Maintaining your Low Carb diet | The Science of Food Cravings

How to stick to low carb dieting despite your cravings

Ever wondered about the mysterious pull of food cravings - is it all just in your head? Well yes, actually! Our brains are hard-wired to seek pleasure through food, whether it’s a sweet delight or a savoury indulgence. According to WebMD, specific brain regions like the hippocampus, insula, and caudate light up during food-craving moments, with research emphasising the role of memory in associating certain foods with rewards.

Why do I crave High Carb Foods?

BioMed Central suggests that understanding pleasure in the brain involves the challenge of balancing resources for survival and procreation. To maintain this balance, various rewards vie for attention over time. We crave food when we’re hungry, but our brains also create pathways to efficiently find high-energy foods. Hence, the inclination toward high carb foods like pizza and chocolate over salads.

These cravings are deeply ingrained and can’t be easily switched off. From childhood to adulthood, our gastronomic experiences shape these preferences. For instance, breastmilk, an early source of energy, ingrains a preference for fat and carbs from our first moments alive!

Handling Cravings with Heylo's low carb bread

Enter Heylo—a solution to your cravings without ever compromising taste (or smell or texture for that matter!). Whatever you are seeking, whether it’s sandwiches, burgers, low-carb hot dogs, or fried chicken, Heylo's products can replace high-carb ingredients in your recipes.

Note: It’s crucial not to completely demonise high-carb foods or feel guilty about enjoying them occasionally. Maintaining a positive relationship with your diet is essential and accepting we aren't machines is a healthy attitude to keep.

Looking for low carb recipes to help keep those cravings at bay?

Other than our own recipe pages, a great place to learn more low carb recipes using Heylo is in our amazing Facebook Group. There, you can enjoy the fun with a community of like minded people sharing recipe and lifestyle advice, plus also enjoying the additional bonuses and offers we save exclusively for the group.