Sugar Cravings: Twinkies and Depression

Continuing on with Dr. Oz's thoughts on what causes sugar cravings...if you missed yesterday's post "Feed Me Now or I Will Kill You" be sure to check it out if you get, um, grumpy before meal time!

You know what it is like...you want something sweet, but you aren't really sure what you want...so you find yourself going through the cupboards for something sweet. Dr. Oz refers to this as "I'd really like a Twinkie".

He points out that, although there isn't a lot of evidence yet, that holistic doctors claim this could be due to too much yeast in the gut. One treatment is to take probiotics (which are the "good guys" of bacteria...think of them as wearing tiny white hats!) So while the evidence may not be there the probiotics have worked enough for Dr. Oz to suggest them.

Dr. Oz then moves on to the period cravings...when it is time for our period we will have low levels of serotonin and so we feel more depressed than usual.

To break the period sugar cravings eat dark chocolate--about 1 ounce. That small amount of chocolate will provide a natural antidepressant as well as some carbs.

Finally Dr. Oz points out that frequently we think we want to eat something...even when we aren't really hungry...because we have neglected other needs...including exercise, sleep, sex or water.

So...try taking a walk or a nap... or a "nap" (wink wink) and drink lots of water!

I will again recommend Dr John Gray's Mars Venus Wellness Solution. I found my moods were much more stable throughout my cycle...that and consistently exercising really helps keep my hormones balanced.

But taking a "nap" sounds good, too!