After any holiday season is over, there are leftover treats in several people's pantries, beckoning them to satisfy their cravings for chocolate(sweets), baked goods, and salty snacks. Expectedly, this is the source of those unwanted extra pounds in their bodies. According to experts, eating and binging to satisfy your food cravings account for at least 10% of your weight gain. Definitely, food cravings are directly linked to body weight gain in general.
Here are the highlights and suggestions to help you curb your food cravings.
- Identify your food cravings patterns
Identify if your desire for certain foods is triggered by certain events or emotions such as watching a favorite TV show, or family celebration, or feeling depressed, sad or lonely, frustrated, etc.
Design a healthy diet plan that can help to reduce the urge to seek out tempting foods you are trying to avoid, thereby reducing or completely eliminating your cravings.
Certainly, some research shows that by curtailing your overall calorie intake, by reducing or eliminating sugar and white flour-based products, your food cravings could drastically decline or completely disappear.
Some research experts suggest following a Mediterranean-style approach to eating, which could suppress your appetite and dissipate the urge to eat trigger foods.
2. Eliminate all triggers and tempting foods
Identify your trigger foods as well as your tolerance limits and avoid bringing or keeping these tempting trigger foods such as cookies, chips, crackers etc into your house - pantry, refrigerator etc. Get rid of them from your pantry and the fridge, especially after the holidays are over. Don’t keep any snack foods on the plain site around your house. Put them away. If you find yourself going to the pantry cupboard or refrigerator to peruse the snack items when you come home hungry, or are looking to soothe yourself after a fight with your spouse, child, friend, or coworker, you’ll need to get rid of them completely. What you don't see you don't crave.
The secret is to change what stimulates your desire, for example, if you crave popcorn while watching certain TV shows or movies, switch the channel to watch. Alternatively, you may consider getting on the treadmill or chewing gum while you watch to break the cycle of binging while watching the TV. Similarly, avoid walking by a vending machine or certain grocery aisle that display the trigger foods you want to do without.
Remember that eating any sugar and white flour-based products only provides a brief moment of satisfaction, that leaves you still hungry and craving for more. This cycle is usually problematic and difficult to manage. Find a suitable substitute for sugar to deliver more flavor to your food or drink, such as pure natural honey. Swap out the Danish or donut for an egg with pear and a sprinkle of cheese, or oatmeal with warm berries. The less sugar you have, the less cravings you get.
3. Plan Meals with Protein
You must realize that being hungry is far different from craving. However, if you allow a craving to get in the way of your hunger, it becomes problematic and difficult to overcome. One of the best ways out is to eat a healthy meal immediately. Stock your kitchen with healthy snack foods or pre-made meals. Plan your meals around protein and vegetables to fortify your metabolism; in this way, your appetite will very likely remain steady and you’ll feel satisfied from one meal to the next, so the room for a craving to occur is greatly reduced.
Protein-rich foods, such as meat, fish and eggs are especially good for curbing hunger. Eating real food may not feel very appetizing when you have a craving for sugary junk food. But if you truly need to lose weight, you must be determined not to give in to such cravings.
Eat protein at each meal, take eggs or Greek yogurt at breakfast, not cereal or a bagel. The goal is to make sure your meals include chicken, fish, or beans at lunch and dinner along with a hearty salad and/or a big serving of vegetables to fill you up and keep your blood sugar and your appetite steady.
4. Replace the Sugar, Interrupt Your Rythm
Get ready when craving occur by keeping some dried fruits, nuts, and seeds handy. They'll give you fiber and nutrients along with some sweetness instead of the old sugary stuff. Alternatively, you can just take a walk away from the place or call a friend or engage in anything that would distract you to change the scenario and take your mind off the food you’re craving.
Consume quality food in moderate portion sizez. Include some hummus and carrots, red pepper, or celery, and some roasted almonds, peanuts and dried mango always keeping a low sugar regimen. Make sure you eat at regular intervals between meals to avoid being hungry and falling back to craving sugary, fatty foods. Eating at intervals of every 3 to 5 hours can help keep your blood sugar steady and avoid eating irrationally.
If need be, you may add a small taste of something sweet, such as a small piece of dark chocolate truffle after your meal, daily for a week, then try having it only every other day, then just once a week. Don’t cut off favorites abruptly, you’ll only come back for a revenge with greater portions. Learn to incorporate small amounts in the diet but concentrate on filling your stomach with less sugary and healthier options.
5. Aim for a Healthy Weight
Aiming at constantly managing your weight usually result in fewer food cravings. By feeding your body the foods that it needs to function well brings some satisfactio and less cravings.
Although sometimes effective, limiting your food intake may not be enough for you to avoid food cravings. When you lose weight, the energy regulation system is activated, which may increase the craving for high-calorie foods, in some folks, she says. When you are feeling depressed or disappointed, the reward system is activated, urging you to seek out a way to soothe yourself.
Get support. Many people turn to sweet foods when they're stressed, depressed, or angry. But food doesn't solve emotional issues. Consider whether emotions are involved in your sugar cravings and whether you need help to find other solutions to those emotional problems. Consider joining a support group such as Overeaters Anonymous or become a member of Weight Watchers. Being surrounded by and having the understanding of many like-minded individuals who are facing similar challenges is often a very effective way to help you turn the corner on these food cravings.
Mix it up. You may need more than one strategy to thwart sugar cravings. One week you may find success with one tactic, and another week calls for an alternative approach. What’s important is to develop a strategy that works for you.
Lastly, go easy on yourself. It may take time to get a handle on your sugar cravings.
