Junk Food Cravings on the HCG Diet

Indulging in junk food craving is lovely. Whether it’s a bag of salty chips, old-time favorite French fries or a mountain of bite-sized snickers but once the guilt kicks in, the joy quickly turns into self-loathing and disgust.

You know that junk foods and processed foods are bad. They are unhealthy but cravings can still drive you to eat them. This is because junk food is designed to be appealing to your appetite such as the crunch in the potato chips or the soft cookie. It’s designed to be addictive so that you keep purchasing them. The sugar, salt, and fat are carefully selected to make them appealing and addictive. They can cause salivary responses, yet they don’t satisfy your hunger the way natural healthy foods do. Junk foods can hijack your brain chemistry and causes food cravings. When you indulge in unhealthy foods, the “feel good” chemical is released and the memory center begins to associate the treat with the pleasure it produces.

The HCG Diet can help eliminate junk food cravings

Fixing your food cravings can be difficult but it is possible with the HCG Diet. As nutritionists say, the more junk foods you eat the more difficult it will be to eliminate them because they are addictive. The less you eat them, the easier it will be for you to deal with the cravings. This is when the HCG Diet comes in. The HCG Diet eliminates all the junk foods for the whole duration of the diet, that’s between 23 to 46 days. This period gives your brain a time to readjust to healthy whole foods. You’ll be eating healthy, natural foods and your brain will adjust and you will start to crave natural foods. The HCG Diet can work wonders at eliminating unhealthy food cravings on a long-term basis.

What causes junk food cravings?

Food cravings are more physiological and psychological causes that originate from the reward center of the brain.

1. Your hormones are out of balance

Food cravings are brought by the imbalances of the hormones that make you feel good and hormones that calm and relax you down. This is true for women who are menstruating because the cycling hormones throughout the month can drive hunger and cravings.

2. You are stressed, sad or anxious

Your cortisol hormone increases whenever you are sad, stressed or anxious which in return increases your appetite particularly for sweets and carbs.

3. You are dehydrated

Dehydration is one of the most common causes of sugar cravings. When you lack body fluids, your body finds it hard to metabolize glycogen for energy so your body craves sugar to provide you with a quick source of energy when what you actually need is a little more water.

4. You have nutrient imbalances

When you lack the necessary nutrients, you can experience cravings because your body wants something that is lacking. So make sure to eat a balanced diet, take supplements to cover your essential minerals and vitamins.

5. You are tired

Your body can drive you to eat more sweets and salty foods to keep up your energy level when you are tired. Your cortisol level also increases when your body is tired. So, make sure you get a good quality of sleep to have renewed energy.

6. Your blood sugar is low

Low blood sugar level triggers junk food cravings. This craving is often for sugar because sugar raises the blood sugar level and improves energy the fastest.

Tips that can help you say NO to junk foods

If you’re trying to cut down on fatty, sugary and salty foods to help you lose weight and to improve your overall health, these tips can help you say NO to junk foods.

1. Know your triggers

What makes you crave for junk foods? What junk foods do you usually crave for? Maybe you are craving for a chocolate right when you get home from work or maybe a pint of chocolate ice cream. Once you have identified your trigger, plan ahead. Go to the gym first instead of heading home right away. You can also have a healthy snack before you get home.

2. Be stress-free

Stress can trigger junk food cravings so keep your stress level down. The science behind stress eating is simple. When we are physically, emotionally and mentally stressed, our body releases the stress hormone called cortisol. Excess cortisol together with the hunger hormone ghrelin can lead to heightened cravings. Consider doing an exercise or a daily meditation to help you combat stress.

3. Meditate

Meditation is one of the most effective ways of resetting your body out of the flight and fight stage of stress. Swap your unhealthy snack time with a meditation session. You will not only beat cravings but you become more mindful of your snacking impulses.

4. Raid your pantry

Get rid of any convenient snack foods which are usually high in sugar but nutrient-poor. 

5. Substitute sweet and salty foods

Substitute sweet and salty foods with HCG approved herbs, spices, and fruits.

• Cinnamon- Add cinnamons to your coffee, tea or smoothie. You may sprinkle some on your apple slices or over roasted veggies or stir into plain yogurt. Cinnamon naturally helps stop cravings. The potent polyphenols in cinnamon can reduce sugar cravings by controlling the blood glucose levels.
• Ginseng- It’s one of the most widely-used herbs. This helps boost the immune system, relieve stress and reduce the risk of certain cancers. It’s also an effective blood sugar stabilizer.
• Cloves- Helps boost numerous health benefits and regulate blood sugar levels.

6. Avoid processed foods

Processed foods are the worst enemy in the HCG Diet. Processed foods can increase junk food cravings which can make you gain weight right away. To stop your cravings, indulge in the HCG Diet approved fruits instead of processed foods.

7. Stay hydrated

Fill your tummy up with water whenever you crave for sweet treats. Water can help flush out the toxins in your body from eating unhealthy foods.