Carb Cravings

Let's talk about carbs for a minute...

I'm convinced that high glycemic carbs are a cleverly disguised form of crack.

You know what I'm talking about - white bread, mashed potatoes, rice, candy, bagels, potato chips, cold cereal, etc. How many diets have been derailed by a headfirst dive into a cookie jar or the two bites of mashed potatoes that turned into a two hour (or two week) carboholic orgy?

I know members of Overeaters Anonymous who avoid high glycemic carbs at all cost because even dipping a toe into the chip bowl is a surefire way to fall off the wagon, go into a dieting tailspin and gain back their weight while horfing down food inside the haze of the resulting nuclear fallout.

I also know plenty of career yo-yo dieters who have behavior that mimics the average substance abuser.

A drug addict will consume their drug of choice, crave that drug, reuse, crave, reuse, experience negative consequences resulting from the consumption of the drug, realize there is a problem, vow to change, reuse, crave, reuse, vow to change, realize they keep saying they are going to change, reuse, feel guilty, stat using in secret, feel like they are out of control, wonder why they can't stop using, reuse even more, experience more negative consequences, vow to change, reuse, and then finally change their behavior. Shortly thereafter that a little voice starts to pick at them to use the drug again. "It isn't so bad." "Just a little." "You can control yourself now." They taste the drug and the little voice says, "You slipped, it's okay, you're only human, you may as well just do it up big now and start over tomorrow." They do the same thing the following day... and the cycle continues.

Replace the word "drug" with the word "food" - and tell me...does it sound familiar?

Sure, dieting and exercise take willpower in today's world - but we're talking about something altogether different here. Those high glycemic carbs just "do something" to the chemistry of the bodies of some people that alters behavior, makes them crave more of the same and make them pack on the pounds - the consequences. Hence, the low carb diet craze that has become HUGE - because low carb diets WORK.

It's scientifically proven that high glycemic carbs elevate insulin levels and stimulate fat storage. It is also scientifically proven that high glycemic carbs produce an inflammatory chain reaction in the body that in especially carb sensitive people can lead to all sorts of unsavory health problems, including depression, body aches, lethargy, inflammation of the tissue and joints, diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disease, etc. A recipe for disaster.

Are you a carbohydrate addict and a yo-yo dieter? (Does your weight fluctuate up and down constantly? Do you continually fall off the proverbial diet wagon only to gin back what you just lost? Do you crave high glycemic carbs? Do you get bad headaches when you stop eating them?)

Go on a program like The Zone, or South Beach, or something similar where you are cutting out those insulin exploding foods and replacing them with carbs your body can handle like fruits, veggies, whole grains. If you're anything like me, once you get a couple weeks out you will notice that you feel much more energetic, happier, healthier and just plain BETTER. Learn to treat your food like what it is - nourishment.

I only bring this up today because I am having one of those days when I want some instant mashed potatoes, some instant rice or some pringles like I want air to breathe! I have found myself cruising the pantry several times today - it's calling to me like a syringe calls to a heroin addict, and I've never been more convinced that I need to treat high glycemic food like the poison it is if I am going to lose weight, get healthy and regain my fierceness!

After all, as the once great Whitney Houston said, "Crack is whack!"

Someone come weld my pantry(crack house)shut.

Pass the low fat protein and greens,
The Diva

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