Excessive consumption of carbohydrates can create a viscous cycle with devastating health consequences, yet we as Americans consume increasing quantities of them as if we were breathing in fresh air. Super Sized drinks and meals, all-you-can-eat buffets, and sugary sweets all contribute to the over-consumption of carbohydrates in our diets. And these factors eventually lead to carbohydrate cravings that can ultimately lead to diabetes.
Excess carbohydrate consumption becomes a major health risk because leads to insulin resistance, a malfunction of your body’s ability to regulate sugar metabolism. When this imbalance is created by too much carbohydrate intake, the body becomes unable to metabolize all the sugar you take in, and the body interprets this as a sugar shortage. The natural and devastating reaction is for the body to signal a craving for more sugar, which in turn simply perpetuates the cycle, until diabetes, circulatory damage, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and other serious diseases result.
Carbohydrate cravings can be managed if the need to do so is recognized and acted on. The most important management strategy is to work on the will power to break the cycle of excess carbohydrate intake. That means modifying your diet to avoid bad carbohydrates, which are any carbohydrates that do not add nutritional value to your daily caloric intake. That sounds easy enough, but after years of habitual inattention to proper diet, it takes more of a commitment than most people anticipate.
Another thing you can do is to increase your level of physical activity to help burn off the extra sugar. Walking, stretching, or any other physical activity will help, and the more the better, but don’t overdo it there either, especially if you are not in good shape. Be reasonable in your approach, and add more activity as you become ready for it naturally.
Eat smaller more frequent meals, and avoid processed foods and alcohol. These two are notorious for adding calories with no nutritional value to your diet. Getting more rest also helps curb carbohydrate cravings, so after exercise, be sure to rest well.
Substitute a natural sweetener like Stevia for sodas, sugary fruit juices and the like.
Many recent medical studies show that stabilizing the blood glucose level reduces or eliminates cravings. This can be accomplished using certain food supplements sometimes known as gluco-balance complexes, to reduce insulin resistance, stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin when needed, and to moderate the dramatic fluctuations in blood sugar levels.
Obviously, early intervention on these issues helps to make the job of correcting the condition easier, so be sure to take corrective action immediately. It may save you from developing full-blown diabetes, or even more, it may save your life.