"Oooooh! Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch, You know that I love you I can't help myself, I love you and nobody else... When you snap your finger, or wink your eye, I come a-running to you..."

The Temptations will never know just how many people dedicate their song to a bag of donuts or chips. Sugar and Salt. What can you do to overthrow these slave masters that hold your taste buds captive?

Some of us love the sweet stuff. Processed foods and sugars with all kinds of scintillating names send us to serotonin heaven and pancreatic hell. Diabetes is on the rise, especially in our young ones. What is a 'sweet toother' to do?

Not to be outdone, the savory ones are holding their own. Give them something salty and they are transported to new heights of sodium overkill.

There are also those who cannot eat sweet without salty. I lived in this category for years. Now, people ask me, "What, pray tell, is the recourse?"

Sugar Lovers

Cinnamon helps to curb sugar cravings by controlling blood glucose levels. This wonderful herb, available in leaf, sticks, powder, and, essential oil, helps to minimize the insulin spikes that occur after meals. Powder is fine; use in tea or smoothies with almond or rice milk. Use the dried leaves to make tea. Cinnamon sticks are even more potent because the store-bought powder loses some of its potency and enzymatic activity while sitting on the shelf. Gently simmer a cinnamon stick to make tea or cook with it.

The supplement, chromium has a similar effect on the body.

Bitter melon is another wonder, even though it lives up to its name. It is bitter! Most people cannot drink the juice. Stir fry seems to be the most palatable, after removing the seeds. There is also the powdered form.

dōTERRA® has a wonderful essential oil blend called Slim and Sassy which does a great job of helping with cravings. More on this oil, later.

Salty Ones

For salt lovers, check your B vitamin levels. Deficiency in B vitamins sometimes contribute to salt cravings. Calcium and potassium deficiencies may also contribute to the salt cravings. There are also herbs like Ashwagandha but note that it is a part of the night-shade family of foods, and may cause inflammation. People who are allergic to the night-shades should avoid this herb.

Cravings usually indicate adrenal stress or insufficiency. In that regard, eating an adrenal-supporting diet is vital. Hydration, whether you're salty or sweet, is of utmost importance. My book, When Stress Comes to Stay, offers suggestions to bring your cravings under control and will help you to better understand the connection between your adrenals, stress, and cravings.

dōTERRA’s Slim & Sassy helps to with hunger and overeating, helps settle the stomach, and lift the mood. It is a careful blend of grapefruit, lemon, peppermint, ginger, and cinnamon essential oils. Add eight drops of the blend to 16 oz. of water and drink between meals throughout the day.

Many of us don't have uncontrollable sugar and/or salt cravings but some of us do. Addressing it is paramount to feeling better because in dealing with the cravings, you will heal your adrenals, and that, my friends, will be sweet!