Sweet Treats
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Sweet Treats
Snacks
Snacks
Snacks |
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Salads and Vegetarian
Salads and Vegetarian
Salads and Vegetarian |
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Dips and Condiments
Dips and Condiments
Dips and Condiments |
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Lunches and Dinners
Lunches and Dinners
Lunches and Dinners |
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Breakfasts
Breakfasts
Breakfasts |
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How to Stop Night-Time Cravings
How often do we say to ourselves, “I’ve been so good all day” and then night-time comes and all that hard work goes out the window? Then the next day you start the cycle again, you are ‘good’ during the day and then night-time comes and you can’t stop eating, even after having a really big meal.
This pattern tends to be known as the sumo-wrestler diet because if you eat late at night (and just before bed), your body will store all those extra calories as fat instead of processing them and burning them.
In order to be able to put a stop to this pattern we need to understand WHY this is happening. WHY are we craving more food, more junk food or really just anything unhealthy? More often than not, the root cause of this problem is an imbalance in our appetite regulating hormones. These hormones each have their own triggers and therefore if we can understand how to balance them, then the cravings for sweet, junk food late at night will be eliminated.
The four main hormones are:
- Insulin – the main hormone our body produces to regulate blood sugar. When your insulin spikes then crashes after eating sugar and flour or junk, it makes you hungrier.
- Leptin – this is the hormone that tells our brains when we are full and to STOP eating. When you eat a lot of processed foods, sugar and refined flour, Leptin does not work as well.
- Grehlin – this is the hormone that tells us when we ARE hungry.
- Peptide YY – this is a hormone in our intestine that tells us when we are FULL.
We do also need to consider the hormone, Cortisol, which is our stress hormone. When you are stressed, your Cortisol level goes up, and when that happens, you get hungrier and your blood sugar and insulin levels rise.
Being able to balance these hormones and keep them in check will enable you to reduce those cravings and the night-time snacking that comes with it.
Here are 6 simple steps you can follow to take control of your cravings:
1. Eat breakfast – eating a protein rich breakfast is the KEY to stop your night-time cravings. Now, you may wake up in the mornings full from the late night snacking so it’s important that you break that cycle. This helps to keep your blood sugar levels balanced all day.
2. Don’t drink your calories – consuming high sugar drinks (soft drinks, juices, flavoured milks, energy drinks) spikes your insulin levels and increases your cravings for more sugary foods.
3. Eat regularly – eating your breakfast, lunch and dinner at regular times allows your hormones to remain balanced.
4. Have good quality protein and sources of fat with each meal – these foods are known to satisfy you and keep your blood sugar levels balanced.
5. Take some time out – stress increases our cravings, which results in us overeating and putting on weight. Learning to reduce your stress will help you manage your weight.
6. Prioritise sleep – depriving yourself of sleep drives the hunger hormone, Ghrelin, up and the full hormone, Peptide, down therefore you will end up eating more sugary foods to give you the energy you are lacking.
So remember that in order to put night-time binging behind you, you have to take the steps to stop the cycle and to create different pathways within your body in order for you to be able to keep that blood sugar level in check!
Events
Events
When: March 2, 2019 from 2 PM to 4 PM
What: Mindful Eating Workshop (Armadale)
Where: The Beatt Wellness, 25 Beatty Av, Armadale VIC 3143
Tickets:
Click here (tickets sold via Eventbrite)
A 2 hour Workshop facilitated by certified Health Coach Keren Slutzkin and qualified Mindfulness Teacher Stephanie Beauverd.
Discover the power of MINDFUL EATING!
Mindful eating can transform your relationship with food. It can help you get relief from the emotional stress or guilt that comes with dieting or weight management.
> Learn easy practical mindful eating tips and exercises that will help you enjoy food more without emotional guilt or stress.
> Experience an informative, interactive afternoon in a safe space.
> Additional Gifts: 2 mindfulness audio tracks, a mindful eating tip-sheet and bonus recipes.
Is there anything better than crust?
Saturday mornings always used to be the favourite part of my week and they have formed some of my fondest memories. Combining my favourite meal of the day together with being a big foodie led Matt, the boys and I to driving around the suburbs of Melbourne trying new cafes for our Saturday breakfast. This used to be our ritual for many years.
Sure, there were always the favourites we would go back to, however, travelling 30 minutes to try somewhere different was always a highlight. The boys would bring their games or loom bands with them to keep them occupied whilst Matt and I were able to spend a few moments reading the paper and enjoying our coffee in peace.
The standard order for the boys was a serve of multigrain toast with peanut butter. Whilst it may be a 'boring' meal, the best part about this was that they both hated eating the crusts and that was my absolute FAVOURITE. I mean, how could they not??? It's the best part of fresh bakery bread..... right!!!!
Therefore, I would snack on the crusts whilst waiting patiently for whatever egg, salmon, avocado, spinach, mushroom, tomato, etc, etc, etc dish I ordered which would give me some more toast to enjoy. I was in my element.
BUT then as I discovered more about nutrition and the impact foods were having on my body, these indulgent Saturday mornings came to an end. I swapped my crusty toast for chocolatey smoothies and chia puddings, which is definitely not something to be upset about.... chocolate in the morning, who wouldn't want that, especially when it's guilt-free??? However, there were definitely times when the crunch of that toast was going to be sorely missed.
With my love for cooking and constant inspiration to find healthy, alternative swaps to the foods that I love, I spend a lot of time flipping through recipe books and trialing new foods. After all, changing the way that you to eat to encourage health doesn't mean that you have to deprive yourself of the things that you love. You can imagine how excited I was when I came across Teressa Cutter's Pumpkin Paleo Bread (recipe below). I could get my 'toast' fix whilst feeding my body with nutrients that were going to support my health.
So, for all you toast lovers out there, I just had to share the recipe with you.
Ingredients:
450g pumpkin (winter sqaush), peeled and grated
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
pinch nutmeg
1/4 cup olive oil
300g almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
handful pumpkin seeds
Method:
Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
Line a loaf tin with parchment paper.
Place your grated pumpkin, eggs, salt, nutmeg and olive oil in a bowl and combine well.
Add your almond meal and baking paper and mix so that it is all combined.
Spoon the mixture into your prepared loaf tin.
Sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours until golden brown on top.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 1 hour before removing.
Toast or grill and serve with your favourite toppings.
Makes 12 slices