Carbohydrate Cravings: Is It Good or Bad
Low-carb diet might not be as healthy as it was previously thought. There’s a cetain proof of higher risk of clogged arteries and heart attack in the long-term in those who is on a low-carb diet.
And what about patients who suffer from depression?
Researches at MIT discovered that the brain produces serotonin only after a sweet or starchy carbohydrate meal that mustn’t be eaten in combination with proteins. So eating pasta or graham crackers, natural rice or whole-grain bread will allow the brain to make serotonin, but having steak and potatoes or a hamburger will prevent serotonin from being produced. Sometimes people still feel hungry after they have eaten a high-protein meal, which means that their brains are not making enough serotonin to shut off their appetite.
Most women on a low-carb diet miss carbohydrates the most after the second week of dieting. As women have much less serotonin in the brain that men, low-carb or serotonin-depleting diet will deprive them of the happiness-chemical making.
When we have carb cravings it means that our brain sends signals that we need certain food to stabilize our mood. As we experience a mood change usually in the late afternoon or mid-evening, that’s when we feel like eating something sweet or starchy. Our body regulates itself as long as we listen to it and make the right food choices.
If we don’t nurture our brain properly, irritability, restlessnes and grumpyness is something we have to deal with. Furthermore, munching on fatty foods like bacon or cheese makes us tired, lethargic and apathetic.
“When you take away the carbohydrates, it’s like taking away water from someone hiking in the desert,” Wurtman said. “If fat is the only alternative for a no- or low-carb dieter to consume to satiate the cravings, it’s like giving a beer to the parched hiker to relieve the thirst — temporary relief, but ultimately not effective.”
That’s why it is crucially important not to skip breakfast and include smart carbohydrates into your menu plan.
More posts:
Tip #1. Good Mood Breakfast
Tags: carbohydrate cravings, clinical depression, low-carbohydrate diet