Killing the Cravings with One Week of Low-Carb, Whole Grain Living
BySandra Ahten
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Do you have intense food cravings even when you’re not hungry? Sometimes such cravings can be attributed to “emotional eating,” but sometimes cravings happen even when you’re feeling emotionally and spiritually balanced. You feel like you could eat your way through a six-line buffet and then stop for ice cream on the way home.
My experience, and that of my clients, is that cravings are caused by eating carbohydrates, especially sugar, and often bread or pasta. As Jacque said about the intensity of her cravings, “Heaven help the poor sucker who gets between me and that brownie.”
Some who have tried the high-protein/low-carb diets report that the greatest appeal is the decrease in cravings. Yet some of these diets just go against common sense. Don’t tell me that I shouldn’t have an apple and can eat all the pork chops I want. I’m sorry, that just defies logic.
To help kill the cravings, I created a week-long, low carb, whole grain diet that I call the I-Week diet. You get great nutrition for few calories, and have a diet that makes complete sense and is easy to accommodate. You eat very simply. There are other benefits to the I-Week diet, too, including losing a couple of pounds without counting calories and while managing your energy level. And you will find these low carb, whole grain changes easy to accommodate at restaurants and most gatherings.
The basis of the diet is that you eat all the low carb (non-starchy) vegetables, fruit, lean protein, and whole grain brown rice (or, possibly, other whole grains, if you choose) that you want. Have starchy vegetables and olive oil in moderation. Eliminate all sugar and flour, and watch your cravings disappear along with it.
There are some variables that you will decide—how much dairy, processed food, and other whole grains to include. When I practice this diet, I try to eliminate dairy and processed food because a primary benefit for me is managing my energy level along with my cravings. You can get more guidelines and recipes for low carb, whole grain, craving-curbing eating by visiting www.reasonablediet.com/i-week. There you can also find out why I call it the I-Week diet.
Whether you follow the plan or not, you will enjoy these low carb, whole grain recipes that many reasonable dieters incorporate into their routine even after their I-Week diet.
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Baked Whole Grain Brown Rice
I didn’t cook much brown rice when it required hours of pot-watching. Then I discovered this. Extremely simple, it gives the whole grain rice a great texture and nutty flavor.
1 1/2 cups whole grain brown rice, uncooked
2 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine ingredients in an eight inch covered baking dish, or a baking dish tightly covered with aluminum foil. Bake for one hour. Remove from oven and if not serving immediately, place rice in colander and rinse with cold water. Drain. Rice can be stored in refrigerator for up to one week or frozen in individual servings and reheated in microwave.
Since the whole grain brown rice might be the only grain you’re having, you’ll find yourself craving it often (but hopefully not craving any of the bad stuff!). Following are two very simple recipes.
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Quick Rice and Beans
1/4 cup baked whole grain brown rice, prepared
1/2 cup beans
1 dash hot sauce, to taste
Combine ingredients in a non stick skillet and heat through.
Optional additional ingredients: onions, peppers, tomatoes, eggs, broccoli, spinach or other vegetables.
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Sweet Spiced Rice
1/2 cup baked whole grain brown rice prepared
1/2 cup soy milk
1 pinch cinnamon
1/2 pinch nutmeg
2 Tbs. dried cranberries
Combine all ingredients in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Simmer until all soy milk is absorbed. Replace the cranberries with raisins with other dried or fresh fruit (such as 1/2 cup apple or banana slices). Add a low carb sweetener of your choice to taste (Splenda, Nutrisweet, etc.), if desired.
Most meals on the I-Week diet will be centered around vegetables, which are the ultimate low carb foods, whether they be salads, vegetable soup, stir fry, or roasted vegetables. Then add the whole grain rice and some lean protein to any of these to make it a meal.
Primarily, your lean protein will include baked, grilled, broiled, boiled or canned chicken, fish or seafood. It can also include tofu, beans or eggs. (You can combine egg whites with whole eggs to keep the calorie count lower.) Think of beans first, since they offer the most nutrients for the fewest calories. All of these selections are naturally low carb.
I bake chicken and tofu at the beginning of the week. I open two cans of beans (black, pinto, kidney, garbanzo or cannellini beans), rinse and drain them, and store them in my refrigerator.
If you’re eating at a restaurant, you can usually find a simple lean protein and vegetable of some sort, and whole grain brown rice is often available. Think ahead and decide if you want to have a bowl of soup before you go, so that you’re not too hungry when the bread arrives and can resist the carb-induced cravings.
There are two keys to making the I-Week Diet work for you. One is preparation. Have the basics prepared in advance. The other is acceptance. Remember that your commitment is just for one week so that you can truly enjoy no cravings and bring your thinking and relationship with food back into perspective. When food is this simple, it takes a lot of the romance, and consequently the craving, out of it. That can be a good thing.
At www.reasonablediet.com/iweek you’ll find recipes, menu plans, and ideas about how to follow up the I-Week diet so that you can retain the sense of serenity you enjoyed while eating in this wholesome, simple, low carb, whole grain way.
Sandra Ahten, CEO of www.reasonablediet.com, is a professional motivation expert and diet and wellness coach. She is an internationally recognized host for two top-rated diet podcasts: Reasonable Diet Radio and Six Minutes of Sanity. Sandra's clients most often lead very successful lives, yet they still battle with their weight. If this sounds like you, register now for your own free e-course ==> "Five Fact You Absolutely Must Know Before Starting An
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