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Don't let stress derail your diet plans

Don't let stress derail your diet plans

Naturopath Dr Penny Kendall-reed and author of the No Crave Diet gives her take on stress and food cravings in a recent article published by the  Daily Mail Newspaper.

When we are stressed the body produces the stress hormone cortisol which blocks chemical (leptin) signals from our stomach to our brain telling us we are full.

'Our bodies are not designed to cope well with prolonged stress,' says Dr Penny Kendall-reed.

In some people, the stress response disrupts sleep patterns or bowel movements; for others, it creates problems with heart disease and blood pressure.' 

The result is cravings. Chemically, the process can be explained by the fact that cortisol blocks the release of leptin, stopping the brain from getting the 'I'm full' message. 

'Your body thinks it hasn't eaten, so strong urges will drive you repeatedly to seek out quick-fix sugars and fats,' she explains.

Cravings, says Dr Kendall-Reed, have nothing to do with weak willpower. Instead, they are impossible-to-resist impulses of a body in survival mode. 

By lowering stress levels it should be easier to resist those tempting food cravings that all too often derail a good diet…

For more tips on the different types of food craving and how to resist them checkout The No Crave Diet, by Dr Penny Kendall-reed


Posted by Sarah Smith

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