Many of the patients I consult with have moderate to severe sweet and carbohydrate cravings. And for someone who is interested in restoring their health back to normal through natural thyroid treatment methods, overcoming these cravings is extremely important. These cravings are not only often responsible for unwanted weight gain in many people, but they play a big role in stressing out the adrenal glands.
While psychological factors definitely play a role in sweet and carb cravings, this is also a physical problem involving the adrenal glands. As a result, when I consult with a patient who has moderate to severe sweet and carbohydrate cravings, sometimes they do need extra support to help with this. When I was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease I had some of these cravings, but they were fairly mild, and so I was able to make the necessary changes without any additional support.
And many other people can do this too, as frequently changing one’s diet and minimizing the refined foods and sugars will help greatly with these cravings. But some people can’t get to this point without additional support. In other words, many people who are accustomed to eating a lot of refined foods and sugars on a daily basis will frequently need additional support by taking certain nutritional supplements or herbs.
Gymnema To The Rescue!
For those who have moderate to severe sweet and carbohydrate cravings, the herb Gymnema can potentially help to eliminate these cravings, and can do it in a fast amount of time. This is a wonderful herb which helps to regulate the blood sugar levels, which in turn will usually help eliminate sweet and carb cravings. In fact, some research apparently shows that this herb has helped to regenerate the beta cells of the pancreas (to be honest, I haven’t personally seen this research, but I’ve heard it mentioned during two separate nutritional seminars I’ve attended by two different lecturers).
With any supplement or herb you take, obviously the quality is very important. This is especially true with Gymnema, as the quality is extremely important. The dosage you take is also important, and it is a good idea to consult with a holistic doctor so they can recommend the appropriate dosage for you to take. I personally recommend the Gymnema from the MediHerb line, which has the Gymnema as both a liquid and as a tablet. I usually recommend the tablet form to my patients, as people with moderate to severe sweet and carb cravings usually will need to take three to six tablets daily for a period of a few weeks to a few months in order to have a long-lasting effect. However, one usually notices a significant reduction in their sweet and carbohydrate cravings after the first week.
Gymnema can potentially help people who have difficulty losing weight. The reason for this is because people who have an imbalance in the blood sugar levels might develop the condition insulin resistance, which will make it extremely difficult to lose weight. Of course the best way to correct such a problem is through eating healthy. However, Gymnema can help to accelerate the process of balancing the blood sugar levels.
Other Things You Can Do To Help Reduce Your Sweet & Carb Cravings
While Gymnema does a wonderful job of controlling sweet and carb cravings, there are other things you can do to help with this. As I mentioned earlier, minimizing the refined foods and sugars will help to balance the blood sugar levels, which will in turn help with the sweet and carb cravings. Eating regularly will also help with this. So you want to make sure you don’t skip breakfast, and then eat every two to three hours thereafter. Eating a diet consisting of mostly whole foods, along with drinking purified water and avoiding soft drinks, and eating consistently throughout the day will help keep your blood sugar levels balanced and will help greatly with sweet and carb cravings. A chromium deficiency will also affect the blood sugar levels and can thus contribute to sweet and carbohydrate cravings. So you want to make sure you don’t have such a deficiency, and if you do, then it is important to correct this problem.
In summary, many people with both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism have sweet and carb cravings. And those people looking to restore their health back to normal by following a natural treatment protocol will need to get these cravings under control. Some people can accomplish this simply by changing their diet and eating regularly. Others with moderate to severe cravings, and/or those looking to address their sweet and carb cravings quickly may need additional support by taking an herb like Gymnema, and will want to make sure they aren’t deficient in chromium.