Food cravings are an almost given part of life for women, says Marla Ahlgrimm. The retired women’s health entrepreneur and author explains that the insatiable urge for your favorite candy bar isn’t necessarily caused by hunger, but often by hormones. Keep reading for insight on how to stop cravings before you do – or chew – something you’ll regret.

Q: What hormones can trigger cravings?

Marla Ahlgrimm: There are many hormones that can make you want to eat when you’re not really hungry. Serotonin and leptin are the usual suspects. Pregnant women may experience cravings thanks to progesterone, which, among other things, can affect a woman’s appetite.

Q: What other reasons might a person crave a certain food?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Legitimate hunger is the obvious answer. However, thirst, a nutrient deficiency, and even boredom may be to blame. Selective cravings, for example, which occur when you want a specific food, may be more because you are bored. Non-selective cravings are when you want to eat, but you don’t know what. This may be the beginning stages of actual hunger, although it may also signify thirst.

Q: How can a woman reduce cravings?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Reducing an overwhelming urge to eat when you’re not really hungry isn’t always easy. However, managing stress, getting a full night’s sleep, and drinking enough water can all help. Further, eating a balanced diet, one that keeps you full and energized, can also stave off unwanted food cravings.

Q: Is it true that eating a high protein diet is effective against non-selective cravings?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Lean protein, which is already essential for overall health, has been shown to reduce nighttime cravings by around 50 percent. Since it takes longer for the body to digest, it can keep you feeling full for longer and is generally more satisfying than vegetables, although fruits and vegetables should make up the bulk of your daily food intake.

What was I doing? Where are my keys? Was I supposed to pack lunches today? If you find yourself asking these and similar questions more often every 28 days, you might have PMS brain fog, says MarlaAhlgrimm. And you’re not alone.

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, most women feel a little more forgetful than usual when Mother Nature comes to call. This is due to a sharp drop in a brain chemical, serotonin, which is brought about by a rise in progesterone. It’s no fun feeling like you’re making your way through each day in a daze, but it’s only temporary and not a cause for concern.

The goods news is that, if you’re willing to track your cycle, there are ways to improve your mood and memory.

• Keep a journal. Marla Ahlgrimm says to keep a notebook handy so you can make a note of when your cycle starts. This is the day after your period. Keep track of when during your cycle you begin to feel sluggish and forgetful.
• Get enough sleep. Sleep is important every day, but even more so when your brain doesn’t want to get started in the AM. Give yourself and extra 30 to 45 minutes of downtime each night during the week or so you aren’t thinking clearly.
• Try an iron supplement. If you feel worse when you are menstruating, your mental fog might be due to iron deficiency anemia. Marla Ahlgrimm explains that this is common in women who have heavy periods. Any time you lose a great deal of blood at once, your body will struggle to make up the difference. Eat plenty of lean beef, beans, and leafy greens. Iron supplements should only be used after consulting with your doctor .
• Talk to your doctor. Finally, Marla Ahlgrimm insists that your doctor is the best person to help you overcome this or any other issues stemming from your menstrual cycle. Talk to them about ways you can reclaim your energy and memory.

Light therapy is often associated with treating seasonal affective disorder. However, light can affect more than the winter blues, says Marla Ahlgrimm. Keep reading for insight on how scheduled exposure to certain types of light can affect your hormones.

Q: What is light therapy?

Marla Ahlgrimm: Light therapy is the use of special lights that mimic the rays of the sun. It utilizes what is known as blue light to have a positive impact on the brain. The brain is affected by light in many ways and releases chemicals in response to daylight as well as dark. Light therapy triggers the production of serotonin, a hormone that lends to positive feelings.

Q: How does light therapy help treat sleeping disorders?

Marla Ahlgrimm: The body is designed to work on an internal clock. This circadian rhythm follows cycle of the sun, where we are more awake during the day and ready to sleep as the sun goes down. People with sleeping disorders such as delayed sleep phase syndrome have difficulty regulating their internal clock. Using light therapy can help control the body’s release of melatonin, a chemical associated with falling – and staying – sleep.

Q: When this light therapy most beneficial?

Marla Ahlgrimm: For people with sleeping disorders, light therapy is most useful first thing in the morning, within an hour of rising. This saturates the eyes, and thus the brain, with the type of light it needs to regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycle. Most sleep therapist recommend between 30 minutes and three hours of light therapy daily.

Q: What are the side effects of light therapy?

Marla Ahlgrimm: There are no known negative side effects to light therapy when done correctly. However, if you sit too close to the light emitting device, your pupils can constrict, which allows less light to enter your eye and will essentially render therapy useless.

There are hundreds of educational establishments that cater to pharmaceuticals. But, according to Marla Ahlgrimm, it was not always that way. The first pharmacy school in the United States was founded in 1821. The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (now the University of the Sciences) offers more than 30 degree-granting academic programs.

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, the early 1800s saw an increased need for medical knowledge. And as doctors began to get away from providing medicine directly, there was an even greater need for people who understood drugs and drug interactions. The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy was established after a meeting by more than five dozen Philadelphia apothecaries. Their goal was to create and improve upon scientific standards.

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Women, according to Marla Ahlgrimm, are not only the backbone of the familial unit, but of the business world as well. The author and entrepreneur touches on a few of her favorite woman-founded companies in the following brief post.

Birchbox

Birchbox is a monthly subscription service originally launched in 2010. It was founded by two Harvard Business School graduates, Hayley Barna and Katia Beauchamp. The two women, says Marla Ahlgrimm, thought there must be an easier way for women to experience new beauty products without spending a fortune. In 2012, this customer-centric company catapulted the two ladies onto Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list.

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Vacation is a novel idea for many Americans, says women’s health expert Marla Ahlgrimm. However, taking time off is one of the best things you can do for yourself, your health, and your career.

Vacationing is not simply a way to get away from the grind of your work week. It is a time to relax, unwind, and connect with the things – and people – that are important to you. Spending a short amount of time away from your everyday life can help you mentally reboot and tackle your responsibilities with a fresh set of eyes and clear head.

From a health standpoint, vacationing is also an opportunity to work on your physical fitness. Many vacations require walking, hiking, swimming, or other exercises that you may not do in a typical day. It’s a time to give your body all the things it normally doesn’t receive, says Marla Ahlgrimm.

It may be difficult to step away for a week, but doing so will have a positive impact on your career, too. Marla Ahlgrimm asserts that there are many ways leaving the office can actually benefit you. First, it gives your employees and coworkers an opportunity to handle problems that you would normally undertake. This may, in the end, relieve some of your professional burdens and work-related stress. Further, Marla Ahlgrimm says, leaving work lets you shift your thought processes temporarily. This will give you a chance to look at your work without the tunnel vision that you’ve no doubt become accustomed to.

There is no right way or wrong way to vacation. Marla Ahlgrimm explains that any outing that gives you a change of scenery can have long-lasting positive benefits.

A few vacations that Marla Ahlgrimm enjoys include camping, hiking, and simply lounging around at the lake or beach.