Whole30: Using Cravings to your Benefit Part 1

Hey everyone, 

I hope that you have been tracking your cravings over the last week; if not, perhaps taking mental notes. :)

I really felt like I was on top of my cravings during the whole30... that is until the other night. I had a dream that I was eating a large chain restaurant's delicious bread sticks glazed in full fat butter.  I woke up disappointed and wanting bread sticks.  I felt incomplete or "one fry short of a happy meal," lacking the ultimate goodness.  The craving faded after hours and hours (or so it felt like hours).  It inspired me to learn more about this feeling that I've learned over my lifetime.  Here we are... in a 3 part series.  It will include the following topics:

1. defining cravings and the effects
2. how to overcome cravings and use to your benefits
3. long term strategies to kick cravings to the curb

In the past, I looked at food as being there for all of life's moments: graduating college, funerals, getting the job, getting promotions, difficult times, engagement, celebrations... the list can go on.  It was important to have the "right" food during that moment where I felt happy or sad.  It was there as a pick me up when I was down, the "icing on the cake," or it was there to help me celebrate the moment, the "cherry on top."  Typing out the expressions the images of cake and cherries dance in my mind and make my mouth water.  Please keep in mind I haven't had either since starting the whole30 challenge. I learned to associate them with a positive reward for my body regardless of how I was feeling in the moment (happy/sad).  So why is it now that I have this sudden urge to eat them and I crave them as I type this to you?  We begin to explore the wonderful world of cravings.

Defining Cravings
According to Webster, the definition of the word was first used in 1633: craving- an intense, urgent, or abnormal desire or longing.  So what were they probably craving in the 1600s?  It was war stricken era, so to survive, I'm sure that they craved all foods.

The body has identified survival as it's first priority, thus a craving.  

So why do we crave when our lives are not in danger?  Good question...

How cravings can effect us
Cravings are associated with a reward in our mind.  Cravings can be habitual, physical, or emotional.  First, the mind anticipates the reward: I will feel _(happy, okay, content)_ when I eat _(bread sticks, cake, cherry)_.  Attaching a feeling creates a longing and / or emotional bond.  Our body identifies with the food that at one time released positive hormones, like dopamine.  Until we satisfy the craving, our body will release hormones to create discomfort.  So if you've ever craved something so much that your mind tells you, "I will only feel better once I have it," you know why!

Application
In the previous email, we discussed tracking our cravings.  Today we have 2 applications.  1) take this 10 question survey so we can compare our associations with food.  I will use the polls during the 3rd part of the series.  Warning! You may have cravings after you do this survey... 2) Review the log and identify if your cravings are:

1. Habitual - every night at 8pm I want dark chocolate.
2. Physical - I crave "x" food and learned I was deficient in "y" vitamin/mineral. 
3. Emotional - When I feel _____ I want _____. 

Since cravings can be considered a learned behavior, one can assume that we can alter this belief and create a new experience.  Just as we learned how to crave, we can also learn nurturing behaviors.  So now what will we say in lieu of our previous expressions, "i'm one veggie short of my 5 today?" :)

Cheers to learning new behaviors!

Amanda