Cravings, too many nuts, illness, tired of winter!

[carfree 2,854]

The title kind of sums it up. I've been eating low to moderate carb for about a year. I think I eat way too many nuts and seeds, mostly because they satisfy my carb cravings, and they are very filling and satisfying in general. I think this is hard on my digestive system. I have been trying to eat more veggies with the idea that it may help with the feeling that all the fat doesn't sit to well in my stomach. In addition, I have had a series of illnesses this winter, including two nasty stomach bugs that have left me nervous about some of the high fat staples I had been eating, such as avocados, as well as some veggies. I have been craving gooey sweet foods and bread and chips, and although I haven't been eating such things, I have been eating a lot of food. Part of it might be that I lost weight from being sick and might just be craving food because I was undereating while a sick. Winter is a time I usually crave carbs anyway, so I'm generally feeling frustrated. I had been so careful with my health so when I got sick for the fourth time this winter, I felt like what is the point in being so "good". I realize that sounds ridiculous. I'm wondering how others deal with cravings and feeling low about staying healthy. So sorry about the rant. I think things are going to work themselves out with time.

[dowling gram 6,388]

It sounds that like me you have the February Blahs. I think February is the worst month of the year. I'm sick of snow and cool temperatures and I can't wait for spring. This time of year I spend a lot of time looking through seed catalogs and dreaming of summer. I find doing things that remind you of summer helps

 

I sometimes bake my own low carb cookies and cakes. Mostly I eat sugar free jello, muffin in a mug or a smoothie when I'm craving a sweet treat. Breeze unsweetened chocolate almond milk makes a nice drink with the addition of a spoon of splenda for a sweet treat with only 2 carbs. There are plenty of low carb recipes around and in the recipe section on this site and recipes for low carb chips made with cheese or vegetables. Sorry but there is no substitute for bread but sometimes you can find a low carb one you may be able to work into your diet

[Orlando 10,178]

Do you test your BG , cravings are difficult for everybody to overcome in the beginning. It gets easier once your BG values start "normalise".

 

Maybe this is easy for me to say as I live in the middle east and I am sure that your north American winter must be pretty tough to deal with.

[Sobriquet 848]

Just an idea...

Get your vitamin D levels checked.

Vitamin D seem to play a role in the immune system - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3738984/

If, like me, you live in a place where the sun just isn't available for many months of the year, you may be suffering from low vitamin D which is reducing your ability to fight off bugs when they catch you. It also affects mood, and sleep patterns and can affect digestion as well, but there is no clear list of absolute symptoms.

 

As a side note with ZERO science behind it - vitamin D comes from many oily foods - like salmon, and nuts. Your cravings may be linked to that - although i am totally ready to be shot down for this!!

[carfree 2,854]

Thanks for the responses. My blood sugars have been quite good lately so I don't think that is causing the cravings. They did go up a bit and then were quite low when I was sick (couldnt eat much). I did make a one minute muffin and some low carb pancakes over the weekend, and they were yummy.

I have not had my vitamin D levels checked. My understanding is that almost everyone in my area has low levels so I do take vitamin D. I could not stomach any supplements while I was sick though so I might be low. I work in health care and am exposed to lots of viruses etc. My white blood count is naturally low for some reason so that may be why I catch everything, despite tons of hand washing. I've been trying to get out in the sun whenever I can, which won't help with vitamin D this time of year, but might help my mood. Garden planning sounds like a great idea!

[leosmith 173]

I'm curious about how many grams (not handfuls, cups, numbers, etc) of nuts you eat per day. I eat 60-90g. Here is a thread about how much nuts people eat. If you are a pre-diabetic who hasn't needed to take medicine for it, you might be interested in this alternate diet. That being said, some of your problems might be caused by lack of fiber. From my research on the internet, you should be getting at least 30g/day. From your post, you probably need to eat more vegetables, which could solve your fiber problems. How about exercise -  are you doing enough? The guidelines I hear are 30min moderate cardio/day, 5 days/week, and strength training twice/week. Finally, I do something that most don't have the luxury (if you want to call it that) to do. I avoid people, especially small children, so my chances of getting a virus are greatly reduced.

[kooka 2,681]

Ditto. Winter blahs with sickness thrown in. It was almost 70 here Saturday and I was in bed. Now Wednesday oh well snow of course. Makes me want great chunks of fresh bread with gobs of butter. Hurry Spring is all I can say.

[carfree 2,854]

leosmith, I don't weigh the nuts and seeds (which I should be doing) but a eat probably a small to medium cereal bowl full some days. I do eat a lot of veggies, but I'm trying to eat more and trying to eat some each time I eat. Now that I'm feeling better I'm back to eating more veggies. I think I get enough fiber through veggies,flax, coconut, and high fiber protein powder. I tried a Fuhrmanish diabetes diet, but it did not budge my A1c. I used to eat tons of carbs so the Fuhrman approach was way fewer carbs and was a healthy diet so I was surprised it did not help my blood sugars. I also had a hard time not losing too much weight. I had to eat more nuts than recommended to not waste away. I do eat more carbs that many people here (obviously with a the nuts and seeds), which seems to go okay for awhile and then I get carb creep and my blood sugars suffer. I think a few more eggs and fish with veggies might help me. I exercise about 90 minutes a day (running, biking, walking, light weights,etc) and that definitely helps with digestion.

Oh kooka, do hang in there too. Yah, chunks of bread with butter sounds so good (but I shall have some zucchini porridge instead).

[Sobriquet 848]

For the veggies - i found this one day http://www.ditchthecarbs.com/2014/09/05/grain-free-kfc/

 

It is supposed to be a coating for chicken, but i make it with some flax seed thrown in and then sprinkle it over veggies - it is amazingly satisfying. I have started playing with different herbs and spices to make different blends - then just chop all my 'orphan' vegetables - you know, that one sad carrot, that little bit of left over cabbage, broccoli whatever and throw them into a fry pan with a bit of olive oil, wait till the veg are softish, then sprinkle (for me - a lot) of the seasoning over the top and stir fry it for a little longer. REALLY YUMMY!!

 

I have also found that mushrooms (raw) work well in place of bread when dipping - It's not bread, but they do soak up olive oil, and are amazing with creamy dips. Similarly, we bake camembert cheese (the ones in the wooden case) in the oven, cut open and peel back the top when it starts to get poofy (about 10 mins), bake again till it's bubbly (about 5-10 min), then use the cheese as a dip for raw broccoli, cauliflower, beans, mushrooms, peppers - i also like it with steamed brussels sprouts but my husband has put his foot down ... Throw in a good red wine and it's deadly good. (not my pic, but you get the idea)

[carfree 2,854]

That veggie coating looks great! I think expanding my food repertoire would be helpful because my old standbys don't repeal right now. I end up with a lot of orphan veggies so I will try that. The cheese looks fabulous but I don't eat cheese, which is another reason I probably eat too many nuts and seeds.