Cravings

GOOD MORNING!!

After my non-stop peanut butter binge last night... I did some googling to figure out why I'm all of a sudden craving nuts, peanut butter, and comfort food.

First find: women succumb to cravings way more than men, mostly due to the monthly hormone cycle we all know and love....

Second find: I stumbled across a Raw Foods blog that addresses common cravings and what our body is trying to tell us -- super interesting!

• Are you craving a quick blood-sugar raiser, like cookies, candy, ice cream, or other sweets? Two options: you may be withdrawing from processed sugar (it's a freakin' drug) and miss the feeling of a “sugar high,” or you might also be craving carbs because you’ve under-eaten and need some glucose in your bloodstream.  
• TRY: filling up on plenty of fresh, whole fruit (not dried).  
• Are you craving a “comfort food” you used to eat after having a bad day, or something special your mom (or grandma or other chef-like family member) used to make when you were little? Then you’re probably having a psychologically-rooted craving. You may be associating a feeling of comfort, familiarity, and overall okay-ness with a particular food item. These are not good cravings to succumb to. 
• TRY: finding constructive ways to deal with difficult emotions instead of swallowing them down with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.
• Are you craving something super salty, like popcorn, chips, canned food or soup, broth, foods with soy sauce, or ketchup?  If you don’t consume overt salt or if you really like chowing down on high-potassium fare, your body might be crying out for some extra sodium. 
• TRY: eating celery, seaweed, raw cultured vegetables, swiss chard, or spinach when these cravings strike
• Are you craving something dense and rich, like cheese, butter, peanut butter, fast food, or heavy desserts? Your body is probably desperate for calories. Nine times out of ten, when you crave extremely calorie-rich foods, it’s because you haven’t been getting enough fuel for a while (days, weeks, or even months) and your body is pretty peeved about it. 
• TRY: The key to battling this craving isn’t necessarily to eat more fatty foods, but to eat more, period. Amp up your overall intake, and the heavy food cravings will typically subside. (One caveat: sometimes cheese cravings are also due to dairy withdrawal or low sodium levels.)
• Are you craving a pure, unseasoned protein source, like chicken, eggs, or fish? You probably aren’t getting enough protein.
• Are you craving red meat—even if you haven’t eaten it in years? This is a classic iron craving. 
• TRY: Load up on dark leafy greens or sea vegetables, and eat them with another food high in vitamin C to enhance absorption (such as a salad with spinach and orange slices)

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This morning: fun day, run day!!

Um.... can I just say that my fiber intake has finally caught up with me.  About 2 miles into my run, I had to go to the bathroom (for the 2nd time!).  I figured I'd just hold it until the feeling passed.  5 miles later I realized that wasn't going to happen.  I alternated between saying the f word and the poop word before running to the nearest grocery store....

Then I was on my way :)

15.5 - 16.5 miles... my GPS was giving me weird readings so I'll just go with a "range."

Yeah... super attractive, I know.  My endorphin rush kind of takes over and makes me take post-work out and self-absorbed pictures.
 
Lunch: Salad Beast -- head of romaine lettuce, cilanto lime dressing from Tjoes, fat-free feta, tomato, TJoes Veggie Masala Burger, some soy crumbles, crimini onion, green onion, and mixed veggies

I guess I just got over my fiber flub this morning....
some people never learn.


HOPE YOUR WEEKEND IS OFF TO A GREAT START!!