Yes, the bewitching hour is upon us. The hour when the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest. When the ghostly, spooky, terrifying, spine-chilling CRAVINGS come out to play. We all get them, but how do we navigate these urges when they make themselves known?

Acknowledging the cravings and giving them space is the first step. This allows you to work through them and really dig deep into the origin of the feeling. When you ignore them all together, you allow them to take hold and grow into a more powerful feeling. You are able to reduce its power and dissociate from it all together when you are aware of the craving’s presence.

Next, you want to dig deeper into the origin of the craving. Begin to ask yourselves questions about how you are feeling in that particular moment. Is this craving associated with an emotion or physical feeling you are having? A lot of the time cravings are coming from an emotional state. We feel we deserve the halloween candy because we are sad or stressed, or even bored, (aka emotional eating), and in these cases these foods won’t solve the underlying concerns. We might be tired so our body is craving carby/sugary foods when all you really need is some sleep and a glass of water. Stress and lack of sleep are very common reasons for weight gain due to the lack of understanding of the real needs our bodies are having. Making sure you are getting plenty of sleep and adding in stress reducing activities into your daily routine will only benefit you in the long run when battling cravings.

Then ask yourself about the specific food you are craving, is it highly palatable? This means that certain foods are actually designed to be craved. In order to feel empowered in navigating these cravings one must be aware of the power that some of these foods have. Just like magic, certain foods (such as sugar), can make you crave them even more if you consume them a lot. They have the same affect on our brains as opiates, making it incredibly enjoyable in the moment but then very addictive later on. When you are craving sugar what your body is really asking for is a quick source of energy (which could actually be another symptom of lack of sleep). Understanding the types of foods you are craving is just as important as understand where the cravings are coming from.

Now that you’ve established where the craving may be coming from and what type of food you are looking for to fill those cravings, ask yourself, is this craving guiding me toward a food that would SUPPORT my health and well-being? This is incredibly important when dealing with cravings. When the food is benefitting your health and well-being, you are able to make a better decision on whether to act on it or not.

Yes, understanding where your cravings are coming from is very important to being in charge of your health, however, I also believe that “everything in moderation”. If you have a party with friends or you are celebrating for something and you choose to act on a certain craving, such as champagne, cake, halloween candy..etc.. that is OK! Health and well-being is not just nutrition. It’s a way of life. It combines everything in our lives; friends, family, food, careers, etc and makes us who we are. Rather than going into autopilot, take control of your health and well-being, learn about your body, what is it asking for vs. what does it really need. Decide for yourself if you want to act on a craving because of a particular occasion. Differentiate between want and need and you will be able to navigate cravings in a well educated way.

Having an understanding of how to be in charge of our lives allows us to maintain balance in being healthy and wellthy. Don’t let cravings tell you lies. They’re probably just a bunch of Hocus Pocus 😉

BWell!

Ashley