gluten | Alisa Battaglia

Does this Sound Familiar?

After several rounds of eating your favorite dessert question, “What is causing this to happen’ & “Why do I want this right now?” Pondering these questions en route to the fridge, pantry, special drawer, or better, as you’re entertaining it – will surprise you to learn your answers to these questions.

The key to releasing cravings is to recognize them as they arise. Attention placed on the current emotional state automatically sets up an interruption of the pattern. The interruption is “noticing” the craving. Craving a particular food is an indication that your body already has too much of it. It indicates imbalance in the body, which can lead to food allergy. Sugar, caffeine, carbohydrates, meat, and dairy all affect mood and only lead to health problems in the end so, try not to indulge in negative cravings, as they will always spiral out of control.

Cravings come from the unconscious. They’re patterns that we’re used to and do not think much about because they provide comfort. We all have a need for immediate satisfaction, to seek after the pleasure principle, whose innate response urges us to insulate our true feelings with something – whether with food, drugs, alcohol, sex, shopping, gambling, gaming, or whatever. Whatever one’s delight, it is meant to dissipate physical tension, at least temporarily to soften the edges.

Cravings offer a positive side, too. It’s the way the body sends us messages to maintain balance, to refuel our energy or lift our moods. For instance, the body may require Vitamin C to help heal a cold. Desiring an orange or citrus would be a result of a good craving and positive habit to reach for an orange. Body wisdom is working by sending us messages to maintain balance. Yet, if we ignore these messages for any prolonged period to find equilibrium, the more we get out of control and suffer the negative repercussions of our faulty habits and unresolved emotional cravings.

Learning to listen to the needs of the body is essential, as are the responses we get from eating food that causes symptoms (gas, indigestion, acid reflux, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, skin problems, bad breath, headaches, achy joints, etc). So, whenever the body is craving something, pause for a moment and wonder, “What’s really going on here?” “Is this craving coming from my body or my emotions?”

When we find ourselves impulsively reaching for some food, take a moment to slow down, breathe, and reevaluate the situation and consider what your heart and Soul are really asking for. Remember that the pause alone sets up an interruption to the behavior to overcome the craving. The choice is yours. We may choose to honor our bodies needs with Love or to hop onto the vicious cycle of negative pattern repetition where dissatisfaction, self-loathing, and low esteem await claim.

The point of focus is to look for food imbalances, emotional deficits and behaviors in your life that are often the underlying cause of cravings. Many times what we think are emotional cravings are cravings caused by nutritional imbalances that affect emotion, and vice-versa.

To help move through the emotional impulses and understand the why. I have the tools to help you. Schedule an appointment to bring balance and well-being into your life.

Every moment of every day your thoughts – all the endless chattering inside your head are manifesting themselves as your reality. If your internal voice is a monologue that constantly criticizes your every move as a failure, you will fail. ~The Intention

What we put in our mind is as important as what we put in our mouths, just as the exercise of our mind is as important as the exercise of our bodies. This makes sense, as the body-mind is one system where every thought creates a biological reaction in the body. In fact, life-negating thoughts are infectious and have a powerful negative effect on the healing system of the body. For instance, if our thoughts are filled with fear, guilt, anger, depression, or anxiety we often necessitate a physical compensation of eating comfort foods to return some sense of balance despite the physical consequences. Over time these compensating eating behaviors become fixed in the unconscious mind, thereby turning this process into uncontrollable cravings that creates destructive patterns in our lives. Negative emotions acidify the blood – a precursor to dis-ease states.

In my own process to wellness over a span of over two decades, I discovered that there was a direct link between my emotions and food cravings. That the food I ate was only one source of energy – a secondary source of energy in my life because it was secondary to the primary sustenance that comes from feeling good in my body from movement, having healthy happy relationships, a fulfilling vocation, creative outlets and most importantly a spiritual practice.

The quality of my life in all areas directly affected my thoughts and feelings, which were closely linked to what I would eat and drink. When I was bothered by something I gave up a wholesome meal for a small box of chocolates – an impulse buy at the checkout counter. I used food as a way to insulate my pain. I have always exercised and have never been overweight, but assuredly, if I had not worked on my emotional eating patterns and discovered a correction between my negative mood states and the effects certain food had on my physiology, I very well could be. I found, however, that it was not so much about weight, but developing body wisdom and affirming attitude towards life. This important distinction between what primary food and secondary food is makes or breaks quality of life.

No doubt, the kinds of food we eat are essential to our health. The food we digest is assimilated into our bodies and transforms food and nutrients into blood. The bloodstream picks up nutrients from sunlight infused food, the digestive tract, oxygen from the lungs, hormones from the endocrine glands and enzymes from other parts of the body, and transports to all tissues, structures head to toe. It also picks up wastes and transports to the lungs, liver, kidneys, lymph system, etc. for detoxification and eventual elimination. Blood builds, fuels, cleanses, moistens, cools and warms all structure and function.” The energy output of our food that creates our cells, new tissues, organs, skin and hair is a factor held within the pH (acid/Alkaline) balance of our blood directly linked by food and negative emotion.

Most people consider food the only aspect of nutrition, but I discovered that when I was nourished on a deeper level that my body would shift into an intuitive eating pattern. For instance, when I was grounded in my body, I noticed that it would tell me what it needed to feel nourished. When I did not observe my body’s wisdom and ate something other, I often got a stomach ache. This became a trial and error process of what to eat and when to eat. I also discovered that the body self-regulates. Self-regulation—the inner wisdom of my body, lets me know through healthy food cravings that I need to eat more raw food, protein, fruit or vegetables nutrition, and so on. For instance, if I have a craving for salt or sugar, I take note of my monthly biorhythm & what may be temporarily out of balance due to hormone fluctuation of nutrition imbalances. I then seek to fulfill that craving in a healthy way.I find that eating a large tablespoon or two of thick raw honey readily satisfies a desire for sweetness or raw 88% cacao chocolate increasing serotonin the brain.

To activate the body’s self-regulation it is essential to eat when our bodies are hungry and not according to the dictates of the clock. Self-regulation requires that we no longer ingest toxic foods, sugars and high fructose corn syrup, transfats, chemical additives and highly addictive substances.

You Are What You EAT: To Learn More Click Here

For difficulty in changing self-destructive habits and negative emotional patterns, I am here to help you. My rates are totally reasonable. Take the first step and Schedule a “Designer Wellness Program” Consultation to bring balance and well-being into your life. The Program offers a multidimensional approach to wellness addressing the body-mind emotional-spiritual components because “One size Does Not Fit All.” Love Yourself Today!

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