STEER CLEAR OF SUGAR CRAVINGS!

Ever finish a huge, gut-busting meal and think, "If I'm so full, why am I longingly looking at that cherry pie?" You valiantly try to concentrate on something else, but the pie-lust doesn't go away. You HAVE to have pie. You MUST eat pie. And, hey, you'll find room in your food-stretched stomach somewhere....

Wishing away a sugar craving is like "not thinking about a pink elephant"—the more you refuse to think about it, the stronger the thought becomes. It's especially hard to stop cravings while you're on a strict diet. Ever feel "denied" of your favorite foods and end up craving sugar and fat? That's your body saying you aren't getting the calories and fat you need to stay healthy.

Food cravings usually involve the need to stimulate your dominant gland. When your body is stressed, or if you aren't getting the nutrients you need, your body craves foods that it knows will provide the greatest stimulation and the zippiest energy lift. For instance, Adrenals know about the lure of salty peanuts and gooey chocolate when they're feeling tired. However, if you give in to your food cravings over and over, you'll exhaust your dominant gland and put undue stress on your system. That can mean weight gain, feeling unbalanced and fatigue—everything you want to avoid!

Your answer? When sweet cravings are driving you nuts, check your diet and increase your dense protein.

The adrenal glands are designed to provide energy for the body. Unfortunately, because of the amount of stress we're exposed to, most of us suffer from some degree of adrenal exhaustion. When you give your adrenals the dense protein they need (like chicken, turkey and fish,) your sweet cravings will disappear.

It's easy to increase protein for your type. Simply read the dietary requirements for your body type and determine how much dense protein your body needs. Then, stay within your recommended protein range, slowly start eating more protein and see how you feel.

For instance, if you're a Thyroid and you're trying to lose weight, your recommended dense protein amount is 20-30% of your total calories. If 20% of your diet is filled with chicken, eggs or turkey, try increasing your dense protein intake to 25%. Soon, you'll zap those cravings in no time—and those luscious after-dinner desserts will seem a whole lot less tempting!