Ever sneak a late-night snack after a hefty dinner and then go to sleep? (We’re looking at you heaping bowl of ice cream after that generous slice of meatloaf, roasted carrots and mashed potatoes!) Why, oh why?
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“It’s not a character flaw. It’s simple biology. In functional medicine, we look at the root causes of health problems ― like how powerful hormones trigger night-time food cravings,” explains functional medicine specialist Mark Hyman, MD.
To tame your cravings, it helps to understand the havoc four powerful appetite hormones can wreak:
Feeling stressed? This drives up cortisol (the stress hormone), adding to your hunger, raising blood sugar and insulin, and starting a vicious cycle.
If you binge time and time again, your body can’t burn those extra calories, Dr. Hyman says. So it stores them as fat. To break the cycle, he recommends:
Eat regular meals. (Don’t skip breakfast.)
Always include a protein. (Choose chicken, fish, grass-fed meat) and high-quality fat (nut, seeds, avocados, coconut, olive oil).
Avoid all sugary drinks. That includes both hot and cold ones, from sodas and sweet tea to fancy calorie-laden coffees.
Avoid gluten or dairy if you can’t tolerate them.
De-stress during the day. (Breathe, do yoga, exercise).
Make sleep a priority. There’s no badge of honor for sleep deprivation. You’ll instead provoke imbalances in ghrelin and peptide YY.
“Taming your night binges can help you avoid weight gain and diabetes, not to mention feel a lot better about yourself,” Dr. Hyman says.
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