Know what? Including naturally-grown herbs in the drinks and foods you, your teenagers and children take can decrease cravings for hard drugs, alcohol, junk foods and even stop the addictions!
Herbs if truly pure or naturally-grown will decompose in good time, get absorbed by the blood, get transported to the different parts of the body and penetrate the body cells. Thereby the body cells are well-fed, that is well-nourished. So the body is empowered to function well and resist uncontrollable or excessive cravings.
WHAT CAUSES CRAVINGS?
To answer that, let’s examine the simple definition of the word craving which if not checked or constantly indulged can lead to addictions. According to the dictionary, a craving is a very strong, urgent desire or need for something. It feels like your body or mind is demanding that specific thing right now.
Note the word desire, particularly the word ‘need.’ There is desire or need when something is lacking. You may want to argue that cravings are not due to needs but hold on and follow explanation below carefully. There are at least one or more of the following reasons for cravings:
1. Producers or manufacturers deliberately include substances that cause cravings in their products such as THC which is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol.
Cleveland Clinic states, “THC is the main active compound in the Indian hemp plant (Cannabis) that causes mind-altering or psychoactive effects,” According to Cable News, “Manufacturers add THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), derived from cannabis or industrial hemp, to a wide variety of baked goods like cookies, brownies, chewy candies such as gummies, carbonated sodas, carbonated sparkling waters, functional seltzers, teas, coffees, energy drinks, chocolates, caramels, butter or cooking oils used for home or commercial preparation of meals.
Most of the substances used would have been synthesised i.e. artificially produced in large quantities to mimic the effect of such natural substances as THC that causes cravings. Even without indulging in actual substance abuses like cannabis, many consumers have inadvertently taken and still taking substances that give them uncontrollable desires.
So are you still wondering why many people especially youths and even adults who feed mostly on processed foods have so much cravings which may have led or can lead to actual alcoholic or hard substances abuses/addictions?
2. Certain foods naturally contain phyto-chemicals that cause cravings. But if produced naturally i.e. grown and processed without synthetics chemicals, the cravings should not cause uncontrollable desires but normal or healthy appetite that can be easily satisfied with good healthy food. An example is lemon grass. A cup of warm, fresh, naturally-grown lemon grass tea taken in the morning will just whet the appetite in a healthy controllable way. If taken without refined sugar but natural sweeteners such as dates, honey, sweet organic grown fruits - orange juice or ineapple, the body may not even actually crave for food until some hours later. When taken anytime of the day, such natural herbal teas(even organic grown mango leaves, almond leaves, pawpaw leaves) can also eliminate or at least reduce cravings for alcohol or hard substance(s) in people who are already hooked. Herbal teas can also be taken chilled or with room temperature water.
3. Over-processing of food such as removing the natural nutrients in food and/or fortifying them with synthesused nutrients such as vitamins. According to Science Direct, “Essential nutrients like vitamins and organic compounds are readily synthesized in laboratories.”
4. Growing fresh foodstuffs with synthetic chemicals or heavy metals.
What all the above synthetics do is that they load the human blood with seeming nutrients that do not easily enter into the body cells and nourish the cells appropriately. Cells are the smallest unit of life in the body. From the Mitochondria in the cells, energy from nutrients in food are released to the cells and therefore the entire body to keep functioning. So even if a person eats substantial amount of food, if pure nutrients do not enter into the cells to nourish them, we can say that life is not well nourished. Apart from the health damage, such a person’s body won’t be well-fortified to resist or eliminate cravings. Those seeming nutrients in the blood that cannot go into the cells would either be excreted unused as wastes or become toxic if they remain in the body. Meanwhile the brain would interpret this as hunger and it will result in cravings.
According to Sober Nation,
"Cravings for hard drugs, alcohol and junk foods happen because these substances trigger a surge of dopamine in your brain's reward pathway. Eating sugar, drinking alcohol, or using drugs floods the brain with dopamine. Your brain links the item with pleasure and wants to repeat it. Over time, the brain adapts, needing more of the item to feel the same joy.”
Triggers or cravings include physical hunger or fatigue as low energy due to the cells not being well-nourished despite eating makes the body with signal(s) from the brain cry out for whatever can provide satisfaction.
Other triggers include stress and emotions, habits and cues, eating junk food which causes quick spikes and drops in the blood leading to more hunger,. For someone already addicted, missing alcohol or drugs causes real body pain or shaking, driving the craving back, according to Sober Nation.
Diabetes Food Hub states, “High blood sugar actually increases cravings and hunger. Even though there is plenty of sugar in your blood, your body cannot move it into your cells for energy without proper insulin function. Your brain senses this lack of cellular energy and sends strong hunger and craving signals...”
The implication of all these is that if your body cells are not well-nourished because nutrients are not getting inside as much as they should, even if you have been eating well enough, your brain interprets it as hunger resulting in cravings. If indulged, the hard substances, alcohol or junk foods will flood your brain with dopamine. The brain would then desperately crave fir more and more of such. But if a truly nourished body perceives or tastes alcohol or hard drugs or junk foods, it will either avoid it or take limited quantity of it. Why? Because he body is not craving for such as the body cells are truly being nourished by nutrients in pure foods.
But we do know that though herbs are actually foods, virtually all herbs with exception of a small percentage are not sweet-tasting. So getting children, older youngsters and even full-grown adults to take them regularly could be a herculean task. How then can individuals, families or groups ensure they get enough healthy herbs in their bodies constantly to avert the hazards of cravings, substance abuses and even addictions? Creative ways to incorporate herbs as meals or in meals or with meals would be explored next part of this series.
To be continued
#shieldyourblood
#Stopoingcravings
#Stoppingsubstanceabuses
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