How to Use Mindfulness to Reduce Cravings

We are rolling into the Bermuda Triangle of food holidays and the sweetest of them all, Halloween, kicks off the craving madness. Just weeks away, the Halloween candy invasion is unescapable. It’s about this time when your sweet-tooth begins to behave more like a sabre-tooth. How can you sooth the savage beast?

Mindfulness vs. Chocolate Cravings

It turns out that exercises in mindfulness have proved very effective in reducing candy cravings. Julien Lacaille, a psychologist at McGill University in Quebec, organized a study to see how mindfulness skills training can reduce chocolate cravings. Her surprisingly positive results were published in the May, 2014 edition of the journal Appetite.

Lacaille enlisted 196 self-proclaimed chocolate fiends for the study and divided them into five groups. Four of the groups received training in specific mindfulness techniques and were directed to practice them for two weeks whenever a chocolate craving arose. Members of the fifth group were told to distract themselves as a way to fend off cravings.

The Mindfulness Trifecta

The three mindfulness techniques used were:

Awareness: Simply noticing one's thoughts, or just noticing the craving.

Acceptance: Not passing judgment on one's thoughts, or noticing the craving and not judging it good or bad in any way.

Disidentification: Distancing oneself from the cravings by thinking of craving-related thoughts as separate from oneself. In other words, the candy craving is actually not real because it is separate from who you are. It’s as if you refuse to own it.

The Crucial Technique

The group that became skilled at practicing the disidentification mindfulness technique, which involved distancing themselves from their craving after acknowledging it, had a significant decrease in chocolate cravings. “They developed less-intense cravings for chocolate because they now perceived it as generally less desirable,” Lacaille said.

As you battle the onslaught of candy cues this month, use disidentification mindfulness to help bolster willpower.

What steps are you taking to stay mindful for the holidays?

Healthy Halloween Recipe: Panna Cotta Eye

Celebrating the holidays all begins with Halloween, inside the Healthy Kitchen. What better way to ring in the season with a little tasty, ghastly treat? This more healthy alternative to processed sugar not only tastes great, but fits the holiday! A perfect treat for your Halloween parties, the kids and for you!



INGREDIENTS:

Panna Cotta:

1 envelope Unflavored gelatin

¼ cup Water

2 cups Skim-milk

½ cup Sugar

1 ½ cup Plain non-fat Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon Coconut Extract

2 each Kiwi, sliced thin

Raspberry Sauce:

1 pint Fresh Raspberries

Method:

Panna Cotta:

• Place eleven 6-ounce narrow wine glasses (for the perfect eyeball shape) otherwise use custard cups or ramekins in a shallow baking pan, then set aside.


• In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the water (do not stir). Let stand for 5 minutes.


• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine ½ c of the milk and the sugar.  Cook over medium heat until heated through, stirring to dissolve the sugar (do not boil).  Add gelatin mixture; stir until gelatin is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Whisk in yogurt until smooth.  Whisk in the remaining 1 ½ cups milk and the coconut extract.


• Place kiwi slice at the bottom of the cup, then ladle mixture into cups/wine glasses.


• Cover pan with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate panna cotta for 4 to 24 hours.


• To serve, immerse the bottom half of each custard cup in hot water for about 10 seconds.  Run a small knife around edge to loosen.  Invert custard onto a dessert plate.  Sprinkle custards with berries and garnish with fresh mint leaves and raspberry sauce.

Raspberry Sauce:

• Place raspberries in a small sauce-pot and cook on low-medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.


• Once the raspberries have softened and cooked down allow to cool.


• Pour raspberries in a blender and blend until smooth.


• Chill until ready to serve.

Nutrition:

Panna Cotta:

Servings: 11

Serving Size: 1 ramekin

Calories: 50 kcal

Fat: 1gm

Raspberry Sauce:

Servings: 8

Serving Size 2 T

Calories 5 kcal

Fat: 0 gm

 

Carving Out Your Mantra

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="250" caption="What's your sign?"][/caption]

Fall represents change to me. The transition from summer into winter, baseball to football, light sun-kissed veggies replaced by hearty soups and spiced fall flavors. The symbolism for change surrounds us with breathtaking saffron, amber and ginger-hued leaves rustling in cool breezes.

As the autumn engulfs us, it's a splendid time to start reflecting on our own transformation. What mantra do we want to herald as a symbol of our journey? What change do we want to make that will shape the decisions we plan for the upcoming year. How do we want to be represented?

A new take on an old Halloween tradition, pumpkin carving, is the backdrop for the answer to all the above questions. Take time to explore or develop a symbol that represents your new mantra or identity-quest. In the spirit of the season, carve out your symbol in a hollowed-out pumpkin and ceremoniously illuminate it with a votive. Use this representational project to mark the beginning, and your commitment, to your chosen journey. Projects, such as this one, are a wonderful way to give visual and artistic meaning to your intended transformation. It takes the quest from living only in your mind to interacting with all your senses.

To represent my identity quest, I have chosen the Thunderbird, a symbol originated by Native American Indians. The Thunderbird is the Sacred Bearer of Happiness Unlimited. Thus, my new mantra is Happiness Unlimited. I can’t wait to carve it out and let the light shine through.

If you want a few ideas for symbols that represent your quest, look at the list below…

  The tortoises is emblematic of steadfast effort and eventual, inevitable success.

 The eagle is a symbol of action, a lofty spirit, intelligence and judiciousness. 

  The Celtic symbol for Inner Strength.

  The Chinese symbol representing Serenity.

What will your symbol be? I would love to see your finished project. Send me a photo and description to lvolz@hhhealth.com.