Question: I have no control over my cravings. If I want to eat a tray of brownies, there’s just no stopping me. How can I use my brain to strengthen my willpower and learn self-discipline?
Dr. Amen's Answer:
There are many ways you can strengthen your willpower and self-control to curb your cravings for chocolate, cookies, and candy. Here, I will focus on one of the simplest methods.
Keep blood sugar balanced. As your blood sugar goes low, it lowers the blood flow to your brain, which decreases brain function. This makes you more impulsive and more likely to say yes to that second slice of pie.
To keep your blood sugar balanced, eat frequent small meals throughout the day, starting with breakfast. A lot of people skip breakfast. I used to be one of them. Don’t think that skipping breakfast will save you calories and help you lose weight. In reality, it makes your blood sugar levels drop and makes you so hungry by lunchtime that you tend to overeat.
Some natural supplements can help even out blood sugar levels. Good scientific evidence shows that chromium and alpha lipoic acid balance blood sugar.
Stay away from simple sugars and refined carbohydrates such as candy, potatoes, white bread, and pretzels. These foods cause your blood sugar to spike and then drop, so you feel great for a short while and then you feel stupid and hungry.
Be very careful with high-fat, high-sugar foods because they work on the morphine or heroine centers of the brain and can be totally addictive. You have to eliminate them from your diet. In this case, don’t believe in “everything in moderation.” Would you take cocaine and arsenic in moderation?
When you cut the sugars out of your diet, you will find that sugar cravings will disappear in about two weeks.
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