FitSugar

Kourtney Kardashian's Cravings Are Causing a Problem at Home

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:02:41 PDT

Pickles and ice cream have nothing on Kourtney Kardashian's cravings this go-round! The pregnant mama - who's expecting a baby girl in a few months - kept things healthy while pregnant with her son Mason, 2, but this baby has her gobbling down comfort food. During an appearance on The Rachael Ray Show today, Kourtney explained that she found herself wanting fruit and frozen yogurt the first time around, but now it's "cheeseburgers, sour cream and onion chips, and double-stuffed Oreos." And while that all sounds tasty - though, not quite healthy - the biggest problem she's having is keeping her son away from her treats! Take a look and tell us, did your cravings change with subsequent pregnancies?

It's Time to Quit Your Sugar Addiction Once and For All

Leta Shy — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:05:34 PDT

There's lots to love about sugar: it makes dessert delicious and fruit flavorful. But eating too much sugar (more than the recommended six teaspoons a day) is bad for more than your waistline. Read on for three important reasons to cut back on sugar.

You always want more: It's hard to stop at just one cookie or piece of cake; that's because sugar is addictive. Eating sugar activates feel-good chemicals in your brain, making it hard to resist cravings. As a sugar high diminishes, the body's want for it increases, leading to a never-ending cycle of trying to resist the call of the cookie jar.

It makes you tired: Sugar may energize you at first (thanks to that quick insulin spike), but once you crash, you're left feeling fatigued. If you're tired of feeling foggy-headed as the afternoon wears on, try limiting sugary and starchy foods. But don't think this means you need to lay off that afternoon apple, however; while containing fructose, fruit is also made up of fiber and other nutrients that make them some of the best kinds of snacks.

It increases your risk of serious illnesses: Eating too much sugar can lead to heart disease, liver damage, stroke, and an increased risk of cancer. Many processed foods contain a surprising amount of hidden sugars already, so it helps to make a conscious effort to stick to whole, natural foods.

These should be reasons enough to cut back on your sugar intake! If you need help cutting back on sugar, read our tips on how to reduce your sugar (and salt) cravings here.

How to Deal With Cravings to Addictive Foods

FitSugar — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:29:24 PDT

We've all seesawed between depriving ourselves then binging on cravings, usually because we crave things that we know we should avoid. According to Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D., founder of The Natural Gourmet Institute and prominent author and lecturer on natural health and holistic medicine, we should listen to some cravings. They are the body's signal to search for nutrients it needs to operate properly. However, we often crave addictive foods and substances that are nonessential (and often harmful) to our body.

People who experience a food addiction indulge in stimulants such as sugar, white flour, chocolate, coffee, and alcohol. Giving them up can lead to withdrawal symptoms like unpleasant headaches, intense cravings, depression, and anxiety. One bite can instantaneously alleviate these symptoms while propelling the body to pig out. Remember, easily ridding yourself of the symptoms won't reverse the addiction. Dr. Colbin says the first four days of a cleanse are the hardest, but the cravings will diminish with patience and time.

Let's take a look at the biggest culprit. We all know that white sugar is detrimental to our heath, but here's why sugar should be hard to swallow. In her book Food and Healing, Dr. Colbin explains, "To metabolize refined sugar, the body draws out the missing companion nutrients (needed as catalysts in the digestive process) from other sources." The "other sources" can be additional foods eaten during the meal, or else your body strips the micronutrients from its own tissues. Dr. Colbin warns that to digest sugar, "We lose B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, [and] iron . . . from our own reserves." This is obviously a body's last resort, and the body will try to flash a hunger signal first to search for foods with essential nutrients. Instead of bulking up on unnecessary calories to find the right food to satisfy your munchies, Dr. Colbin has mapped out an easy-to-use chart.

To learn how to deal with your cravings, click here.

How to Reduce Your Sugar and Salt Cravings

Leta Shy — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:57:03 PDT

It's an endless cycle: satiating your salt and sugar cravings can end up with you just wanting more. Once our taste buds get used to sugary or salty foods, it's hard to cut back. Since most of us are eating way more than the recommended daily values for sugar (six teaspoons of added sugar a day) and salt (1500 to 2300 mg a day) - not to mention the sugar and salt levels hiding in processed foods - cutting back on these addictive ingredients is important.

You can put me in the over-salter group. Whether it's a stir-fry or chips and salsa, I find myself craving salty foods all the time. Lately, however, I've been trying to cut back on my sodium intake, and I've been realizing just how hard it can be.

Are you also a big fan of salt or sugar? Read on for some tips that have helped me cut my cravings.

How Well Do You Know Your Celebrity Pregnancy Cravings?

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 13 May 2011 11:31:01 PDT

Pickles and ice cream may be the punch line of pregnancy craving jokes, but most mamas-to-be have much more interesting food necessities. Our readers told us about wanting everything from canned soup to raw pie dough throughout their nine months, and celeb mamas-to-be have equally interesting desires. Take this quiz to see just how much you know about Hollywood's expectant moms.

Question 1 of 7

Which mama-to-be could be found ordering the fruit plate throughout her pregnancy?

Train Your Brain to Control Cravings (3 Simple Tricks!)

Self — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 08:00:35 PDT

We are pumped to share our fave story from Self here on FitSugar!

One common work-week diet trap: the 3-o'clock munchies. You know the feeling. Before you know it, you're standing before the vending machine, with the voice in your head saying "I want, I want, I want!" Here's how to silence those thoughts without feeling deprived. Ready to take control over your cravings? Follow these three simple tricks:

Do indulge (in moderation): Denying yourself of the very treats you love is only going to make you want them more - and if you cut them out completely you may find yourself binging on them within a week's time. Better to keep yourself in check by practicing moderation. Love chocolate? Eat two small squares daily rather than the entire bar. Is it crunch you crave? Trade in fatty potato crisps for a healthy chip alternative.
Try positive self-talk: Be gentle with yourself. So you ate a few cookies, so what! It's OK. Stay calm. You will not (I repeat): You will not blow up like a balloon. Rather than beat yourself up for allowing yourself a small indulgence, tell yourself "A few cookies is not an entire box. I deserve to satisfy my sweet tooth and I have. I don't need to eat any more cookies (today)." Being mindful of your inner dialogue will do wonders for your self-esteem and your waistline.
Breathe before you bite: When that explosive wave of "I want (insert cookies, cake, chips, dip, etc. here)" hits, step away from the fridge. Make a commitment to yourself to wait it out at least 10 minutes. Focus on your breathing and what you are feeling. Are you sad, angry, or tired? If so, try improving your mood without food - call a friend, blast a song you love, take a walk or write in a journal. Chances are your yen for treats will pass. If you're truly hungry and feel your belly rumbling after those 10 minutes, eat - but try to choose a healthy snack.

Find five more ways to train your brain to shut out (and up!) those pesky cravings inside your head.
Need more food for thought? Read these stories at Self.com:

LilSugar Readers' Crazy Pregnancy Cravings

babysugar — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 06:00:00 PDT

Salted avocado topped with cottage cheese and raw pie dough, please! When an expectant mama's stomach is dictating her food intake, anything goes. We asked our readers to share their craziest pregnancy cravings and weren't surprised when some of the responses were unlikely pairings. See if yours made the list!

LilSugar Challenge: Crazy Things That Pregnant Women Crave!

babysugar — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:00:00 PDT

A pint of ice cream and pass the pickles? Pregnancy cravings can easily get the best of an expectant mama or, more likely, her partner if she isn't prepared. I never had any crazy late night cravings (like vegetarians who suddenly need meat), but I did find myself eating more of these three things:

Mexican food
Gummy candy
Bagels

Pickles with ice cream or eggs round the clock, tell us: what was your most shocking pregnancy craving?

Don't Give Up Because You Gave In

FitSugar — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:00:56 PDT

When trying to forge a healthy habit, even the strongest among us can slip up sometimes. Whatever our resolutions may be - working out every day, not eating sweets, having just one cup of coffee per day - we have unintended cheat days or weak moments. But just because you give in to temptation once doesn't mean you should give up your healthy goals.

I'll admit that sometimes when I veer from my healthy habits, I'm tempted to stay off track - just throw up my hands thinking the damage is done. This particularly happens during the holidays: if I pig out at one meal, why not just overeat at the next meal too? Or, after skipping workouts on vacation, it's difficult to motivate myself again.

But remember: just because you give in to temptation once doesn't mean you should give up entirely. In fact, it's even more reason to reset your healthy goals. If you end up eating a Snickers bar for breakfast in a weak moment, don't beat yourself up over it. Just make your next choice a healthy one and go from there. How do you deal with weak moments?

Lil Community: What Did You Look Forward to After Pregnancy?

Lil Community — Tue, 25 May 2010 04:00:54 PDT

Nine months can seem like a lifetime when you're pregnant. LilSugar reader SugarKat is already dreaming about life after her second tot arrives and shared her latest thoughts about pregnancy in The Pregnancy Posse group.

I belong to two wine clubs and get shipments even when I'm pregnant. I can't wait to try them. I love soft cheeses more than most other food in life. I would love a Jimmy John's sandwich once in a while. I can't wait to be able to bend over again. I would rather not have to stretch for 10 minutes just to get out of bed in the middle of the night to pee. [But] most of all I'm looking forward to having my little boy in my arms. My daughter is super-excited to hold the little one and I hope is going to be the best helper around!

What did you look forward to most after you have baby?

Want to talk pregnancy with other expectant mamas? Get the conversation started in The Pregnancy Posse group!