School of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion
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SYMPTOMS & AYURVEDIC REMEDIES
STRONG FOOD CRAVINGSWHAT DOES IT MEAN? WHAT'S CAUSING IT? WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Are you prone to a problem with 'Strong food cravings'?
Your body craves particular foods when in need, whether to fulfill nutritional needs, or to relieve physical or emotional discomfort. Interpreting your cravings and the meaning they communicate about your physical or emotional state, instead of acting on them, is crucial to finding freedom. SugarThe most common food craving is sugar. The simple sweetness of sugar digests quickly and improves your mood, providing a sense of instant comfort. Sweets feel nurturing in the moment. There are many physical reasons for craving more sugar, including candida, adrenal fatigue, hypoglycemia. As sugar feels nurturing, depression, anxiety and other emotions may trigger your desire to consume sweets.CandidaMany sugar cravings are due to candida, which are single celled parasite that live off of blood sugar in your body. Everybody has some candida living inside of them. When the blood is excessively sweet, candida may proliferate out of control. Since these bugs need sugars to stay alive, they stimulate your appetite for sweet things in order to feed themselves. Each time you eat sugar, you feed the parasite and strengthens craving for sweet. Clearing your body of candida through our anti-candida cleanse can help you find ease and freedom from these insatiable sweet cravings.Anxious & DepressedFood causes blood sugars to rise and leads to a feeling of balmy ease amidst emotional upset. When you feel disappointed or depressed, it can be tempting to turn to food as a way to soothe uncomfortable or difficult emotions. You may even find yourself daydreaming or thinking about food as a way to escape uncomfortable situations and feelings. If you notice a correlation between your cravings for particular foods and emotional distress, it is important to avoid judging yourself and just start noticing the behavior. Search for other ways to create calm in your life and come up with a plan to address emotional eating.Sugar, Coffee, & Adrenal FatigueIf you find yourself craving food or a cup of joe in the late afternoon, you may be suffering from an adrenal problem. As the body moves into the Vata mid-afternoon, energy levels dip and you might find yourself looking for sweets, coffee, or other stimulants to get you going again. The sugar or coffee may give you an instant energy kick, but the effect is temporary. The sugar crash that ensues will leave you feeling tired and lethargic. Sugar also congests your circulation, which can make you feel even more sluggish or depressed than before. Plus, caffeine may disturb your sleep at night.STAGE OF DISEASE 2 - AFFECTING BLOOD & EMOTIONSAffecting Blood: Initially, imbalances are localized, often in the digestive tract. As an imbalance grows, it starts to affect your body systemically, via the blood. If you have symptoms in this category it means that your imbalances are starting to spread, have entered the bloodstream, and are now systemic. Pay particular attention to the gunas, tastes, and doshas out of balance systemically, so you know how to strengthen your body as a whole, and reduce physical stress on your organs. At this stage of imbalance you will begin to experience generalized discomfort, imbalanced emotions, and may develop sensitivities to temperature. It may take several weeks of strict adherence to a specific remedial diet to clear blood level imbalances. A several day cleanse may shorten the recovery time.ARE YOU NEW TO AYURVEDA?Are you wondering what Ayurveda is and how to use it for 'Strong food cravings' and health in general? LEARN MOREREBALANCE YOUR BODY WITH DIET, LIFESTYLE & HERBS HAVING THESE QUALITIESEverything you eat has an effect on your body, which Ayurveda categorizes in a simple and easy way, using gunas. Gunas are qualities (like cold and hot) that describe the effect a food or herb has on your body. Cooling foods like cucumber, decrease metabolism. Heating foods like chili pepper, stimulate your body and increase metabolism. For 'Strong food cravings', you should select foods with the following qualities (gunas). Individual results will vary, based on your body type and the root cause of your imbalance. For best results, get a one on one consultation.QUALITIES THAT MAY CORRECT IMBALANCES RELATED TO STRONG FOOD CRAVINGS
To learn more about the symbols above, click on them. FAVOR HERBS WITH THESE MEDICINAL PROPERTIESIngredient and herbs each have unique effects on the various organs of your body. Herbalists study these effects and categorize them, so it is easy to identify which foods and herbs are most helpful for your unique body type. Click on the medicinal properties below to learn more about them, and to figure out which recipes, ingredients and products will be a good match for you. Individual results will vary depending upon the root cause of your imbalance. The following medicinal properties are useful for a general case of 'Strong food cravings'. You must independently verify whether these medicinal properties address the root causes of your case of Strong food cravings.Digestion: Appetite suppressant APPETITE-SUPPRESSANTSuppresses hunger without causing weight gainEnergy Vitality Strength: Stimulates energy STIMULATES-ENERGYThis category groups thyroid and adrenal stimulating herbsHeart & Circulation: Cardiac stimulant , CARDIAC-STIMULANTHerbs that increase the heart rate. Useful in cardiovascular health, blood stagnation, and subjective feeling of heaviness in the chest area.Vasodilator VASODILATORA vasodilator is an herb that widens the blood vessels by the relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, thereby increasing circulation systemically or to a local area.Immune System: Antifungal ANTIFUNGALHerbs that destroy fungus.Click here for general Digestion Tips
DISCLAIMER: The pathogenesis of each person's condition is unique, and so the diet must be fit to the individual and the unique root causes of the condition in your body. The best way to do this is with a one on one consultation. DIET REMEDIES FOR 'STRONG FOOD CRAVINGS'PRODUCTS REMEDIES FOR 'STRONG FOOD CRAVINGS'1. EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR STRONG FOOD CRAVINGS2. SPECIALITY FORMULAS FOR STRONG FOOD CRAVINGSLOOKING FOR DIGESTION RELATED PRODUCTS?
See our herbs & products in these categories:
REMOVE THE CAUSES OF YOUR IMBALANCESTRONG FOOD CRAVINGS USUALLY MEANS THESE |
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| GUNA | DO YOU HAVE THIS IMBALANCE? |
|---|---|
HOT
Hot is identified by increased body temperature, metabolism, or inflammation.
|
 Status UnknownTake these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Hot' guna |
GOOEY
Gooey is identified by anything gelatinous (such as oatmeal), or by mucus congestion.
|
Status UnknownTake these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Gooey' guna |
SWEET
Sweet refers to anything builds tissue, including macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
|
Status UnknownTake these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Sweet' taste |
SOUR
Sour refers to anything fermented or acidic.
|
Status UnknownTake these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Sour' taste |
SALTY
Salty refers to anything with salt, or high mineral content.
|
Status UnknownTake these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Salty' taste |
To learn more about the symbols above, click on them.
Are you prone to a problem with 'Strong food cravings'?
Find your imbalances and create a diet for your Digestion by taking the
free digestion quiz.
RELATED SYMPTOMS & HABITS
The following symptoms & habits may be related to 'Strong food cravings'. See your quiz results for a computerized assessment of your body type. Please click on the symptoms below to learn more about them.
DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR UNIQUE BODY?
What aggravates it? What heals it?
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HOW AYURVEDA WORKS
ARE YOU WONDERING HOW AYURVEDA CAN HELP YOU?WHY IS AYURVEDA THE RIGHT SOLUTION?
Ayurveda strengthens the body, in addition to addressing the disorder. It take a holistic, systemic approach, instead of myopically focusing on the disorder in question. Ayurveda shows a person how to interpret signs and symptoms of imbalance, and how to address them using materials from home, so they can optimize their health on a continual basis. You can't take the doctor home with you, but you can take Ayurveda home with you. Ayurveda is the most advanced and easy to use home system for self healing with an exceptional focus on digestion.HOW DOES AYURVEDA WORK?
Ayurveda starts by identifying your body type, which identifies certain tendencies in your body to get sick (as well as identifying your strengths). It uses body type to determine the likely root causes of your disorders. Next, Ayurveda analyzes the nature of your disorder. It fits all your signs and symptoms into a pattern, expressed as a combination of gunas / qualities. For example, you may have a heat disorder, a cold disorder, or an oily disorder, etc. This simple categorical approach shows you how to correct systemic imbalances and strengthen your body as a whole.On Joyful Belly, we've created an extensive categorization of food so you can easily match food to your imbalances (gunas). By eating an optimal diet that balances your gunas, your whole body is strengthened and the conditions that created the disorder are removed. Once the root causes of the disease are removed, the disease lessens in strength or disappears altogether. Additional remedies - such as herbs and lifestyle practices - focused on the specific disorder, can greatly enhance your healing.
Want to learn more about Ayurveda and its step-by-step approach to healing? Click below.
LEARN MOREGET STARTED
To get started on your Ayurvedic journey, we first recommend that your find your body type by taking our free quiz. In Ayurveda, every solution is based on your unique body type, so by taking this quiz, you’ll get the best results.5 WAYS TO HEAL YOUR BODY
WITH AYURVEDA - FREE REPORT!
New to Ayurveda? Not sure how Ayurveda can help you?
This free report shows you 5 simple ways you can heal your body with Ayurveda.
It shows you simple, practical ways manage your health.
About the Author
John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, teaches people how to have a healthy diet and lifestyle with Ayurveda. His approach to Ayurveda exudes a certain ease, which many find enjoyable and insightful. His online course Balance Your Ayurvedic Diet in a Week provides tools for gracefully healing with Ayurveda to thousands. John also directs Joyful Belly's School of Ayurveda , which specializes in digestive tract pathology & Ayurvedic nutrition. John and his wife Natalie recently published Explore Your Hunger: A Guide to Hunger, Appetite & Food.John's interest in Ayurveda and digestive tract pathology was inspired by a complex digestive disorder acquired from years of international travel, including his public service work in South Asia. John's commitment to the detailed study of digestive disorders reflects his zeal to get down to the roots of the problem. His hope and belief in the capacity of each & every client to improve their quality of life is nothing short of a personal passion. John's creativity in the kitchen and delight in cooking for others comes from his family oriented upbringing. In addition to his certification in Ayurveda, John holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University.
John enjoys sharing Ayurveda within the context of his Catholic roots, and finds Ayurveda gives him an opportunity to participate in the healing mission of the Church. Jesus expressed God's love by feeding and healing the sick. That kindness is the fundamental ministry of Ayurveda as well.
Comments & Personal Experiences
How does 'strong food cravings' affect your quality of life? What aggravates it? What has helped you? Is there something you'd like to know about 'strong food cravings'?33 likes
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