3 Simple Steps to Avoiding Nighttime Binging

 

3 Simple Steps to Avoiding Nighttime Cravings

Do you know anything worse than you’ve been good all day and now you have these unbearable cravings to eat all the junk food in sight? If it’s not in the fridge or pantry, you may want to splurge on ice cream or order some “bad food” that will just add to your belly fat!

Why does this happen?

1.Low blood sugar- A simple remedy is to eat good sources of protein (almonds, lentil soup, eggs, salmon, etc.). Low blood sugar can occur with missing meals.

If you’re doing intermittent fasting and getting lightheaded or dizzy, please check your blood sugars (and fluid levels) and speak with your health care provider.

**2. Emotional-This is one of the most common reasons I see in my practice. My patients tell me they’re upset, frustrated, feeling overwhelmed or they’re just bored. What were you taught to do when feeling emotional? Eat “comfort foods” of course!

3.Dehydration- Simply drink 2-3 cups of water with electrolytes and notice how you feel.

4.Tired but trying to fight sleep (by eating something sweet to keep you awake), because you don’t want to miss out, or seem lame for going to bed so early. Unfortunately, if you fight going to sleep, you may get your second wind and have trouble falling asleep later, especially after all those cookies are sitting in your belly, but now you’re tired and suffering with heartburn.

If you’re tired go to bed, and it’s okay to go to bed at 7pm. If your body is telling you to rest, Listen!

If you’re watching TV, there’s no shortage of food and beverage commercials (and I have rarely seen anything healthy on them). You ever notice now you want that food. The sad thing is billions are spent on junk food ads that target not only YOU, but YOUR children.

How many kids scream and beg for that Happy Meal or grab for a treat (which is right at their height) at the checkout counter?

The problem with nighttime binges or heavy consumption of liquor is that we don’t have time to burn off those calories, because right after we consume them, we tend to go to bed.

The other concern is junk food is still JUNK, and no matter what time of day they’re consumed, they’re still processed, and loaded with toxins.  Definitely NOT what the body needs.

Think of having a nice car or motorbike, would you put poor quality gas in it? Of course not. YOU would fuel it with the BEST, and YOU DESERVE JUST THAT! YOU ARE WORTH IT!

On a side note, research from the Harvard School of Public Health, shows the healthiest food is only $1.50 more per day than the least healthy food.[1]

Binge eating fuels the pleasure hormone dopamine, which can squelch guilty and anxiety. Unfortunately, this can make us do MORE of what we don’t want to do.

Repeating this behavior can make it a habit. The good news is just like how any habit is formed, it can be replaced with better habits.  

So here are the 3 simple steps. I like to keep it simple because we are more likely to do it. Remember what Grandmaster Steve, Sensei Thomas and Sempai Charlie teach us, if you have a realistic plan, you’re less likely to fail (failing to plan is planning to fail).

3 Simple Steps to Avoid Binge Eating

1.STEP AWAY from the pantry or fridge (YOU CAN DO THIS)! Put a big fat sign up Reminding YOU to do so and the consequences of devouring this rubbish.

2.Then take a 10-minute time out. Go for a nice walk, distract yourself with some uplifting music. Take some nice deep breaths and FOCUS on what YOU want (feeling good, having more energy and slimming your waistline). See yourself having a CHOICE. You can eat 20 pieces of cake if you really want to, but you’re CHOOSING BETTER OPTIONS!

3.If you still want the junk food, EAT IT WITH YOUR EYES. I actually did this when training for my bodybuilding contest, especially when Drew (my hubby) would say, “Na Na Na Na Na, you can’t have this” (while he wolfed down a brownie or chocolate cream pie) in front of me!

Sometimes I would have a small taste (and eat the rest with my eyes). It worked. I never told myself I couldn’t have something (that just makes it more irresistible).

 

Of course, if you’re truly hungry or thirsty eat and drink something. Here’s some of my favorite options that help support better sleep:  

1.Wasa crackers and almond butter (good source of magnesium, which is a calming mineral and a natural muscles relaxer, that can help you fall and stay asleep)

2.Salmon, Hummus and eggs (good sources of tryptophan which produces serotonin and melatonin, the important sleep hormone)

3.Carrots and avocado (good sources of potassium). Avocados have more potassium than bananas. Both can help promote better sleep.

4.Kiwi (rich in serotonin, precursor to melatonin, and antioxidants)[2] supporting better sleep efficiency.

5.Chamomile tea (contains apigenin, an antioxidant that binds to certain receptors in the brain that foster good sleep).[3]

6.Matcha tea (contains L-theanine, an amino acid that promotes the relaxation response by lowering cortisol).

If you implement the 3 simple steps, please share your story to receive 50% off your Natural Medicine consult with Dr. Gold in honor of Father’s Day (for the month of June). Take back YOUR Health TODAY! SIMPLY TEXT DR. GOLD at 813-379-7092.

EMPOWER YOUR HEALTH!

With warmest wishes, Dr. Gold 😊

 

 

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[1] https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/healthy-vs-unhealthy-diet-costs-1-50-more/#:~:text=Boston%2C%20MA%20%E2%80%93%20The%20healthiest%20diets,less%20healthy%20ones.

[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21669584/#:~:text=Total%20sleep%20time%20and%20sleep,of%20kiwifruit%20may%20be%20warranted.

[3] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/5-benefits-of-chamomile-tea#:~:text=Chamomile%20has%20some%20unique%20properties,sleep%20(%201%20%2C%202%20).