Hint: They have nothing to do with willpower!

If you've ever felt like a failure because your food cravings got the best of you, I've got great news for you — it's still possible to lose weight.

What most women don't realize is that by emphasizing self-control, doctors and diet gurus are overlooking an entire aspect of weight management. And by doing so, they're contributing to your failure.

It's very likely that the reason you've failed to lose weight is that you haven't recognized why you can't resist certain foods. Eating small portions and making healthy choices is not just a matter of discipline.

I recognized this "missing link" years ago and included it in my book Overcoming the Legacy of Overeating way back in 1989! Craving certain foods is often simply a sign of a physiological imbalance. Until you correct that imbalance, you'll be waging a war with food forever.

Food cravings are your body's way of telling you there's an imbalance. Once you know what a particular craving means, you can correct the imbalance and be free from temptation forever.

Of course, you can still continue to eat these foods. But you won't be hooked on them any more. You'll be able to resist chocolate, sugar, and starches. Fats won't be your downfall. And water-retaining salt won't be overly tempting.

Chocolate cravings: Your body's need for magnesium

Are you a chocoholic? I was. As a child, I stole money from my parents to buy chocolate. I ate most of the candy my father gave to my mother on special occasions. I couldn't help myself.

It wasn't until I was in my 30s that I discovered why I craved chocolate. That was when I met Dr. Guy Abraham, a doctor working with nutritional solutions to PMS. He found that a deficiency of magnesium and vitamin B6 contributed to many PMS symptoms. As an aside, he mentioned that chocolate was highest in magnesium of all foods.

A light bulb went off inside my head. Did he mean that women who craved chocolate would lose their craving if they took more magnesium? If so, this was astonishing news!

I decided to investigate for myself. Sure enough, my chocolate cravings disappeared after I increased my intake of magnesium.

Next, I increased magnesium in my patients who craved chocolate. Their cravings left, as well. I still like the taste of chocolate and eat it occasionally. But I can also pass it by — and frequently do.

Chocolate craving is often a sign that you're taking too much calcium. Most women need 500-600 mg each of supplemental calcium and magnesium, but chocoholics should increase their magnesium to bowel tolerance (comfortably loose stools). Hint: Most of us need more magnesium than we're getting.

Craving sweets and starches: two possibilities

Craving any food that turns into sugar quickly can be either due to an overgrowth of the yeast Candida albicans or a blood sugar imbalance. Refer to my article on Candida in the February issue if you're hooked on carbohydrates. Here's a brief overview.

Candida lives on sugar. Like all living things, it fights for its life. When it's starving, it will do whatever it can to trick, con, or beg you to give it food. But eating sweets and refined starches perpetuates the overgrowth and craving cycle. If you have too much candida you have to starve it, kill it with antifungals, and increase your colonies of yeast-fighting friendly bacteria with probiotics.

Craving carbs can be a sign of a blood sugar imbalance. All foods eventually turn into sugar. Refined carbohydrates (sugar, white flour) turn into sugar quickly. If you don't eat enough protein, your body may be crying out for energy from sugar or starches. A doughnut or an energy bar will lift your blood sugar quickly. But it will drop it quickly, causing another sugar or starch craving. To stop this craving, eat protein at each meal and eat every four to five hours.

Some people have a sensitive response to insulin. If your body produces more insulin than it needs, or if it produces it inappropriately, you'll crave sugar, refined starches, fruit juice, or alcohol.

You may also crave carbohydrates that turn into sugar quickly, such as potatoes, bread, and potato chips. If so, add supplemental chromium (500 mcg twice a day for two months) to your increased protein and frequent meals to help regulate your blood sugar.

Craving fatty foods: A need for more EFAs?

Eating high-fat foods fills you up and makes you feel satisfied. That's why some people eat them. Others just can't get enough fats. These people may be misinterpreting their body's cry for a particular kind of fat: essential fatty acids (EFAs).

We need a balance of fats, but many people get too many animal fats and vegetable oils and not enough EFAs. As you increase your EFAs, decrease animal fats and cooking or salad oils.

Essential fats, if you remember, are fats your body needs and can't make. The foods highest in EFAs are fatty wild fish (farmed fish are low in EFAs), flax oil, soy, and walnuts. Add them to your daily diet or begin taking two or more essential fatty acid capsules a day. A variety of EFAs (flax oil, fish oil, borage oil) will give you the balance your body needs. Essential fatty acids are included in Vitality Plus multivitamin/mineral packets (800-728-2288).

Craving salt: Are you stressed?

There's nothing wrong with eating a little salt. Your adrenal glands, which handle stress, need some sodium to function. Problems like high blood pressure and water retention occur when you eat too much of it. You may have noticed that you crave salt more often when you're under pressure than when you're relaxed.

If so, pay attention to the stresses in your life and take steps to reduce them. Drink more water throughout the day. Exercise regularly. Get an extra hour's sleep. Eat healthy foods. And watch your salt cravings lessen.

Other food cravings

Do you have a sensitivity to a healthy food like corn, chicken, or bananas? If so, it could be causing physical and emotional problems in addition to the craving. Eliminate every trace of the food you crave for 14 days.

If you suspect corn (corn chips, popcorn), be aware that corn syrup is in many salad dressings and other prepared foods.

At the end of two weeks, you should be free from the craving. Test the food you've eliminated. If you have any negative reactions, stop eating that food for three months and try it again. If there's improvement, ease back into it. Just don't eat it daily, and keep its quantities low.

Books for more information

To better understand your brain's craving mechanism and its relationship to your emotions: The Packard Weight Health Plan (Andrew Packard, MD, Ballantine Books, 2004).

For nutritional solutions to brain cravings: Natural Highs (Hyla Cass, MD and Patrick Holford, Avery, 2002).

To understand and free yourself from both physiological and emotional cravings: Overcoming the Legacy of Overeating (Nan Kathryn Fuchs, PhD, Lowell House, 1999).

For an explanation of updated information on calcium and magnesium: User's Guide to Calcium and Magnesium (Nan Kathryn Fuchs, PhD, Basic Health, 2002).

Do You Have a "Craving Brain"?

If you crave food even when you're not hungry, your brain has become addicted to certain foods. We all have an intellectual brain and a biological brain. You may "know" what to eat, but if your biological brain — controlled by food, safety, and intimacy — is in charge, you'll have an uncontrollable urge to eat. Dr. Andrew Packard explains this phenomenon in his book
The Packard Weight Health Plan.

Your biological brain is controlled by neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, GABA, and endorphins. These neurotransmitters can malfunction, causing food cravings. You can take medications to correct these imbalances, or try natural therapies instead. For instance, regular exercise can help your brain make needed endorphins. Magnesium and vitamin B6 help it make serotonin. You can lower excessive dopamine levels by reducing stress. And GABA can be enhanced with herbs like hops and valerian root.

Don't Miss These New Trends and Products

Every March, I go to a large health product trade show that has more than 2,500 booths filled with food, cosmetics, and supplements. I walk the floors for three days to get a sense of which new products look exceptional and which are just trendy. Besides sore feet, I get an early look at new products and trends.

Then I introduce you to a few special products you might otherwise miss. Often, small companies that can't afford a lot of advertising sell them. I test all products for effectiveness and taste with my team of testers before writing about them. I'm excited about the products I found for you this year. But first 85 let's take a look at this year's trend. I'm sure it won't surprise you.

Low-carb foods are making corporations fat

High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets are here to stay ... at least for another year or two. One big reason is that it's a multi-million dollar business. People across the country are embracing its concept fueled by popular books and thousands of low-carb products. Unfortunately, they're looking at the amount of protein and carbs in foods, not their quality. Many prepared low-carb foods are low in quality and taste. Low-carb foods are also often higher in carbs than you think!

Food manufacturers are getting sneaky and marking their prepared foods with "net carbs" and "effective carbs." They're saying that some carbs don't count because they don't raise blood sugar. They count, all right. On your hips, thighs, and buttocks. Next month, I'll be explaining this in more detail. But for now, look at the total carbs in any food. Don't be fooled by low-carb labels.

Read all labels carefully. Buy products with the best quality ingredients. For instance, one energy bar with 30 grams of protein contained cocoa processed with alkali, artificial flavoring, and sucralose, a sweetener I'll talk about more in the future. For now, trust me — and avoid it!

Another energy bar with 20 grams of protein had natural ingredients. The best were higher in carbs, but made with organic ingredients and no refined sweeteners. You're better off occasionally eating real food with a little more carbohydrates than a high-protein product filled with junk.

Some low-carb foods are made with good ingredients. Others contain refined sugars and grains that are low in nutrients and trigger an insulin response. Next month, I'll de-mystify the subject of good vs. bad carbohydrates.

The biggest problem with most of the low-carb foods my team and I tasted was their taste. They were chalky, dry, or had a bitter aftertaste. I found some soy chips that wild birds won't eat — and the ones that live near me eat almost anything.

If you're looking for a low-carb snack, reach for a handful of nuts, a carton of organic non-fat yogurt, or a slice of turkey or tofu jerky.

Frozen foods were no better. I tasted no low-carb foods that would send me running to my health food store or supermarket for those days when I don't want to cook. Amy's Kitchen makes the prepared foods I use over and over. Some of their foods are lower in carbs than others, and many are low in fats. All are high in quality and taste. Now for the best products I found at this year's show.

This year's winning products

Pom Wonderful Pomegranate Juice is the hottest new kid on the block. And, yes, it's high in carbs. Everyone at the trade show was talking about it. And for good reason. It's high in heart-protecting polyphenol antioxidants. A recent study found it reduces the buildup of plaque in arteries in healthy people. But perhaps most importantly, Pom Wonderful tastes delicious. It doesn't have the bitter aftertaste often found in the fruit and there's no messy peeling to get to the juicy seeds.

Pom Wonderful juice needs to be refrigerated, so look for it in the refrigerated section of supermarkets. It's widely available as pure pomegranate juice, or mixed with cherry, tangerine, blueberry, or mango juices. I love their taste. I love their health benefits. And most of all, I love pomegranates. They're my favorite fruit of all time and these juices are the best I've tasted. (For more information, contact www.pomwonderful.com or 310-966-5800.)

Migra-Zen Relief Plus by Ra-Zen goes beyond feverfew to eliminate headaches. It's an herbal extract made from five anti-inflammatory and analgesic herbs designed to stop headaches quickly and prevent them from recurring.

The herbs — juniper, willow, goldenrod, meadowsweet, and dandelion — work synergistically and are carried quickly into the bloodstream with fruit extracts. The formula worked for me in 20 minutes for a headache that typically lasts for a day or two. And it worked for others I tested, as well.

Take two capsules at the first sign of a headache. You may need an additional capsule later in the day. To prevent chronic headaches, take two capsules half an hour before breakfast every day. A bottle of 60 capsules costs $24.95. Look for it in health food stores or call Ra-Zen at 800-226-7031.

Wonder Ball laundry cleaner. I used to wash my clothes with laundry detergent, like most people. Now I just pre-treat stains as usual and throw a rubber ball in my washing machine instead. This particular ball is filled with minerals that change the consistency of water, making water molecules smaller. Surfactants in detergents make water molecules smaller by working on the surface tension of water molecules.

The Wonder Ball does the same thing without surfactants. The finer the water molecules are, the easier it is for them to get through clothing fibers. You see it's water permeability, not soap, that cleans clothes.

If you're sensitive to chemicals in laundry detergents — even the most natural ones — you'll want to try this product.

The clothes I washed with the Wonder Ball were clean and needed less ironing than usual. And I'm saving a huge amount of money. Each Wonder Ball lasts for two years or 2,000 loads of wash and costs only $39.95. You do the math. You can order it by calling 888-452-4968, or go to www.mysticwondersinc.com.

Why Scientific Studies Are Worthless

There's a scientific study to support every point of view. Some of the research is sound, and some of it, frankly, is worthless.

Just because you hear something on the radio or TV, or read about it in a newspaper, magazine, or book, doesn't mean it's true. Mainstream media is always looking for angles. They're searching for news to write or talk about that will capture your interest and sell you something — usually their sponsor's products. They're not necessarily looking for sound scientific studies. Any published research will satisfy some in the media.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of bad science out there. Here are some tips to tell whether the information you're hearing is just an exaggeration, another sales technique, or accurate.

Good science vs. bad science

(1) Read the studies. All information should be referenced so you can look up the original article and read its abstract. Abstracts are usually easy to understand. You can often find them through www.medscape.com. Get a feeling for yourself as to whether or not the study was good.

(2) Look for impartial studies. Independent scientists should carry out the research and be permitted to publish their findings. This is important, because often the company that funds the study owns the research. When drugs don't perform as expected, the drug company buries its results. This explains why research conclusions are often one-sided.

(3) Look for human studies. Rats and people may have similarities, but they're not the same. Animal studies may point in a particular direction, but human studies carry more weight. The expense of human studies limits some research by nutritional supplement companies. But drug companies should have human studies.

(4) Large studies are better than small studies. Any well-conducted research can reach an accurate conclusion. But when 300 people have a particular result, it means more than when four out of five people do. A small study may indicate a preliminary finding. A larger study draws a larger conclusion.

(5) Randomized, double-blind studies are best. This means that neither the participants nor the researchers knew if they received the substance being tested or a placebo (sugar pill). The result is a less-biased conclusion.

(6) Don't be swayed by the number of articles that reach the same conclusion. There may be a lot of poor studies with the same outcome. Look for quality, not quantity.

(7) Look for limitations. All research has them. Were the participants young men? If so, the conclusions may not apply to older women. Was the length of the study long enough to reach its conclusion? Did the participants keep a diary of their food or drug intake, or were health care professionals monitoring them with sophisticated equipment or laboratory tests?

(8) Where was it published? There are "journals" and there are peer-reviewed journals. The latter is best. This means that a group of independent scientists or doctors have read the study and found it to be well conducted. And that its conclusions make sense to experts in that field. Large medical journals, such as The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine carefully review all studies before publishing them. Popular magazines and journals don't have the same rigorous review.

Get accurate information the easy way

These are the necessary steps to take before you can separate good from mediocre — or downright bad — information. If you don't want to go to all this trouble, examine the source of the information.

The media is looking for dramatic headlines to capture your attention. This is "second party" information. They rarely read the research, just the copy given to them to read. This headline approach to the news often omits problems with the study. Either you or someone you trust needs to look beyond the media story.

If you don't have the time or interest, find other sources who will take the time to examine information carefully. The "news" that coral calcium cures cancer came from the manufacturers of coral calcium, not from studies. It is an unsubstantiated claim, not accurate information. There are many such claims masquerading as facts.

Frankly, I'm tired of all the junky information I read and hear designed to manipulate you. I'm sick of the scare tactics and misinformation. My promise to you is to continue separating facts from fiction and help you make good health choices. As more new studies are published, some of today's information will change. You need to know whether or not this new information has merit. And I'm here to help you do just that.

Nutrition Detective

Lower Your Cholesterol by 6 Percent With Flaxseed

Flaxseed is rich in omega-3 fats, some of the best essential fats around. Eating flaxseed or using flaxseed oil won't raise your cholesterol. In fact, it will lower it.

In a three-month study, nearly 60 postmenopausal women were given three tablespoons of ground flaxseed a day. Their total cholesterol levels dropped by six percent and their LDL cholesterol (the potentially-harmful kind) dropped nearly five percent. That's a significant drop in such a short time.

If you have high cholesterol, you can add flax oil or ground flaxseed to your diet every day. Don't buy flaxseed meal. It becomes rancid very quickly. Instead, grind the seed in a coffee or seed grinder before using it. If you'd rather take flax oil in a capsule, buy only organic flax oil capsules.

If you take Vitality Plus (800-728-2288), it comes with an essential fatty acid capsule. This contains flax oil along with purified fish oil and other essential fats. Where you get your beneficial oils is your choice. Adding essential fats to your daily diet is my recommendation for anyone who wants to get and stay healthy.

You Can Keep Female Sage Tea on the Market

In March, I told you that my favorite herb tea for hot flashes is Female Sage Tea from Traditional Medicinals Inc., and that the company was discontinuing it in May or June. Due to your response, the distributor, Deborah Terre of Natural Resources (800-747-0390) ran out of it in April.

However, Traditional Medicinals is a company that listens to its public. If you would like these folks to remarket this formula, let them know. You can help get it back into stores. The phone number is (800-543-4372).

Every tea bag of any tea or tea blend from Traditional Medicinals contains the same amount of active ingredient as the others. This is why I like this company's products so much. Still, if Female Sage Tea isn't available, you may want to combine white sage leaves and chaste berry (Vitex agnus-castus), the two predominant herbs in this blend.

Lucas, E.A., et al. "Flaxseed improves lipid profile without altering biomarkers of bone metabolism in postmenopausal women," Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 87(4), 2002.

Ask Dr. Nan

Q: I would like to know the difference between grapefruit seed extract (GSE) and modified citrus pectin (MCP), since they both appear to come from the same source. — P.T., via e-mail

A: Although both come from grapefruit, they have different actions. Different parts of plants have different properties. Grapefruit seed extract is a powerful, natural antibiotic. Modified citrus pectin keeps cancer cells from forming tumors, stops the formation of new blood vessels that feed cancers, and removes heavy metals. They work differently.

Personally, I would use GSE on an as-needed basis, not all the time. It could kill off friendly bacteria as well as the harmful kinds. I'd suggest MCP either for three to six months to detoxify heavy metals, or on an on-going basis for people at high risk for cancer.

Q: Is it possible to have Syndrome X or diabetes if your glucose is within the normal range? I have every one of the symptoms, but my glucose was 99 on my last blood test. I have been a total sugar freak all my life. — B.M., via e-mail

A: A blood test is a snapshot of your blood. At the time your blood was drawn for your blood test your glucose may have been normal. It may or may not be normal at other times. If you're a sugar freak, it's unlikely that you'll escape without serious health problems if you continue down your sweet-tasting path.

Eating a lot of sugar does more than lead to diabetes or Syndrome X (a disease characterized by obesity, hypertension, high triglycerides, and insulin resistance). Sugar feeds cancer cells. It fuels inflammation and Candida albicans, a pathogenic (harmful) yeast in the digestive tract. Inflammation and candida are two hidden, underlying causes for chronic health problems that I've written about in recent articles. Please go to my website, www.womenshealthletter.com, and re-read them. Then eat more protein and wean yourself off of all refined sugar and honey.

(P.S. - While you're at my website, don't forget to sign up for my free e-mail newsletter. Your friends and family members can also sign up, so please let them know about this free service.)

Q: What would you recommend for tinnitus? I have a ringing and buzzing in my ears. Is there any health product that can stop it? — H.G., Clearfield, PA

A: I wish there were, but the answer to your problem depends on what causes your tinnitus. It could be a buildup of earwax, which your doctor could easily remedy. Or it could be caused by a blocked Eustachian tube and an auditory nerve that isn't functioning properly. Your doctor can evaluate you for these structural problems. Some doctors of integrative medicine have found that tinnitus is associated with smoking, aspirin use, Meniere's disease, and TMJ syndrome. TMJ is a misalignment of the jaw. Many chiropractors and all osteopaths can check to see if a few simple adjustments could alleviate your ringing and buzzing.

As we get older, tinnitus may be a result of poor circulation. Exercise, capsicum (hot red pepper), or Padma Basic herbal formula (800-728-2288) could help if this is the case. But I want you to check out your tinnitus with your doctor because it can be a sign of a more serious condition like hypertension and atherosclerosis — especially if you get dizzy as well.

Goldberg, Burton. Alternative Medicine: Second Edition, Celestial Arts, 2002.