Food cravings can lead us to choose unhealthy food and may disrupt our efforts to follow a healthy diet for healthy living.

What Is A Food Craving?

A food craving is an uncontrollable force that inclines an individual to consume a specific type of food, specifically unhealthy.

Why We Crave For Food?

Human bodies crave specific kinds of unhealthy food because our brain releases feel-good hormones called dopamine, while the stomach starts producing hunger hormones. When we consume junk food loaded with sugar, fructose, starch, and corn syrup we feel satisfied for a short time. After we satisfy our craving, dopamine releases again, and along with dopamine a happy hormone, serotonin is released to make us feel better for a short period. This temporary happiness ends up being depressed and anxious. Our body releases another hormone leptin that signals our body to stop eating junk food. Still, as we satisfy our cravings all the time, the leptin hormone stops working, the body develops leptin resistance and we end up overeating all the time.

Types Of Cravings

These are mainly three types of cravings.

Physical Cravings: Symptoms of physical craving include a growling stomach, a shakey body, low energy, mood swings, or becoming angry for no reason. These cues are visible and easily noticeable, indicating that a body is hungry and craving food.

Emotional Cravings: This type of craving is one of the most common types. It is also called emotional eating. It is directly connected to the strong negative emotions that arise as a result of depression, anxiety, stress, fear or sadness. When we eat food during an emotional breakdown, the brain releases the feel-good hormone dopamine to seek temporary comfort from negative emotions.

Addictive Cravings: Addictive craving is the next step after the outburst of emotional craving. When a specific food starts giving you a sense of relief, you become addicted to that type of food. Being depressed and lonely triggers you to order cheese pizza while playing your favourite video game provides you with a sense of happiness and people get addicted to such habits.

Causes Of Food Cravings

• An imbalance of hormones specifically leptin hormones may trigger cravings or you can say overeating.
• Sleep deprivation drains an individual’s mental abilities and the brain doesn’t release adequate hormones as desired.
• A poor diet may also contribute to food cravings. A diet high in sugars, low in fibre, low in protein, saturated fats, and trans fats can’t fulfill the nutrients that a body needs to lead a healthy life.
• Dehydration is another cause of food cravings. Sometimes a body yearns for fluids but we misunderstand by feeding junk food.
• When a body is in a constant state of depression and anxiety, the body releases cortisol hormone. Too much release of this hormone may be linked to food cravings.
• Pregnant ladies may also experience food cravings because of the hormonal changes during pregnancy.
• Food cravings can also be justified with premenstrual syndrome (PMS), right before the periodic cycle starts.
• A traumatic situation may also end up with food cravings.

Natural Ways To Lower Food Cravings

1-Eat Balanced Food: A human body requires a balanced intake of nutrients to function optimally. Research indicates that calorie counting and restrictive diets can trigger intense cravings for specific foods. While such diets may offer short-term benefits, such as initial weight loss and a sense of achievement, they often lead to an increasing desire to indulge in those cravings over time. Studies suggest that individuals on restrictive diets tend to experience more food cravings compared to those who eat a more balanced diet.

2-Water Intake: Staying adequately hydrated is essential for the body to function optimally. Often, our bodies can confuse thirst with cravings, leading us to reach for snacks instead of water. Drinking water can curb food cravings and promote a feeling of fullness. When our stomachs are filled with water, we tend to eat less, which can be beneficial for managing weight. Making hydration a priority can help support our overall health and weight loss efforts.

3-Manage Stress Levels: Have you ever heard of comfort eating? When we’re stressed, our bodies release hormones that trigger psychological changes to help us cope. During these times, it’s common to crave junk food as a way to soothe ourselves. When feeling stressed, depressed, or emotionally low, we often find ourselves drawn to foods high in fat, sugar, and salt. This pattern can easily become a routine, where we reach for candy or potato chips as a quick fix for our emotional breakout.

4-Distraction: When cravings hit, take a break from what you’re doing and engage in a different activity. This can help shift your focus and reduce the urge to eat.

5-Prioritize Sleep: Research shows a strong link between insufficient sleep and increased food cravings. Hormones like leptin and ghrelin, which regulate hunger, are affected by less sleep. Disruptions of sleep can lead to heightened hunger and cravings for unhealthy foods. Make sure to prioritize restful sleep to help manage your appetite.

6-Manage Blood Sugar Levels: When sugar levels drop, the brain stimulates the desire to consume food high in glucose and energy. Our brain sends hunger signals as soon as blood sugar levels drop, and if we don’t eat food high in sugar or carbohydrates right away, the signals might turn into compulsive eating. Temporary hyperglycemia may result from this, and the subsequent drop in blood sugar may trigger cravings. Managing blood sugar levels is mandatory to get rid of food cravings. High sugar levels can also disrupt the body’s natural ability to sense cravings. Sometimes people keep eating despite being full which may alter hormones in the body.

7-Eat Enough Fibre & Protein: If you are following a diet low in protein and fibre, it makes your body crave junk food. Eating these two nutrients together helps to reduce food cravings and makes you feel full longer. It also helps to manage weight loss as your tummy is not growling for food for longer.

8-Hijama Cupping Therapy

Hijama/wet cupping therapy is an ancient Middle Eastern practice in which cups are applied to the skin to produce suction. The suction promotes healing and enhances the circulation of energy. Muscles are relaxed, the nervous system is settled down and the blockage of essential energy and noxious blood is eliminated by the negative pressure in the cups. The body is stimulated to eliminate toxins and cleanse the targeted area by the negative pressure. Cupping improves blood flow to the region where the cups are positioned. Cupping reduces tense muscles, increases blood flow, and repairs damaged cells. Cupping therapy supports pain management, stress relief, expulsion of heat, and removal of toxic blood. Through incisions, cupping therapy extracts the toxins from the skin and transports them away from the organs.

How Hijama Helps To Reduce Food Craving

When a person experiences craving food, it means something is out of balance in the body. Craving could be a sign that the body requires new blood cells to replenish its nutrient and oxygen deficiencies.

Hijama cupping therapy is one of the best treatments to make new blood cells. The incisions facilitate the release of stagnant blood. By replacing inflamed, acidic blood, a space is created for nutrient-rich blood to penetrate the tissues. This process flushes out dead blood cells and inflammatory mediators, which not only alleviates pain by reducing chemical stimulation of pain receptors but also introduces fresh blood cells, oxygen, and essential nutrients. As a result, the body can repair, rejuvenate, and accelerate the healing process.

Hijama cupping therapy is a natural process that heals damaged cells, removes chemicals and toxins from the body and creates new blood cells to boost natural healing.

Hijama cupping therapy is one of the most successful therapies regarding depression, stress management and sleeping issues. As the toxins are removed, the muscles are relaxed and an individual feels energetic and strong.

7 organ cleansing points are mandatory for instant relief and energy in the first session of Hijama.

Hijama points at the shoulder blades, around the abdomen, and at the lower back should also be targeted in the second cupping therapy session.

Performing Hijama cupping therapy on the abdomen boosts fresh blood flow to the digestive tract and stimulates the digestive organs to diminish food cravings.

Hijama cupping therapy is a simple procedure that has immediate physical results. Hijama treatment has been used by people with different cultural backgrounds since prehistoric days. It has been used to cure a variety of diseases.