I’m sure we all get cravings time to time. There are a few factors that cause food cravings such as hormones, stress, boredom, nutrition deficiency, etc. The foods we eat also affect a massive effect on our system. So it could easily go wrong and cause a vicious cycle if we don’t control food cravings. For example, you feel like something sweet. You reach for chocolate or ice cream. You feel good while eating it. Your body releases serotonin, happy hormones, and also your blood sugar level pikes. Then half an hour later, you feel guilty of eating and more stressed. Serotonin wears out and blood sugar level drops, too. You get more cravings. Sounds familiar? Deficiency in the vitamins and minerals can also trigger cravings. For example, you feel like chocolate again. Craving for sweets like chocolate means your body needs magnesium which is abundant in nuts, seeds and legumes. So eating those instead chocolate actually helps to keep the cravings under control. I will list of what your body tells you and actually needs.
- Salty food: Chloride e.g. fish, celery, kelp
- Sweets: chromium, phosphorus, sulphur, tryptophan e.g. broccoli, chicken, liver, turkey, collard, green veggies, nuts, fruits
- Chocolate: magnesium e.g. nuts, seeds, legumes
- Fatty food: calcium e.g. dairy, sesame seeds, kale, broccoli
- Carbs: protein e.g. fish, beans, meet, nuts, eggs
- Tea or coffee: phosphorous and iron e.g. green tea
- Fizzy drinks: calcium e.g. milk, green veggies, sesame seeds, cheese
- Curry: zinc e.g. seafood, yogurt, milk, cheese
So next time, when you get cravings, listen to what your body tells you and needs. Also have a glass of water to see if you are really hungry and have healthy snacks between the meals so that your blood sugar level is stable throughout the day. When you have a piece of chocolate, don’t stress. Choose a good quality dark chocolate and enjoy every mouthful and flavour. Be happy. Life is too short to blame yourself eating a piece of chocolate!
I never run out of these little snack balls in my fridge. I’ve been experimenting with flavour combinations. Banana-coconut, avocado-cacao, prune-carob, pumpkin-chai, apricot-coconut. They are all yum, but this one! I loved subtle green tea flavour when you put it in your mouth and then you get a chewy, dark, chocolatey and nutty goodness. They look so pretty in green, too. Let me warn you, it is so addictive!
Ingredients
1 cup of mixed nuts, soaked
5 Medjool dates
1 tsp of cacao or carob powder
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
1 tbsp chia seeds
a pinch of Himalayan salt
1 tsp of vanilla bean powder
1 tbsp of matcha powder to roll
Put all ingredients except matcha powder in a food processor. Blend until you get a dough consistency. If the mixture is too dry, add more dates or a bit of water. If too wet, add a teaspoon of almond meal or flaxseed meal. Chill the mixture in the fridge for about an hour. Once it is set, shape into little balls and roll on match powder. Keep them in an air-tight container in the fridge or freezer.
I don’t know much about baklava. In fact, I’ve seen them around at the Turkish or Greek restaurants, but never tasted it before. Bronze glazed pastry on top, thick nut layer in the middle, strata solid bottom, drenched in sugar syrup or honey or some sort. It looks seriously sweet, but the colour and aroma from pistachio nuts, cardamom, rose water and cinnamon is truly appealing. I wanted to try it. I wanted to make a healthier version – gluten-free, refined-sugar free, butter-free.
Ingredients