The Big Carb Crave

Can this be you??

• Feeling sad or depressed at times
• Feeling irritable
• Experiencing mood swings
• Worrying  about things a lot
• Feeling your mind goes 100 miles a minute
• Finding it hard to sleep and worrying about what you need to do the next day
• Having panic attacks or just feeling panicky from time to time
• Feeling anxious
• Feeling things are out of control at times
• Lacking self esteem

If you are experiencing any of the above, do you feel the need to crave comfort foods in the form of Processed Carbohydrates?

Generalised Anxiety or Panic Disorder This is a known disorder and it is not uncommon for that condition to be associated with eating simple carbohydrates. The condition of anxiety is a very low or a fluctuating level of a chemical in your body calledSerotonin, the feel good hormone. The quickest way to increase Serotonin levels in your body is with food; not just any type of food but with processed carbohydrates, i.e. chips, fast food, white rice and bread, chicken combined with fat. They behave like a drug in your system

• After 2 seconds of eating these types of food your body sugar levels go up,
• After 4 seconds insulin is released,
• After 6 seconds this rushes to the brain,
• After 7 seconds it turns into Serotonin,

You know that feeling you feel of  "sigh & relax"? This is a feeling that goes away; it is just temporary.

As far as your body is concerned, you have just taken a drug.

It’s a very short term solution as it messes up all the balance of  complex chemicals in your body.

So, if you crave processed carbohydrates or comfort foods this is

not about a flaw in your character  nor does it mean you lack willpower!

These are real brain chemicals and processes. That, with a combination of genetics, and maybe some kind of life event  that has proved difficult  or stressful for you i.e. loss of job, illness, loss of a family member or friend, marriage breakup, house move, general stress etc., put these  things together and it’s a recipe for weight gain.

All is not lost though Switch to the low- Gi, brown, wholemeal types of carbohydrates. Eating healthy foods coupled with lots of exercise, you will start to feel better about yourself, you won't feel so anxious, your outlook on life changes, you will become happier, able to get up in the morning without a struggle, you won't feel so tired, you will no longer lack energy and therefore you won't feel so depressed.

All of this will stop your body craving simple carbohydrates (comfort foods) and you will beat the circle of your body wanting these foods all the time.

It won't happen overnight, but stick with it and you will notice the changes in your mood and energy levels fairly quickly and when you start to feel good about yourself again you will find it so much easier to lose weight.

And remember Exercise will lift you mood and spirits too