A friend of mine sent me the link to this website, where I found this wonderful tip for curbing sugar cravings.
Even though I am 'sugar-free', I still get a craving for chocolate or something sweet now and then, and have to whip up something healthy to satisfy it... berry compote with Xylitol, or flax-seed pancakes with cinnamon/Stevia topping.I am only addressing the symptom and not the cause!
Stop Sugar Cravings with These Two Trace Minerals
If you frequently crave candy bars, doughnuts, cake, or other sugary foods — and you thought your cravings were just something you were born with, or a condition to which you are naturally or genetically predisposed, there is hard scientific evidence that suggests how you can stop sugar cravings.
There is a condition called pica, which triggers the cravings — and it is caused by mineral deficiencies.
An example of pica in the animal world is seen in young calves that are raised for veal. These calves are deficient in iron. They are put into cages soon after birth and purposely fed a diet that is iron-poor so that they grow to be anemic. Anemic calves produce the pale, tender meat that makes veal desirable to food enthusiasts. The iron-starved calves have been known to seek, lick and chew on the iron nails of their cages in an effort to satisfy their hunger for iron. (Although we do not support such cruelty to animals, this example is presented merely to illustrate the nature of pica in animals.)
In humans, an extreme example of pica is seen in pregnant women, who often crave things like ice cream or pickles, and especially non-food items like laundry starch, clay or dirt. This is because the fetus inside a pregnant woman absorbs much of the minerals from the woman’s body causing her to have a craving for something that will satisfy her mineral deficiency.
Pica has become such a common condition primarily because our demineralized soils yield mineral-poor produce. Additionally, food processing robs food of important nutrients, and this contributes to the prevalence of pica — especially among people with unbalanced diets such as dieters, vegetarians, meat eaters, teenagers, children and seniors. The cravings are a symptom of mineral deficiencies in the diet.
How to stop sugar cravings with minerals
When you crave sweets, eating highly sweetened food such as doughnuts and chocolates may temporarily satisfy your sugar cravings — but it does very little to alleviate the mineral deficiency, which is the underlying cause of the cravings. Studies show that sugar cravings are linked to a deficiency in the trace minerals, chromium and vanadium.
It is scientifically proven that both chromium and vanadium help in normalizing blood sugar. Both trace minerals have been shown to be essential for normal glucose metabolism. This is the reason why they have also been used to prevent and cure diabetes (high blood sugar) and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
A chromium deficiency has been shown to not only cause cravings for sugars or starches, but also contribute to poor muscle tone, which makes weight loss even more difficult. To help curb sugar cravings, many health practitioners prescribe a daily intake of both chromium and vanadium, preferably taken in ionic/water-soluble form for maximum absorption. Many health food stores carry ionic minerals. You can also type the keyword “ionic minerals” on any search engine to find online retailers, such as the WaterOz company, which manufactures high quality chromium and vanadium formulations.
Chocolate cravings, in particular, are curbed by magnesium supplementation. Magnesium is also contained in commercially available ionic/water-soluble mineral formulations.
Read more:
http://undergroundhealthreporter.com/stop-sugar-cravings-with-two-minerals#ixzz223jMm3Wd