You planned your diet carefully. You started eating small meals. But then (inevitably) you suddenly crave something you miss and before you know it, you’re regretting eating a bunch of unhealthy food and your diet is done.
Dr. Claude Matar, founder of Pasadena Weight Loss Center, can help you break this vicious cycle when he explains “How To Stop Food Cravings” at the Center on Tuesday, November 25, at 6:30 p.m.
Matar said the primary cause of craving is the “actual need for energy.”
“Craving is your body’s natural response to lack of energy — its own inability to process food for energy,” Matar said. “Most people who have a problem with cravings also have lack of energy.”
The food expert said people who tend to crave excessively are those who over-exercise and do not eat vegetables.
“First, people who over-exercise tend to crave carbohydrates,” Matar said. “Number two, in most cases, those who have cravings also have lack of vegetable consumption. So their diets are not balanced.”
Matar said vegetables contain minerals that allow the body to burn fat.
“Having vegetables is not a luxury item on your plate, it is absolutely necessary, so you can burn the rest of the food on your plate.”
Matar has found the traits of those who easily give in to cravings: they find themselves craving certain foods no matter what or how much they eat, keeping a stash of chocolate for “emergencies,” becoming mildly upset when they found out your favorite donuts shop had gone out of business, and the thinking that the last thing they ever want to eat (or pretty close to it) is a vegetable.
If most of these, Mater said, describe you, you should attend the lecture to learn what causes food cravings, the types of food your body will typically crave and why, what hormones are at play when you crave certain kinds of food and how to stop the cravings.
“I went into medicine because I wanted to educate people on the subject of health,” he said. “The main [focus] of these lectures for me is health education for patients—not for doctors, but for patients.”
Matar said food cravings are more than just satisfying your hunger—they give you a strong desire for sugar, salt, fatty foods, fried foods or any other type of unhealthy “junk” food.
He will discuss the essential nutrients that kill hunger, what natural minerals control your metabolism and how, what foods create the fastest “fullness signal” from stomach to brain, how many meals one should eat to control cravings and lose weight, and how to reset your system to crave vegetables and other healthy food.
Matar has been a health professional for over 30 years. He launched a nutrition practice in Pasadena in 1996, educating patients on how to achieve and maintain optimum wellness, fitness and weight.
The event is part of the center’s Dine and Learn lecture series.
Admission is free of charge but seating is limited. Register by calling (626) 844-4686 or visiting http://www.pa145.infusionsoft.com/app/page/dine–learn-112514
Pasadena Weight Loss Center is located at 774 N. Lake Ave. For more information, call (626) 844-4686 or visit http://www.pasadena-weight-loss-center.com .
