Getting the appetite under control after the holidays is a big challenge for everyone. Those frequent hunger signals may not really be necessary, but ignoring them is so difficult. The blood sugar has been on a rollercoaster of sharp spikes and subsequent crashes as insulin is pumped out in response to yet another sweet morsel or caffeine-laden jolt. If you’re feeling out of control, here are six tips for bringing balance back to your life.
1) Curb the caffeine
Caffeine triggers the “fight or flight” stress syndrome. When your body is in a state of stress, cortisol, the stress hormone, is elevated. Studies show that high levels of cortisol increase fat storage in the abdomen and make you want to eat fatty, high calorie foods. What is the best way to reduce caffeine dependency?
Blend caffeine-free Teeccino Herbal Coffee with your regular coffee, gradually using less coffee over a two-week period. If you think you can’t do without, restrict coffee to mornings only and replace afternoon and evening cups with Teeccino. Your adrenal glands will recover their natural hormonal daily rhythmic cycle that keeps you energized without stimulants and sleepy only when it’s time to go to bed.
2) Relieve afternoon fatigue without stimulants
You’ll get a natural energy boost from a mug of Teeccino that makes it much easier to wean off of central nervous system stimulants from both chocolate and coffee. Drink a cup around 3 PM when you’re feeling that mid-afternoon dip and watch how you perk up again with a smooth energy lift that stays steady until it’s time to eat.
3) Watch out for chocolate
The holidays are full of chocolate treats and suddenly you find your body has daily cravings for the lift that the two stimulants in chocolate, theobromine and caffeine, bring. Give yourself a natural energy boost with a cup of Teeccino and choose one of the chocolate blends like Mocha, Dark Chocolate, or Chocolate Mint to satisfy your chocolate-craving taste buds.
4) Drink a tall glass of filtered of mineral water
Wait ten minutes and oftentimes your appetite will completely go away. Water rehydrates your body and sometimes hunger signals are satisfied once rehydration has occurred. Not so thrilled about water? Try herbal teas made with rooibos, the red tea, or Tulsi tea, either hot or chilled. The flavor will help you drink more fluid and take in more herbal phytonutrients like antioxidants and flavanoids that help fight free radicals, lower stress and support your immune system. You can find flavors that are sweetened with stevia or licorice without any calories to fool yourself into thinking you’ve just had a sweet treat!
5) Eat 1 crisp apple before meals
Apples make a perfect snack that you can eat twice a day or 15 minutes before lunch or dinner. Apples surprisingly satisfy the appetite and studies show that eating one before a meal reduces the number of calories consumed during the meal. A medium apple has 80 calories and won’t produce a sugar rush as the fiber helps slow the release of the sugars during digestion. Its 5 grams of both soluble and insoluble fiber gives you 20% of the daily recommended fiber intake. Fiber helps us feel full and keeps our colons healthy.
6) Satify your desire for sweet & rich desserts without the caloric load
Our taste buds get programmed for sweets after dinner when we’ve been regularly indulging even if we ate a filling meal. Breaking that habitual urge for just a little something, that oftentimes becomes more than just a little, is the trick. The dates, figs and roasted almonds in Teeccino’s Mediterranean flavors satisfy the taste buds for both rich and sweet flavors.
Make a big frothy mug of Teeccino as a cappuccino or latte with 2% milk. Use 4 – 6 oz of heated, frothed milk added to strong brewed Teeccino. You’ll feel very content with only 85 calories balanced between protein, fat and carbohydrates and plenty of calcium and potassium for a good night’s sleep.
