Who hasn’t craved something salty then something sweet? That’s why God made popcorn and ice cream
(think Heavenly Hash), right? Perhaps,
but it may also be something else that’s causing you to feel this way.
Believe it or not, every “body” craves good nutrition. Whether we’re craving something salty or
sweet, we should take inventory of what we’ve been or not been eating and what
stress we’ve been putting our bodies through.
Both are the red flags we need not ignore.
Naturally, our body (especially our brain) craves natural “sugar”
(complex and simple carbohydrates) to energize.
Our body also needs “salt” (i.e. Sodium) to help store water and
minerals, while also feeding our muscles and nerves. When we “lack” enough of either, we
experience cravings for one or sometimes both.
Processed foods are high in sugar (usually fructose corn syrup) and
sodium (helps keep the food “preserved”).
When we eat a lot of processed food our body experiences the “highs and
lows” of the unhealthy sugar and sodium levels found in these foods.
Cravings
So what’s at the root of our cravings? The list of choices can be quite extensive,
while also mysterious. Sometimes, it’s
nothing more or less than just not practicing balance in our lives. When we’re overworked, we experience
stress. When we experience stress, we
suffer from emotional and physical imbalance.
The root of that imbalance begins with how our bodies respond to what we’re
requiring it to do. The more we demand from
our body, the more our body depletes itself of what it naturally stores.
Adrenal fatigue
Underlying health problems, like Adrenal fatigue, can cause
our body to experience the salty and sweet cravings, as well. Our Adrenal glands, located above the kidney’s,
produce a steroid-type hormone called “cortisol” responsible for balancing us
emotionally especially during stressful situations. Its primary function is to increase blood
sugar, suppress the immune system and metabolize fat, protein, and carbohydrates. When the Adrenal gland is overworked, we feel
the effects physically and emotionally:
*Sleeplessness, fatigue – Very common, resulting in erratic
sleeping patterns
*Cravings – Salty and sweet
*Illness – We either become sick more often or healing
within a reasonable amount of time
*Emotionally depleted and depressed
*Weight gain
*Sighing
*Memory loss
*Sickness
*Low blood pressure
*Decreased sex drive
If we’re putting our bodies through a lot of stress, our
body’s ability to respond in a balanced and appropriate manner will be
compromised. There are natural ways in
which you can naturally heal and help your body recover from stress, enabling
your Adrenal glands to recover:
*Meditation – If you have trouble sleeping, try to meditate
at least 10 minutes a day, twice a day.
Meditation is as simple as clearing your thoughts while sitting or
reclining in a comfortable position. Once
you train your body to relax naturally your body will begin the healing
process, naturally. If you’re not sure
how to meditate, visit YouTube and search “instrumental meditation”. Grab a set of headphones (so that you’re not
distracted by any outside sound), plug them into your computer, close your eyes
and simply relax, breathe deeply, and “empty” your thoughts. One easy way to “empty” your brain is to change
the way you’re your brain holds and releases its thoughts. Start with visualizing a non-stressful object
in your brain like an apple, a leaf, or a bird.
Mentally count to 3 and then release that thought to envision
nothing. Continue to do this for about
20 seconds. Then stop envisioning
anything and just enjoy being with yourself, listening to the sounds that you
hear.
*Whole, healthy food – Stop eating processed food! Start with eating whole food (if it comes
from the ground and it’s fresh, it’s good!).
Prepare your meals in advance.
Avoid junk food. Eat a healthy
snack between each meal. A healthy snack
could be almonds, fruit, veggies, but nothing processed or refined.
*Drink water – Stay naturally hydrated. Take your current weight, divide it in half
and drink that many ounces each day.
*Avoid too much caffeine – Over stimulating your body leads
to stress. Reduce your intake of caffeine
to no more than two cups of coffee, tea a day.
*Exercise – When your body is over stressed it will respond
with feeling tired. However, some form
of exercise will help your body release stress and will raise your feel good
hormones (endorphins).
*Massage – Hydrogen ion is the acid in lactic acid, which
builds in muscles and nerves, through mostly physical activity, slowing our
energy levels. Deep tissue massage helps
release the build-up of these ions. If you
can’t afford a massage, then soak for 20 minutes in a warm (not hot) Epsom salt
bath, followed by a cool rinse.
Everyone experiences stress.
Learning to pay attention to what it’s doing to our bodies is the first
step in helping our body recover, heal and restore to the level of wellness it
needs to live fully.
Quick Tips for Wellness: Salty and sweet cravings are your body’s way
of telling you to pay attention to it.
Never ignore the signs!
Quick Tips for
Wellness ™ Copyright © 2012, All rights reserved
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