Have you ever found your face buried in a tub of ice cream? Experienced guilt over eating that last slice of pizza? Felt so distracted because all you could think about was that donut staring you in the face? Well, you’re not alone! We’ve all faced these battles with food at one point or another.
While most of us assume it’s just a matter of willpower, integrative neurologist Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary gives us all some hope: It’s not a personality flaw, she says, but it’s your biochemistry. And you have the power to change it!
Food cravings stem from both the brain and the gut (aka the “second brain”), meaning you need to direct your healing to both areas to curb those uncontrollable urges. Here are 6 ways to do just that, according to Dr. Chaudhary.
1. Ashwagandha
Also known as Indian ginseng, ashwagandha is one of the few herbal adaptogens, meaning it specifically helps your body adapt to and cope with stress. This gentle yet powerful herb calms the brain and strengthens the nervous system. It actually works against harmful gut bacteria by blocking their aggressive signals to the brain demanding more sugar. It helps alleviate a lot of those maddening cravings.
Take 400–500 milligrams every morning with breakfast and every evening before dinner.
2. Brahmi
While ashwagandha helps normalize the stress response, Brahmi works directly with your pleasure center, stabilizing the release of dopamine and its receptors, which become exhausted when the body is consistently fed addictive substances. In Ayurveda, practitioners use brahmi specifically to help with addictions, like those to sugar. Brahmi is also known as the “smart herb” and can help with memory—maybe it’ll even help you remember not to eat that extra cookie!
Take 400–500 milligrams every morning with breakfast and every evening before dinner. Brahmi acts synergistically with ashwagandha—together, this super duo can crush cravings effectively.
3. Prime Juice
Cravings can sometimes be signs of malnourishment. Dr. Chaudhary believes the best way to replenish your body with essential vitamins and antioxidants is with a prime juice. This juice is easy on digestion and allows you to better absorb its nutrients.
Aim to make your juice with 90% vegetables and 10% fruits to discourage any blood sugar spikes. Drink this in the morning before breakfast or in the afternoon, when the most intense sugar cravings typically strike.
Recipe #1
This drink is warming. It’s good for cooler weather and when you’re feeling anxious and unmotivated.
You’ll need:
- 1 cucumber
- 1 apple, seeds removed
- 1 handful fresh spinach
- 1/4 head purple cabbage
- 1 carrot
- 1 beet
- 1 lemon
- 1 inch peeled fresh ginger
- Optional: ½–1 teaspoon spirulina powder
Recipe #2
This drink is cooling. It’s good for hotter weather and when you’re feeling irritable or overheated.
You’ll need:
- 1 cucumber
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 apple, seeds removed
- 1/2 head purple cabbage
- 2–3 kale leaves
- 1 handful cilantro
- 1/2 lemon, including the peel
- Optional: ½–1 teaspoon spirulina powder
4. Bone Broth
Bone broth is far from a new food trend—it’s been used for centuries as a rich, concentrated form of nourishment. While Ayurvedic medicine doesn’t recommend eating meat, it makes an exception for using bones and connective tissue for broth because it’s so digestible and mineral-rich. Of its many benefits, a bone broth can help rebuild muscle and connective tissues and heal the gut lining thanks to its abundant amino acids (including glutamine and glycine); it’s also anti-inflammatory and calming to the brain.
Be sure to use bones from a healthy animal, preferably organic and grass-fed.
5. Cardamom Pods
If your sweet tooth continues to get the best of you, try popping a cardamom pod into your mouth and suck on it until your craving subsides. Cardamom replicates that sweet taste in your brain and ties it to your dopamine reward system, satiating your sugar craving without ever giving in to the sweet stuff.
6. Journal Your Cravings
Here’s a shocking statistic: 95% of our habits come from signals from our subconscious mind. On top of that, we have roughly 60,000–80,000 thoughts per day, most of them negative. By keeping track of what you crave, when you crave it, and how it makes you feel, it can help you consciously connect those negative thoughts to specific cravings.
Simply being aware of your cravings will help give you the power to overcome them. And now you have some great natural tools to crush them quickly and effectively.
To know more about Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary and her Ayurvedic treatments, visit her web site.
