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Carbohydrate
Cravings And The Atkins Diet
Atkins diet
foods are easy to find and available everywhere. There are many
varieties to choose from, whether you pick prepackaged low-carb diet
foods or make your own meals. No matter how you want to do the Atkins
plan, there is a solution out there for you.
Carbohydrate cravings are difficult to deal with, especially when you
are trying to maintain a low carbohydrate way of life. However,
carbohydrate cravings are not just a matter of will power. As Dr.
Atkins points out in his book, carbohydrates produce a flood of insulin
and a rise in blood sugar. There is indeed a physical trigger for
carbohydrate cravings, and it is one of the reasons that it is so easy
to develop a high-carbohydrate, low protein way of eating.
When you start the Atkins plan, you’ll need to make sure you understand
which foods are acceptable for your stage of the program. The Induction
phase is the most restrictive, but it only lasts two weeks.
There are many signs of physical carbohydrate cravings. You will
experience a compelling hunger for carbohydrate rich foods. Overtime,
you will develop a growing need for starches, snack foods and sweets.
Additionally, you may experience cravings and weight gain after using
some of the carbohydrate act-a-likes such as sugar substitutes and
alcohol.
High carbohydrate foods are everywhere, which makes the cravings even
harder to overcome. Eating the high-sugar, refined starch foods will
feed your cravings and create more, much like a drug habit. In fact,
high levels of carbohydrates produce high levels of the brain chemical
seratonin, which is the chemical found in Prozac and other
anti-depressants. So eating high levels of carbohydrates is
self-medicating. People with low levels of seratonin are prone to using
carbohydrates like a drug.
Tension and stress can also lead to overeating carbohydrate-laden
foods. When we are tense, the adrenal gland creates more cortisol.
Cortisol is a hormone that stimulates production of a brain chemical
that causes carbohydrate cravings. It also stimulates insulin, which
leads to blood sugar dips and more fat storage.
Considering all of these factors, it may seem impossible to live on a
low-carbohydrate diet. However, following the Atkins plan is one of the
best ways to break the cycle of carbohydrate addiction and take back
your life and your health. The Atkins plan helps you take control of
your cravings and rid yourself of years of damage caused by eating too
many carbohydrates.
While on the Atkins diet, you may experience some carbohydrate cravings
from time to time, especially during the initial phases of the diet.
However, these will lessen as your body becomes more used to eating a
protein-centered diet. In order to keep your cravings in check, eat
small meals or snacks that contain protein every few hours. This will
keep your blood sugars stable and avoid the “crash” you feel when you
go hungry. Skipping meals will cause drops in blood sugar and leave you
craving sweets.
Protein and fat, which are the focus of the Atkins plan, will give your
body extended energy. Atkins diet food is easy to find once you know
what you are looking for. The books, food pyramid and online resources
can help you make better food choices and stay on the diet for the long
term. Make sure you are getting enough levels of the essential fats.
Sometimes an Omega 3 fish oil supplement will help stave off
carbohydrate cravings.
Cravings for foods can sometimes be caused by dehydration. It’s a good
rule of thumb to drink a glass of water before reaching for any type of
snack. Sometimes thirst can mask itself as hunger. When your body is
properly hydrated, it will run more efficiently and you will see a
decrease in cravings. When you completely (or almost completely)
eliminate carbohydrates from your diet, your body has no other resource
for energy besides its storage of extra fat to burn. The Atkins Diet is
a high-protein, low-carbohydrate eating plan that works wonders at
first. You can lose a lot of weight in relatively little time on this
program. Stay committed to this new way of eating and you will see the
benefits quickly.
This
information is
not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and
informational purposes only
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