen and progesterone. Low adrenal function can lead to reduction in the secretion of such hormones due to which one tends to feels low on energy, becomes lethargic and craves for instant energy boosting foods.
Dieting
If a person has been on a strict low fat, low carbohydrate diet for a long time, the body becomes insulin resistant. Due to this, even though there is ample amount of glucose in the blood, the body starts sending out signals to the brain because of which the person tends to want for more sweets and fatty foods.
How to reduce or overcome sweet cravings?
• Ensure that your body gets the required amounts of nutrients essential for proper functioning.

• Do not starve yourself.
• Drink lots of water whenever you crave for sweets. There are chances that a person has mistaken thirst or dehydration as hunger.
• Reduce the intake of packaged or canned foods. Your body needs natural sugars and -not synthetic or processed sugars.
• Whenever you crave for a cake or a bar of chocolate, try to divert your mind by going for a long walk or listening to good, soothing music. If the craving persists, try eating nuts or fruits to subside your hunger.
• You can also start mild exercising under the guidance of a personal trainer.
• If you still get cravings, consult a doctor or dietitian. Get your diet plan analysed by a professional.



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What Will You Do With All That Halloween Candy?

Amidst all the fun and festivities of Halloween comes some stress. 
No, not the stress of finding Halloween costumes. Stress in the form of nutritional toxicity! Each year, we are inundated with Halloween candy and junk galore as our wee ones are given every Halloween "treat" imaginable.

Back in the day, I can remember receiving chocolate bars, Rice Krispies treats, brownies and licorice. Every once in awhile, a neighbor would throw in an apple or an orange, just to really send us kids over the edge! These days, I can't even imagine what frightening ghouls live inside those candy wrappers - " highly toxic things like high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and colors, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, excitotoxins/neurotoxins and all sorts of chemical concoctions.
Gone are the days when sugar was the worst thing that could happen to a kid!
Our kids have not yet even ventured into the world of Trick-or-Treating. I'm not saying they won't at some point in their childhood! I've just been able to side-step and downplay the issue thus far. It helps that no one goes trick-or-treating in or neighborhood, so it's not in their faces!

That's not to say my children don't end up with their fair share of Halloween candy. Grown-ups find a way to get candy to children at Halloween, no matter what!
We normally attend a party or two to enjoy the costumes and festivities with friends. Lots of "treats" at the party to sample, as well as the always-present goodie bag to take home.
So how do we deal with all the toxicity in our family, and keep the potentially negative side of Halloween to a minimum?
1) We don't call candy or junk food a "treat". We call them "tasty toxins" - tells you exactly what you need to know! Sure, it tastes great, but it's toxic. Why would we call something a treat if it subtracts from our health? Sounds kind of funny to knock on someone's door on Halloween night and say "Trick-or-Tasty Toxin" though!
2) Like any other time of the year, tasty toxins are limited. First, all toxins are handed over to mom and dad for proper care and feeding! Depending on the size and toxicity level of the tasty toxin, as well as the current state of health of toxin consumers, we may say they can have one per day for a few days following Halloween maybe more, maybe less. Depends.
3) I try to steer our kids in the direction of sweets that were made in someone's kitchen rather than in a chemistry lab. No, they don't build health either, but it's probable they don't move us away from health as quickly as the serious toxins in packaged foods. On our end, I'll either bake less toxic sweets and/or purchase simple goodies that lack the serious aforementioned offenders that are the most harmful to our health.

4) They must fill up with Health FIRST. Every other meal and snack throughout the day needs to meet the innate genetic nutritional requirements for health: protein, healthy fats & oils, fresh fiber (veggies & fruit) and lots of pure water. In other words, if they're going to be adding any increased amount of toxins to their diet for a few days, they need to keep things clean and healthy otherwise. If not, the body will always let us know when it has reached its limitations!

5) Finally, we give the kids the option to turn their Halloween loot in for a gift from The Halloween Fairy. After they select one "must-have" item from their goodie bags, they simply hand over the Halloween candy for mom and dad to put out for the Halloween Fairy that night. The Halloween Fairy in turn leaves the kids a special gift they've been wishing for - a special experience with mom & dad, a toy, a book, a game, craft stuff, whatever works!
It's a win-win. No overloading on toxicity, therefore no "sick" kids for days to come. The kids are happy because they were still able to enjoy the spirit of Halloween, sample some of the traditional toxins, and they got something new and fun!

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20 Foods To Eat And Avoid On An Empty Stomach

Losing Weight in Autumn

When the trees shed their leaves in autumn and the days are closing in, a lot of overweight people wish that not only the leaves, but also the pounds would fall. 
The goal is usually to be slim and fit for the Christmas holidays and New Year´s Eve.
However, losing weight especially in autumn can prove difficult for many people. There are just too many temptations in the time before and around Christmas, since you can buy most Christmas cookies and sweets already in September...
And before you know it, you have one or two bags of unhealthy food in your shopping cart.
Contingent upon the shorter days in autumn, we have a hard time doing some sportive activities. At nightfall we tend to get more tired and a bit sluggish. If you don´t stay consequently on your diet and if you don´t have some physical exercise, you are quickly in the old rut again and gain weight instead of loosing.
What can you do to get a slim body?
When you are aware of the traps, you can handle things easier. Try to ignore the sweets while shopping. This is easier said than done, I know. Before you go shopping, make a resolve not to buy any sweets. With a bit of goodwill you should be able to implement this intention. Provide yourself with fresh fruits from the fruit and vegetable section in your supermarket or from your local greengrocer. Having your cart loaded with good and healthy stuff, you should be able to pass the cookies section. Buy seasonal fruit and enjoy the thought of preparing a nice fruit salad when you get home. This image will distract you from the cookies and chocolates and raise the appetite for fruit.

If you want to lose weight in autumn you can help yourself with vegetables of the season. Especially in those last months of the year, cabbage is a good choice. Cabbage is low on calories, for instance white cabbage, red cabbage or savoy cabbage. Chop it in pieces or slices, cook it in little olive-oil, with onions and caraway seed (caraway makes the cabbage more digestible) until it is soft-boiled. Don´t stew it too long, though. The cabbage can by all means have some bite.
Cauliflower, broccoli and Brussel sprouts are also seasonal products. Briefly cooked in vegetable broth, flavored with salt and pepper and a bit of nutmeg you have lots of vitamins and little calories.
If you are accustomed to cream sauces and don´t want to go without it, you can prepare a sauce with skimmed milk instead of cream to go with the vegetables.
If you are interested in losing weight fast, try a diet with a cabbage soup. But please be mindful: people with internal diseases, diabetes or eating disorder should ask their doctor before dieting in this manner. To diet in this way over a longer period of time would mean a malnutrition. So, try it for a week and see if you like it!
Here comes the recipe:
1 big white cabbage or sweetheart cabbage (approx.2 pounds)
1 - 2 onions
1 - 3 garlic cloves (if requested)
3 tablespoons olive-oil
1\2 cup of dry white wine (if requested)
1,5 - 2 liquid quarts vegetable broth (or only hot water)
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
salt
pepper
some fresh herbs

Chop the cabbage in medium-sized pieces, the onions and the garlic in medium-fine pieces. Heat the oil in a big pot and sauté the onions. Add the garlic. Add the wine, which should boil down to a minimum. Add now the caraway seeds. Add the cabbage and stew it lightly. Add the hot vegetable broth and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Allow it to simmer for approx. 20 minutes. The softer the cabbage is, the more digestible it is. Serve the soup with fine chopped, fresh herbs.
You can eat as much soup as you want all day through, since it has almost no calories.

The voracious appetite for sweets occurs often in the last months of the year, through the lack of daylight. Whenever possible, go for a walk during daylight. If you work until late at night, try to get some fresh air at the weekend.
In addition to that, a vitamin-rich nutrition regulates the appetite. Should the voracious appetite gain the upper hand, try a low-fat junket or yogurt with fruits. This is a good alternative and helps to keep the voracious appetite for sweets under control.
If you stop doing sports now because of the ugly weather, you will be angry with yourself next year. Try to hang on and go for a walk or go swimming one to two times a week. Cycling may be not so nice in autumn and winter, maybe you want to go to a fitness studio instead. In this case you are not dependent on the weather. Firm appointments in gymnastic or aerobic groups with like-minded people help a lot to accomplish your goal, namely losing weight in autumn.

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