Dr. Axe: Hey guys, Dr. Josh Axe here with Jordan Rubin.
Welcome to Ancient Medicine today.
In this video, we're going to share with you the best foods, supplements, and techniques
to combat those sugar cravings, those food cravings and to get your hunger under control.
Jordan, number one here is salt.
How does salt actually reduce sugar hunger cravings?
Jordan: Well, consuming the right salt can actually satisfy you because it's got minerals.
Consuming the wrong salt can only make you hungrier and fast food restaurants know that
it's a trigger, right?
So salt and sugar make you crave salt and sugar.
Those other flavors, by the way, like bitter and sour and umami that actually stave off
hunger.
So if you consume salt and you're like I was when I was a kid, putting salt before I eat,
look before you leap.
"Jordan, why do you put salt on it?
You don't know if you even need salt."
Try to back off salt intake, sodium intake, or get a high mineral salt.
Look up on draxe.com, best sources of salt.
Dr. Axe: Number two, air conditioning.
This can be a trigger for why you're hungry.
You know, we've actually found this that if you are cold and the air conditioning actually
makes you more hungry versus have you ever been outside maybe where it's hot and humid
and you just really didn't feel like eating a lot or a large meal?
So actually being in areas where you're actually warmer or hotter can actually help you.
Infrared sonar's are great, going to the gym and just working out in general, getting that
body heat up actually can help naturally balance that out.
But don't stay in too cold of areas too much because it can actually make you hungry.
Jordan: Medications.
There are medications that don't even list over eating and side effects but they start
to tamper with your cortisol and when your cortisol increases, which happens in so many
of us, our stress-related cravings go up.
We could put stress on here too.
But think about it folks.
Almost everyone is on a medication today especially the anti-depressant medications, the upper
GI medications, oral contraceptives.
These all can alter and make you crave certain things.
Think about pregnant women, they have hormone changes so they crave.
That can happen to all of us when we're on medication.
Dr. Axe: Number one here.
Now, this is in terms of how to get your hunger under control.
So these are the things you want to add in your diet.
Number one here, a combination of fat fiber and certain types of spices.
Fat makes you feel fuller as does fiber whereas doing a lot of sugar and carbohydrates, your
body burns them so quickly that you're immediately hungry.
Within an hour, you typically want and need more food.
So we know that most people today don't have enough healthy fats in your diet.
Getting more healthy fats especially, Jordan, you want to talk about getting hunger under
control or burning fat long term, try a ketogenic diet or some good quality organic ketogenic
products.
We know that a ketogenic diet can support the body getting fat.
We know fiber, in order for your body to burn or utilize fiber and fat, it probably takes
closer to three hours whereas a lot of these carbohydrates might take in between 30 minutes
to an hour.
So, again, you want more fat fiber in your diet and then certain types of spices that
are more bitter in nature, more stringent in nature, could also really support your
body as well in keeping hunger under control.
Jordan: Essential oils.
They actually did studies where certain pheromones and sense cause people to be hungry or crave
things they shouldn't eat.
Have you ever been to an airport or mall food court, what is the number one . . . you smell,
I'm not going to mention the name of the company, but those cinnamon rolls smell so good.
Doesn't junky breakfast just smell so good?
They know this so they're going to crank up the AC, make it cold, and have these amazing
aromas to make you hungry but the opposite is true.
Certain essential oils are very satisfying and can help control hunger.
Some of the best ones are citrus oil, calming oil such as lavender and then even awakening
type oils like peppermint and rosemary.
Those can help you mentally and physically get strong and combat hunger.
You can apply essential oils to your feet, to your abdomen.
You can inhale them.
I like to put them on my head.
How do you think I get my hair to look like this?
We use them all the time but make sure to have healthy organic scents about you.
You'll get more sense when it comes to keeping your hunger under control.
Got it?
Scents and sense?
Dr. Axe: That was good.
That was clever.
All right.
So essential oils.
I'll actually mention three oils here.
Jordan mentioned number one.
Grapefruit has been shown to be really great for this.
Jordan mentioned the citrus oils.
I also think ginger and cinnamon can be great.
They're warming to the body.
All right, those are great.
So number three is exercise and it's not lots of cardiovascular exercise.
Its weight training typically.
Weight training is great for putting on lean muscle, warming your body and actually helping
your body stay lean.
And actually can help balance those hunger cravings as well, help balance hormones.
So, again, exercise especially some weight training or just doing things where you're
active.
Indoor rock climbing, going for walks in nature, things like that can be very good.
The long distance exercise actually can make you eat a bit more if you're doing a lot of
long distance cardio.
But weight training in general, using things like kettle bells, these can be great ways
to keep hunger under control.
Jordan: All right, balance hormones.
This is really critical and you might be thinking estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and there's
some of that.
You might be thinking thyroid hormones but really when it comes to hunger, it's DHEA
and cortisol.
Cortisol is increased when we're in that fight or flight, like being chased by a bear in
a national forest, that's good cortisol.
Bad cortisol is from too much stress, not proper sleep cycles.
Bad cortisol comes from a lack of sunshine and eating too many carbohydrates.
Of course, also life.
What you've got to do is balance your hormones.
One of the greatest ways to control hunger and balance hormones is consuming the herb
ashwagandha.
Ashwagandha has been clinically studied to increase DHEA and decrease cortisol which
helps to regulate stress-related carb craving and over eating.
That's really one of the best substances you can do.
Make ashwagandha in an herbal infusion or a tea, consume a supplement and make sure
to get the right amount.
It's between 125 and 600 milligrams depending on the type of extract if you're supplementing.
Dr. Axe: Well, all right guys.
So here is what you need to do to keep those hunger and sugar cravings under control.
Again, don't use iodized salt.
Don't stay in the air conditioning too long.
Certain drugs we know increase those cravings as well and then again eat meals with lots
of healthy fat, protein fiber.
Get lots of herbs and spices in your diet.
Exercise.
Use essential oils and balance hormones naturally like Jordan was talking about.
And hey, don't forget, make sure to subscribe here to our YouTube channel.
We've got a lot more episodes coming out on how to use food as medicine and using essential
oils and herbal extracts and all things natural.
So, again, make sure you subscribe here.
And, hey, if you didn't get something answered or you want to know more, we've got some really
in-depth articles on my website draxe.com.
You can check that online as well.
Guys, it's been Jordan Rubin, myself, Dr. Josh Axe.
Have a great day.
Dr. Axe here.
I want to say, thanks so much for checking out this YouTube video and also don't forget
to subscribe if you want to get more great content on things like herbs, essential oils,
natural remedies, and how to use food as medicine.
Also, check out more of our content on my YouTube channel.
Thanks for watching.