Hi all

Just wondering...

Whenever I get sugar/starch cravings, they ALWAYS hit at around 3pm. And that seems to be the time I will most likely give in to them.

does anyone else experience this/know why this might be???


Thanks

Claire

for me, its usually if i blow off lunch because i'm not hungry... that will always set me up for temptation when i am preparing my daughter's food at 5:30pm, or just out running around in the big bad world (with the big bad burritos on every corner...) in the late afternoon. i always make sure i eat something before i cook, and make sure i am carrying something with me if i am running errands.

here's an interesting article by karen knowler about the three daily 8hour cycles that might prove interesting to you... (since i got it in an email, i can't just link to it, sorry gang, kinda long. but it is interesting)

The 3 Body Cycles and Why They Matter
****************************************
Did you know that your body runs to three 8-hour cycles per day?

And do you know what they are and why it pays to work with them? Yes / No? Well, you will do in a moment!

The following information is invaluable. Although the basic teaching has Ayurvedic roots and therefore is thousands of years old, I first came across it about 16 years ago in the bestselling health classic Fit for Life, and it made complete sense - as it still does now. Utilising this knowledge throughout my own healthy eating/ raw food journey has made all the difference, and I still for the most part live in tune with these 3 cycles to this very day. I make sure that all of my clients are aware of this information before we begin menu planning - it makes all the difference to them, and it will make all the difference to you too. Just try it and see!

Let's begin this mini teach-in by naming these 3 cycles. They are:

1) Elimination
2) Appropriation
3) Assimilation

Although the body can be eating, digesting, using food and cleaning all at the same time to varying degrees, it has been found that from approximately 4am until noon, the body is cleansing itself (eliminating) - this is why, for example, people wake up with headaches, crusty eyes, furred tongues and so on - this is the debris coming out. It makes most sense for the body to be doing its housecleaning while we are asleep, because it's then that we are not exerting any extra energy and can let nature take its course.

During this first 8 hour period, the best foods we can possibly eat (if we want to) are fruits or fruit, veg or green juices, because they require minimal digestion and are the only foods which have been found not to interfere with this cleansing process. Therefore the ideal scenario is to try and incorporate as much fresh fruit or juice into your morning routine and slowly cut down (and ideally, out) on other items. Basically, as soon as you eat anything else, the cleansing stops. I'm convinced that my keeping to this routine for so long is largely responsible for keeping my weight low and my energy high. And you just feel so clean too!

The second eight hour cycle, appropriation, is between noon and 8pm which, when you think about it, is when most of us eat our two main meals of the day - lunch and dinner. This is the time when the body is most efficient at digesting and dealing with foods. It's also the time when we are burning them up the fastest because we're at our most active. As long as we are eating according the dictates of our appetite, we should be merrily refuelling and burning, refuelling and burning in a fairly steady and comfortable way, which makes for a really comfortable feeling in the body and a great relationship with food!

Eating when one is truly hungry can take a bit of getting used to, but is far more enjoyable than eating just because the clock dictates it's lunchtime. And it makes so much sense!

The third cycle, appropriation, is the time for utilising the food you have consumed during the day. Assimilation takes place between (approximately) 8pm and 4am, i.e. the time you're most likely to be relaxed, asleep or least active. During this time the body can get to work drawing all of the goodness out of your food from the day, and working on healing and rebuilding. As this phase starts drawing to a close it leads neatly back into the first cycle, cleansing, as it gets rid of everything it doesn't need.

By working in conjunction with these cycles, you will become much more aware of how real they are. If you are trying to lose weight, making full use of the elimination cycle especially is going to be a tremendous help to you as you'll not only be extending the cleansing cycle to its maximum, but you'll also be giving yourself the opportunity to really earn your lunch! This whole concept is one of my favourites, it makes so much sense intellectually, but as with all of these things, the proof of the pudding is in the... (eating, digesting...!)
© 2008 Karen Knowler

WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

I find the afternoon to be a craving time for me as well.

claire,

What does a typical daily menu look like for you, including times that you eat, and the quantities of foods in each meal? If you give this to us, perhaps we can see why you have this food craving at 3pm. For an example, here is mine typical recent daily menu:

2pm: 4 navel oranges, 10 tangerines
7pm: 8 bananas, 1/2 cup blueberries, 2 romaine hearts. 1 avocado, 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 1 pint of clover sprouts

Claire, Other than Bryan's suggestion, it may be mostly a habit if you haven't eaten enough at lunch. I know sometimes when I get home after the day job, I'm sooo hungry that I eat until I'm uncomfortable. I know this is b/c I didn't eat a heavy enough lunch.

When I do eat raw hummus with my salad (or sometime else heavy) at lunch, I am fine. I don't feel ravenous and I can eat a regular sized meal at dinner time.

Good luck. Therese

Thanks for the responses...liked the article maui butterfly!

A typical day's food for me would be..

7am - pint of veggie juice, eg 2oz spinach, handful of green beans, half a cucumber, few sticks of celery, half a lime, small piece of carrot

8:30 ish - some fruit, maybe half a melon

10am ish - couple of pieces of fruit, maybe 2 bananas

12:30ish - a couple of pieces of fruit with a big salad, for example romaine with sprouts and some nuts/seeds

3pm ish - some more fruit, maybe about three pieces, oranges or something (or if the cravings hit and I am not up to it, pretty much anything I can get my hands on until I am stuffed !)

6:30ish - a piece of fruit with a veggie dish or big salad, pretty much the same as what I would have for lunch

If I exercise it is generally when I get up about 6am...might cycle for an hour or go for a long walk or do some weights.


I am type 1 diabetic, which doesn't help. I have been working on not overdoing the insulin at lunchtime so my blood sugar isn't too low when I hit 3pm and that makes things easier. I also am pretty sure I have candida overgrowth and possibly parasites...was thinking about getting a colonic after someone on here suggested it might help. But I really need to sort these cravings out because it messes with my blood sugar control big time when I start pigging out on whatever I can get my hands on come 3pm!!!!

Any help very much appreciated....

Claire

hey claire, maybe throw an avocado in there about 2:00 to see how that feels?? or add one to your salad at 12:30? healthy fats can help ground you and might assist with your 3:00 cravings...

That's what I would suggest too. Avocados or something fatty/more filling. I think if I ate like that it would be too light, and by the afternoon my body's nutritional needs would be cropping up on me.

I agree with that article too. Cleansing overnight. Light food in the morning and early afternoon. Big meals later in the day to nourish me more fully and tie me over at night/ prevent hypoing overnight. Do you really make it all the way through the night without needing to eat after 6:30pm?

Angie


Me (30), Joseph (24 mo.) Jeremiah (4 mo.)

We are enjoying spring and being outside!!!

Thanks for the suggestions...will try something heavier at lunch tomorrow. Luckily, I have an avocado which is just getting ripe

Hi Angie...yes, these days I do get through the evening without eating after dinner. Never used to - always had to have something before bed, am sure my blood sugar was out of whack for years before getting diabetes. How are you doing with your blood sugar?

Claire

Well, I tried having half a large avocado with my salad today (butternut squash and parsley rice with romaine, YUM) and it does seem to have helped Just had my "3pm snack" at 4pm instead and only needed one banana and a fennel bulb instead of my usual fruit (or junk) frenzy.


thank you!

Claire

Claire!
I am totally with you. I have been going through this for YEARS, even when I was completely SAD trying to "watch" what I was eating...thinking of that now is hilarious to me?!!? As I switched to vegetarianism, vegan, etc, it was the same. I called 3pm the witching hour for me. Even now, I still have it. But here is what I have found.

I really try to hold of eating until the late am, almost nooon. If I do need to eat in the am, (sometimes I am completely ravenous upon waking - still nursing) I have made a huge discovery about my body. (input: cheering and clapping LOUDlY please)

when I woke up and had a blended drink of primarily fruits - the rest of the day was SO DIFFICULT. I dreamt of food two hours after drinking a huge, enormous drink. It most often would consist of strawberries, banana, and one other piece of fruit. I literally could not get through the day without eating a ton of food....not always raw either. I would just eat like you said - whatever I could grab as a "quick fix"

So, as I have experimented with trying to remedy this problem, I have realized that the best blended drinks for me are as follows:
1/2 lime with peel
4-5 pieces kale
2-3 large handfulls arugula
2-3 pieces romaine lettuce
1 apple
maybe 1 small pear
mint
chia seeds soaked

or something similar to this. But, I try to hold off until I really start to feel like I have to have food. Then I drink my drink and the rest of the day is fine. I consume far less food, don't eat a ton of fruit (which I think for me is too dangerous with my sugar levels shooting up and then plummeting down, creating the need for more, more, more. And, I have a candida issue as well - which totally makes me crave the sugar!)

I am still not "there" but feel so much closer! I swear, the greens are "it" for me. Sorry for the big long ramble, I just can really relate to what you are going through. I am looking forward to another raw day tomorrow!!! VF

Hi VF

Thanks!!! lol

Nice to hear that someone else is putting up with this

Actually, I have found the same thing about greens. I know too that if I start the day with fruit, it's going to be a BAD day. Unless I am doing a lot of exercise which helps get rid of the cravings. I always start with a veggie juice eg half a cucumber, load of spinach or kale or spring greens, few sticks of celery handful of green beans or something. That helps to stabalise me. I wonder if I'm eating too much fruit during the day..but thing is I need calories lol.

I had another wow moment yesterday. Had a huge sugar craving after eating half a melon for breakfast (no veggies left in fridge for juice), was virtually all set to stop at the shop on the way to work to get something sugary...then ate a small lettuce that I had in my lunch bag and THE CRAVING WENT AWAY.

Worship the lettuce!!!

I think you're right, I think people like us REALLY need our greens.

Really nice to hear from you Hope we both have a good RAW day today!

Claire

VF

the sugar monster hit again at 3pm today...right on cue ha ha. Had some melon and a banana, and felt full, but also full of craving. Out of my bag emerged my secret weapon...my lettuce. Ate the whole thing, made me feel a bit stuffed but again, it took the craving away. Now it's nearly 5pm and I'm feeling hungry again...but not craving kind of hungry so either I need calories or I've messed up my insulin for the 3pm snack and my blood sugar's about to crash.

I swear I am not leaving the house without a lettuce in future lol

Awesome!! I totally caved today. Had a shitty day. So glad to hear that you stayed on track, tomorrow is a new day for me. Thank the goddess. Lettuce it is, or for me tomorrow, ANYTHING green!! Thanks for the update, VF

Good luck...

Have to admit that, while I got through the 3pm drama, I then ate a huge amount of pizza for dinner seemed like a good idea at the time, it always does, doesn't it??? This morning I feel yucky serves me right.

would be nice to hear how you get on

I can sense your struggle to stay on track!
I too get those starch cravings,especially for pizza,as you can probably understand yourself.
Maybe we can load a whole pile of lettuce leaves on our next slice of pizza?

ha ha good idea )

finally managed to get back on track today, had a good clean raw day...with the help of my hero lettuce!