How Yoga, Ayurveda, and mindfulness curb the cravings through…
Pause and Presence
Here we are, emerging from the hibernation months. From November to March we are relying on comfort foods to get us through. We needed a little more insulation, we had a lot of food-centric holiday celebrating to do, and being inside kept us a little closer to the kitchen. But now it’s April, time to make a shift to shed winter’s weight and accumulation. We have relied on these food driven habits to keep us emotionally fed for months now. So easily these habits kick into cravings. The unbelievable surges that keep us reaching for food to satiate how we’re feeling.
What keeps you reaching for that bag of chips or grabbing a handful of peanut m&ms? There are many things that trigger our need to feed and it’s often not hunger. Our cravings act to distract, mask, and buffer. We need a way out of whatever uncomfortable emotion has settled in. Boredom, isolation, restlessness…no thank you, I would rather not linger in any of that. There are two things that yoga, ayurveda, and mindfulness teach us to help break the cycle. Pause and Presence.
Uncover your food triggers.
Endless studies continue to be done on what causes cravings. One common myth debunked by many researchers is that we crave what the body needs. “I need a little something sweet, let me grab a bowl of beets, " said almost no one ever. Instead, it has been proven our cravings are less physiological and more psychological. Point blank, we seek out foods that tell our brains to release feel good hormones. Food becomes an addiction as much as any other form of our self-medicating.
According to researchers in Philadelphia, when cravings strike it activates the caudate nucleus, a part of the brain known to be a key player in habit formation. When we feed a craving, we get a dopamine hit, our reward centers light up like a pinball machine. We feel great for a few minutes. Additionally, low serotonin and endorphin levels can nudge us in the direction of fat and sugar for a quick fix. Instantly our mood is elevated. A small study at the University of Chicago showed even when we are chronically sleep deprived the hormones, ghrelin and leptin, which control our appetite become confused and miscommunicate our need to eat more.
The most common cravings and their desired emotional resolution.
Chronic stress is the culprit as we are driven by these emotional cues, even unconsciously, to play chemist in this cycle of brain chemistry. The brain recognizes the mood altering properties of certain foods. When we feel low energy we crave foods that are a stimulant, when we need calming we reach for foods that act as a sedative. We build a relationship with certain foods not for their nourishing abilities, but for their ability to give us those mood altering brain chemicals. For example, we tend to associate baked goods with feelings of bliss and joy. Why wouldn’t we grab a pint of chunky monkey on the way home from a stressful day at the office. We’ve earned that little burst of joy, haven't we?
Common Cravings:
Sweet: Reward and Celebration.
Sweets have the biggest emotional lean. Our childhood was filled with rewards and celebrations that were full of sugar. There's comforting nostalgia in such foods.
Emotional resolutions: comforting, uplifting, energizing
Eating Empowerment:
Pinpoint the sweet/reward connection (where did your sweet cravings originate?)
Balance gut microbiome (take probiotics to keep yeast in check.)
Choose fruit over chocolate (low sugar fruits= grapefruits, raspberries, blueberries, green apples)
Fat: Safety and Stability
Fats have a grounding effect in the midst of chaos. They provide a feeling of protection and are linked to our survival.
Emotional resolutions: grounding, satiation, inclusion
Eating Empowerment:
Pinpoint what needs grounding. (what aspect of your life needs more stability?)
Eat more grains and fiber to help you feel full.
Choose healthy fats instead, mmmm…. avocado
Salty, crunchy foods: Release and Zest
When we want active eating we crave texture and flavor. We want a sensory experience to feel and hear the crunch. It is both satisfying and releasing. The taste of salt amps up any flavor, making it a perfect combination of texture and flavor.
Emotional resolutions: calming, reviving, stress relief
Eating Empowerment:
Pinpoint what needs calming. (what is frustrating you?)
Stock up on crunchy fruits and veggies
Exercise to release stress
Carbs: Filled and Fueled
Carbs may carry a bit of nostalgia too as part of every square meal from the 1950’s forward. They settle our hunger, give us a feeling of having enough. Also giving us a sense of being fueled and ready to go.
Emotional resolutions: nourishing, comforting, fortifying
Eating Empowerment:
Pinpoint what needs to be supported. (what needs to be refilled?)
Incorporate whole, unrefined carbs like winter squash and sweet potatoes.
Eat a balance of protein
Spicy: Excitement and vitality
When we want to battle the mundane, spicy foods can feel exciting and exotic. They can be stimulating and fire you up for a burst of adrenaline. It somehow makes us feel more adventurous.
Emotional resolutions: daring, interesting, revitalizing
Eating Empowerment:
Pinpoint how your life might benefit from some excitement. (where can you add adventure?)
Taste your food first. See what is already on the palette before you grab the hot sauce.
Not everything needs to be a competition. (Hello. Hot ones) Nothing to prove here.
Pause and Presence.
Food Diary:
Two of the best ways to break this cycle of craving is pause and presence. This is where a food diary can come in handy. Not only to keep track of what you actually are consuming in a given day, but to get familiar with the situation or emotion that’s calling you to the table. In the pause and the presence we can be more conscious of what is driving us to eat.
Here’s some helpful tips to gain insight into the foods you’re choosing and why you’re making that choice. It’s the first step in eating empowerment. Instead of giving in to this a short term fix, we have more power in the long term result. Take a few days or even a full week to track your relationship with the food you’re eating. With a little more information it is easier to see a pattern and understand the motivation behind any choice.
Uncover your trigger: Take a moment to write down 5 adjectives that describe how you’re feeling when a craving arises.
Which of these describes the why? Distracting, masking, or buffering? Are you distracting from the stress? Are you masking a feeling? Are you buffering to avoid the void?
Is the trigger environmental? Are you craving popcorn because you’re at a movie? Are you eating a hamburger because you’re at a cookout?
Are you attempting to shift your energy level? If you feel restless, bored, or unmotivated are you trying to get that rush of energy to get going?
What are you craving emotionally at this moment? Pleasure, excitement, grounding, focus, calming, or a reward?
Other tools for pause and presence:
When a craving arises, redirect your attention for 20 minutes. Go for a walk, a quick cleaning session, or do a few yoga poses.
Tune into what you really need. Is it hunger or longing? Take 10 deep diaphragmatic breaths. Feeling the belly expands with inhalation and softens with exhalation.
Sit in meditation for 10 minutes, visualize in great detail some place you love in nature. Replace any images from your food cravings. Especially if you have just fallen victim to a fast food commercial.
Purify your mouth. Brush your teeth. Have herbal tea. Try flavors of mint, tulsi, turmeric, and cinnamon.
Use aromatherapy to soothe your senses with lavender, lemon, or rose. For craving try grapefruit, peppermint, or bergamot.
Try a mono-diet. A three day kitchari cleanse will cleanse the system and reset the palette. Get the recipe below.
Ayurvedic perspectives on taming cravings.
Through ayurveda we deepen our presence with every ingredient. We are rooted in kitchen medicine. Over-all to best support our digestive system, ayurveda recommends delving into six tastes. For the most nourishing and satiating experience, every meal should include: sweet, sour, pungent, salty, astringent, bitter. According to ayurveda every thing we ingest has a specific taste, from foods to herbs and medicines. Each taste is a catalyst for specific responses in the body and mind.
In the springtime, with seasonal changes, we aim to balance the vulnerabilities of kapha dosha. Gravitating to bitter and pungent, while greatly reducing sweet and salty, relieves the tendency towards feelings of heaviness and stagnation, which result after the winter months.
Bitter (cleansing): Detoxifies, digestive tonic, purifies pancreas.
Pungent (warming): Boosts circulation and supports digestion, elimination, and absorption.
Astringent (drying): Decreases excess moisture, tones and reduces tissues.
As you modify your tastes and adjust your portions according to your constitutional need, your body will be fully nourished and the brain will be contented. Doshas will be held in a more consistent state of equilibrium.
Be compassionate in moving into pause and presence
Sometimes we need to take our mind off our stressors, even for just a moment. Other times we need an energy boost and the most convenient things to grab for are caffeine or sugar. With a little distance it’s important to recognize when the impetus is habit, not hunger. There is an emotional thirst we are trying to quench. The emptiness we are tending to is not in our stomachs, it’s in our hearts. Are we trying to feed an emotion or our body? Whatever you recognize and reconcile in your cravings, let it be an opportunity to empower your will. As with anything, mindfulness takes practice. Being able to drop into being present and giving space to take that pause can require some time.
In the meantime, watch out for shame spirals. This is all to offer a little bit of perspective and a first step, if you’re called to take one. There is much to be offered through yoga, breath, meditation, and ayurveda. However, know too that there are many triggers in life. We all deal with them differently. Working with emotions and long held coping mechanisms can uncover the exact pain we have been suppressing. Eating disorders and food issues are not to be taken lightly or resolved flippantly with some words on the screen. Therefore, I ask you to seek support if you need it. Reach out to a skilled therapist or a counselor.
