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Food cravings are one of the greatest challenges we face in weight management. If your food cravings are defeating your goals, you’re not alone and you don’t have to move forward on your own.

Food cravings are not an accident. Statista.com notes, “In 2019, total retail and foodservice sales reached over 6 trillion U.S. dollars for the first time in the United States.” Companies spend millions in research to make sure we continue to crave and consume the foods they produce.

Most retail foods we consume are scientifically designed to create cravings. These foods lead to feelings of reward and satisfaction – physically and emotionally. This feeling of satisfaction is often referred to as a “bliss point.” Food scientists who can blend sugar, salt, and fat to achieve optimal bliss points make millions of dollars annually. Bliss points cause your brain to release endorphins in the same fashion as heroin, cocaine, sex, gambling, etc. To feel satisfied, we eat more, gain more, and require more of what we crave. It’s a vicious and addictive cycle scientifically designed to guarantee greater profits.

 

Comfort Foods Consume Us 

The Mayo Clinic projects over half of all adults in the United States will technically be obese by 2030 at current rates. Our addictions and cravings are winning this battle. The related healthcare costs are skyrocketing while our personal ability to enjoy a healthy life is plummeting.

Produced foods not found in nature are often termed “palatable foods.” We consume palatable foods when we’re anxious, upset, stressed, hurting, or just plain bored. We often refer to palatable foods as “comfort foods.”  Foods triggering your bliss points keep people returning to these foods repeatedly with unhealthy results.

Insulin resistance is another key problem impacting our cravings.  Insulin resistance leads to blood sugar and insulin abnormalities. Spikes and drops in blood sugar levels can create a cycle of craving and hunger. Insulin resistance is the underlying problem of both pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. The CDC estimates that almost 50% of the US population either has diabetes (10.5%) or are prediabetic (34.5%).  We are passionate to help solve this problem for our clients.

Many people don’t realize food-science can work for you rather than work against you. Science-based eating strategies can successfully break the cycle of retail food cravings and build a desire for natural, whole, healthy foods in place of the fast-food or junk-food you constantly crave. A ketogenic eating plan can accomplish this.

 

Understanding and Balancing Ketogenic Weight Loss

One popularized solution is known as “The Keto Diet” (named for “ketosis”). Healthline defines ketosis as “…a metabolic state in which fat provides most of the fuel for the body.” Our bodies naturally burn sugars and carbs before they burn fat.  By limiting our body’s access to sugars and carbohydrates, the body naturally begins to burn fat – or, put in other terms, we enter into a state of ketosis.

If you add up all the carbohydrates and sugars we eat in our “palatable American diet,” our bodies have no reason to burn fat. So what do our bodies do? They store most of our calories as fat and burn only the sugars and carbs they actually need. This results in a plethora of health problems, food addictions, and issues associated with obesity.

Often, people seeking weight loss will read a quick summary of ketosis, adjust a few eating habits, and assume they will experience the benefits. However, many don’t experience sustained success and don’t understand why. This is often because of not being aware of all the hidden sources of carbs in their diet as they continue to eat retail foods. Not all sugars/carbs are the same and can have significantly different effects on our bodies. Also making things difficult for the consumer: Retail food producers label their foods “keto-friendly” when in fact they are not.

Maintaining a state of ketosis requires knowing what you’re eating and keeping nutritional balance. At Evolve180, we are familiar with the challenges of food cravings and are experts at helping people find their way to healthy eating.  A properly executed ketogenic protocol can significantly dampen cravings, making it easier to sustain the program and fat-burning benefits.

 

Our Approach to Food Cravings In Both Non-Vegetarian And Vegetarian Keto Diet Plans

Our strategy at Evolve180 is to move you as quickly as possible from cravings to “food peace.” We provide you with healthy, high-protein, quality foods that move your body into ketosis quickly (usually within a few days). Current cravings may fight the change for about four days. Emotional support (coaching), satiating foods, and educated adjustments are key to success – especially early on.

Once palatable food cravings are dealt with and insulin resistance is reversed, our bodies can learn to crave healthy foods while burning significant fat. Balanced adjustments customized for your body help you maintain ketosis while not sacrificing vital nutrients your body needs. This results in significantly diminished cravings, improved health, and easier maintenance of healthy body-fat percentage.

To learn more about how to live and eat healthier, subscribe to our blog, or schedule a complimentary consultation.

 

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