PEP 54: Hack Your Cravings & Stop Stress Eating
Did you know that your cravings start the previous day?
It's true. The snickers bar that's calling your name from the vending machine on Tuesday afternoon might be haunting you because of your poor sleep Monday evening.
Poor sleep quality activates our amygdala, an unevolved part of our brain that is solely focused on procreation and food. While our amygdala is activated, the activity in the pre-frontal cortex area of our brain (the evolved part of our brain that's used for critical thinking) is decreased.
Another contributing factor to food cravings is protein deficiency. Protein assists in long-term blood sugar management. Poor blood sugar management leads to blood sugar rises and falls, biologically activating survival mechanisms and triggering cravings for carbohydrates.
Some of the most popularly craved foods in America are are potato chips, cookies, cake, and french fries: ALL CARBOHYDRATE DOMINANT FOODS.
A study published in the Obesity journal in 2011 compared low-carb diets vs low-fat diets and how they impacted food cravings. The low-carb diet was shown to significantly decrease cravings for carbohydrates. One of the reasons that the low-carb diet decreased food cravings was because the subjects began eating more protein, which improved blood sugar management.
Topics discussed include:
The difference between modern stress and ancestral stress
Conscious stress vs. unconscious stress
Stress triggers pre-evolutionary survival mechanisms
Stress activates the amygdala portion of your brain
Sugar is a quick energy source, but it's not sustainable
Why bacteria might be the most advanced species on the planet
Why humans never need to eat carbohydrates
Gluconeogenesis
How sleep impacts cravings
How getting sun impacts your cravings
How protein deficiency increases cravings
How protein fills you up more FROM A HORMONAL PERSPECTIVE
Your diet shouldn't add more stress to your life