Tips for managing binge behavior
Whether it’s stress, stress or stress, binging is a common reaction to life’s many curveballs. Few habits are more destructive on fat-loss goals. Luckily, there are solutions and other ways to manage. As always, adequate exercise and nourishing, appropriate nutrition will certainly help with whatever stress is causing one to binge in the first place. Positive self talk helps too! Everyone falls off sometimes. Here are some things that help me to stay on track with my physique goals when everything else feels out of control.
- Pay attention to hydration levels and increase fluids. Most hunger cravings stem from levels of dehydration. Once dehydrated, the brain can't distinguish between food and water, so we often reach for calories we don't need. Don't let the bugs in the gut win! Get creative. Try decaf coffee or tea if caffeine doesn't bode well on the digestive system. Flavor plain water with lemon juice, stevia powder and a smidge of pink salt for increased electrolyte absorption and pH balance. Try warm water with cinnamon, stevia, pink salt, glutamine and glycine for a night time treat. Warm water with a teaspoon of plain cocoa powder, vanilla stevia, pink salt and glutamine is also a delicious healthy alternative to high-sugar hot cocoa (see previous article). Drink 5-7 extra 20 oz cups of flavored water throughout the day to help satiate cravings.
- Increase levels of glutamine. During workouts and on non training days, aim for 20-40 grams of powdered glutamine. Glutamine not only helps muscles recover from strenuous exercise, but it creates new enterocytes, the cells that line the gut and make up the immune system. Cravings stem from bacterial and hormonal imbalance. Creating new cells that line the GI helps to counteract the presence of dangerous, hard to get rid of bacteria. Add this unflavored powder to water, sports drinks, protein shakes, preworkouts, coffee and tea. It helps to create GI balance and regularity.
- Increase fibrous vegetable intake. Leafy, green salads are amazing because they are hydrating, full of vitamins and minerals, fiber (which acts to detoxify), and they are a high volume - low impact/low calorie food. Arugula packs a peppery punch at a caloric bargain of only 5 calories per packed cup. Asparagus is only 27 calories per raw cup.
- Utilize cauliflower. Not only is it full of nutrients, but cauliflower is highly versatile as a carb replacement AND helps to detoxify the body of harmful xenoestrogens by providing a hefty dose of DIM - a natural hormone balancer. One cup of mashed cauliflower is only 25 calories and 5 grams of carbs, 4 of which are fiber. Cauliflower is excellent used in place of potatoes or rice, and even makes amazing chocolate ice cream when blended, frozen, with cocoa powder, stevia, a smidge of vanilla protein powder and pink salt. Never forget the salt. It is an essential mineral and adds inimitable flavor to sweet and salty treats alike.
- Try intermittent fasting. From the moment one stops eating at night, wait 12-16 hours before eating again. Try not to chew gum or drink beverages with any calories as these must require digestion. Intermittent fasting (IF) allows the body to go through longer phases of autophagy, which allows cells to turnover, recover and replenish energy stores more efficiently. Eating is technically damage to the GI system, as it requires calories and work by the intestines. Fasting allows this system to repair and become more efficient in shuttling nutrients to the right places, without needing to store as much as adipose tissue. IF also provides a smaller window for calories to be eaten within each day, which naturally helps to limit the number of calories taken in daily, which can help with weight loss. Aim to drink 2+ gallons of fluids during the fasted window, in addition to sleeping 8 hours, and IF becomes an easy lifestyle transition. Clairvoyance and higher levels of growth hormone are also side effects of IF. Win, win, win.
- Chew gum after meals. And or brush ones teeth. Chewing cinnamon or fruit flavored (sugar free) gum after eating helps the body to start digesting food, lower acid reflux, and sends signals to the brain to start the “rest and digest” process by the parasympathetic nervous system. There’s some mixed evidence on this one... some people find that chewing gum makes them hungrier, and increases cravings for sweet foods. Practice self awareness hand de. There are days where I’ll chew zero pieces. I try to wait as long as possible in the day before opening the pack of gum, because gum does stimulate digestive juices and after a long fast, it can make one hungry. But after one has consumed adequate calories, chewing gum should help mentally turn off the eating switch. If it doesn’t work for you, then don’t chew gum ;) Some day gum helps the brain work more sharply and increases focus. I like to chew a piece as I finish my cardio after my workout. It’s a sweet reward I look forward to each day. Sounds silly... but routines help to build successful habits and successful people.
What helps you to curb your cravings? There’s a lot more to cravings than just lack of discipline. Often there’s a hormonal imbalance to blame, or inadequate sleep, overload of poor gut bacteria, causing the brain to crave sugar. Salty cravings? You may be low on electrolytes. Craving meats or fats? You may be low on Iron or brain fuel.
Just because there’s a craving doesn’t mean your body needs something, either. That’s where eating “intuitively”... is somewhat of a misnomer. Most of us aren’t fine-tuned enough with the state of our intestinal or immune health to practice intuitive eating.
Take live probiotics.
Eat food with probiotics.
Lots of healthy greens and vibrant vegetables. Lean proteins.
Remove all sources of artificial sweeteners. (This is where the gum argument goes moot. If one’s GI health isn’t top notch, and if one is ravaged with sugar cravings, gum might not help.)
The cravings will slowly diminish. You got this!
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With enthusiasm and gratitude,
Kate