How to Curb Cravings for Good

This time of year I see many patients who feel that their food cravings have gotten out of control. Overindulgence from the holidays has led to a steady stream of poor food choices in their everyday lives.

From a heightened caffeine addiction to constantly consuming flour-based items and sugary sweets, many people feel trapped in poor dietary patterns after all the celebrations and busyness of the holiday season. But there’s good news! In just 10 days you can feel lighter, leaner, happier, and healthier without those nagging cravings for foods that don’t truly serve you.

The truth is, we blame people for being overweight and sick, but it’s not their fault. Our taste buds, hormones, and brain chemistry have been hijacked by the food industry. And sugar is a major villain here. Being addicted to sugar and flour is not an emotional eating disorder. It’s a biological disorder, driven by hormones and neurotransmitters that fuel sugar and carb cravings—leading to uncontrolled overeating. It’s why we are seeing an epidemic of type 2 diabetes and obesity but also heart disease, hypertension, many common cancers, and Alzheimer’s.

My 10-Day Detox is the perfect reset button to get back on track.

I gained a deeper understanding of the biology of food addiction and how it is so often at the root of people’s failure to change their behavior and their diet, and it is through this understanding that I created a plan to help reset your hormones and brain chemistry and turn off inflammation in just 10 days. The result is not only a significant jump-start on weight loss but also a dramatic change in health. Here’s the gist of it:

For 10 days, you’ll remove the following foods or anything containing them from your diet:

• All processed foods.
• Gluten, dairy, and all forms of sugar and sweeteners—including artificial ones!
• Grains, starchy vegetables (like potatoes), beans, and fruit (other than a ½ cup of berries or kiwi a day).
• Inflammatory beverages (regular and decaf coffee, alcohol, soda, and juice).

And here is what you want to focus on including:

• As many non-starchy vegetables as you want in all meals and snacks.
• 4 to 6 ounces of protein with each meal (eggs, chicken, fish, lean animal protein, nuts, and seeds).
• One serving of healthy fat (like ½ avocado, or 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, walnut oil, sesame oil, extra virgin coconut butter, or nut or seed butter such as almond or cashew) with every meal.
• Lots of self-care practices: detoxifying Epsom salt baths, deep breathing exercises, meditation, yoga or any other kind of movement you enjoy, and 8 hours of sleep a night.
• Keep in mind that quality counts! So choose organic produce, grass-fed meat and dairy, and pasture-raised poultry and eggs, if possible.

You’ll be amazed at what just 10 days can do for balancing your blood sugar, eliminating cravings, and revving up your metabolism.

For more in-depth information on the full 10-Day Detox protocol along with my recommendations for how to talk to your doctor, what tests to ask for, the best supplements to support your detox, and more, check out my #1 New York Times bestseller The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet.

And for some extra support, you can find my Starter 10-Day Detox Kit here.

Wishing you health and happiness,
Mark Hyman, MD