Monday, October 15, 2012

Moist Cravings


As we go into more depth about the textures of food cravings you can begin to get a more detailed look at what might be going on behind your food cravings.  For instance, if you are craving pasta, like fettuccini alfredo: the texture is moist, salty, and creamy, therefore you can look at all these different meanings and see if there is a combination of feelings going on inside of you. 

All these textures are not concrete answers, but rather a guide that can point you in a direction that you may not have seen before.  It is still up to you to do the work and find your inner truth. Take a deeper look, if it is moist cake that you are craving, look at what cake represents and the association you make with cake.  It is usually eaten at a celebration and when you have too much going on in your life, the second that celebration starts you may not want it to end, so you overeat. Or moist pasta, take a look at the association you make with this food.  Was it a family tradition to have pasta on Sundays which has become a ritual or think about what pasta makes you think or feel?   Try to engage yourself and begin asking different questions. 

MOIST CRAVINGS

Moist cravings, like pasta and cake, could be a clue that you  are experiencing subconscious self-doubt, feel drained in your life, and need to let loose and have fun.  Instead of running to the olive garden or cheesecake factory, try to connect to something that makes you feel confident in your life; whether that is painting, hiking, or holding a baby.  Next, do an inventory of how much fun you are currently having and double your engagement in fun activities.  Clear your schedule and go to the beach/ lake/ mountain with yourself or friends and explore,  don’t bring a watch, don’t be on a schedule, just get into the day and allow your inner self to tell you where and when you are ready to go.  

Life is all about living and when the demands of life become more than the energy we have we will feel a lack.  Put your life into perspective.  If you are having overwhelming food cravings it is probably an indication that you are imbalanced  overworked, under recognized, and quite simply just need a break.  Instead of making food the reason to take a break, honor yourself by recognizing what the lack is, and then fulfilling the lack with an applicable action.  

Other Textures:



SWEET CRAVINGS
Sweet cravings, like the desire for chocolate or donuts could be an indication that you are feeling insecure or tired. Yes, the sugar can make you temporarily feel good, but the crash that follows shows it’s not a satisfying fix. In this instance you may truly need to be nurtured and get true rest. An example of feeling nurtured could be: cuddling up with a blanket, turning on some soft music and reading a book. Or a rejuvenating solution to achieve true rest could be meditating or taking a nap. The the goal is to begin practicing those new things when the craving surfaces instead of just impulsively acting on the craving. 



SALTY CRAVINGS
Salty cravings like chips or pretzels may be a sign that you feel tension and anxiety. When you're in an anxious--negative emotional, mental and spiritual state you are probably going to experience a disconnection from feeling good. It is not necessarily a physiological “lack of salt” but rather a craving for salty foods to subdue the tense and anxious feelings. While the salty snack may seem satisfying at the moment, you’ll never truly be satisfied because the basic need may be to truly relax & feel satisfaction. 




CRUNCHY CRAVINGS
Crunchy cravings like having a biscotti or overeating on nuts can hint to an inner frustration & irritation. Crunchy foods help you act out your temporary emotional and mental release of frustration. The act of chewing and cracking the food in your mouth can momentarily release the feeling of frustration, but the problem is that the second that the crunching stops—the frustration returns, which is why people go back to eat more and more. Instead, crunchy cravings can be information that you are looking for self-fulfillment, approval, and pleasure. Self-fulfillment could be anything that individually fills you up, I have heard people say painting a picture, doing their nails, or walking on the beach is fulfilling. The goal is to find what fulfills you and then practice that instead of running to food. 


CREAMY CRAVINGS
Creamy cravings like ice cream, puddings, custards, or even mashed potatoes have something in common besides milk. Creamy foods are comforting because it returns us to our primal action of sucking and that makes us feel comforted and soothed. Craving these foods could possibly point to an inner discomfort with uncomfortable feelings & worrisome thoughts, which is the inner disruption going on inside (discomfort and/or worry) but not the need. The need is to comfort and sooth those thoughts and feelings by finding what soothes you. Some examples might be to take a bath, give yourself a foot massage, or wear comfortable soft cozy clothing.

LIQUID CRAVINGS
Liquid cravings, like coffee and soda, are filled with caffeine and sugar, or even artificially sweetened, and could actually be a signal that you may feel discouraged, tired, or dissatisfied with your job. This points to the inner lack we may feel that these beverages are drowning, but what we need is to find inspiration, take time to truly rest, hydrate with plenty of water, and rejuvenate yourself by connecting to your purpose.





GREASY CRAVINGS
A person who is craving greasy foods could be in a space of lacking self-certainty and needs something to fulfill them.  The solution is to connect with your spiritual self and find something that brings personal fulfillment. Filling up on the inside is a very unique experience, but if you look back to your childhood you will find answers.  What did you do for fun as a child: draw, climb trees, sports?  No, I’m not saying climb a tree now, (you can if you’d like) but look back and see what you loved about climbing the tree, was it being up high and hearing the wind blow—voila—there is your answer!  Find a safe place high up, where you can “be” and hear the wind blow.  

 If you need help finding these deeper answers, contact Sophie at LSS Harmony for a free thirty minute phone session!  info@lssharmony.com

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