8 Tips to Stop Bad Food Cravings
by The Healthy Back Institute
Is it a bowl of chocolate fudge ice cream that gets you? A pepperoni pizza that calls your name? A large order of curly fries, jelly beans or a big bar of chocolate?
Is it a bowl of chocolate fudge ice cream that gets you? A pepperoni pizza that calls your name? A large order of curly fries, jelly beans or a big bar of chocolate?
Virtually all women, and the majority of men, crave certain foods, and almost always those foods fall into the “junk” category.
Have you ever wondered why most people don’t crave a giant salad or steamed broccoli? (If only!)
High-fat and high-calorie foods actually impact your brain much like hard drugs like heroine and cocaine, overloading your brain’s “pleasure centers” and leading to addiction.[i]
Plus, processed foods are, quite literally, made to make you crave them. The food industry pours big money into researching how to make you want their foods, and this goes way beyond appealing to your taste buds.
“Scan the scientific journals, or read the food industry publications and a picture emerges of an army of chemists, physicists and even neuroscientists, all working to make sure you want a second cookie,” CBC News reported.[ii]
Processed foods aren’t created by chefs … they’re made up in kitchens that more closely resemble laboratories, the product of a team of marketers, consultants and scientists who consider things like “mouth feel,” how to blend flavors so you don’t get tired of a food too fast, and even the sound or “crunch” a food makes when you bite it (a bigger crunch is more appealing). All of this virtually guarantees that you’ll crave their products.
It’s a lot stacked against you, but you’re not powerless. The tips that follow will put you back in control and help you kill your food cravings, fast.
8 Tips To Stop Food Cravings
8. Imagine Eating It
Typically, once you eat a food your subsequent consumption of it tends to decrease, because you’ve already fulfilled your craving or need for that taste. It turns out that justimagining you’ve eaten a food has the same effect, and will lessen your desire to actually eat it.[iii]
7. Exercise
Exercising in the morning has been found to impact the way people respond to food, and actually decreases food motivation.[iv] This means that if you exercise you’ll not only burn calories but also likely have fewer food cravings (and be less likely to give in to them).
6. Chew Gum
Keep a pack of gum handy, as chewing a stick can cut down on your feelings of hunger and your cravings for foods, especially sweet foods.[v] Brushing your teeth can also help curb the cravings if you’re not a gum chewer.
5. Eat Eggs for Breakfast
Eating a protein-rich breakfast helps to satisfy your appetite and, as you might suspect, reduces not only hunger but also food cravings for the rest of the day.[vi]
4. Call a Friend …
Or do any other activity that distracts you for 30 minutes to an hour. Cravings rarely last longer than this, and by substituting eating with an absorbing activity you’ll be less likely to give in to the craving. Even waiting 10 or 15 minutes before giving in will reduce the craving, probably enough so that you can resist it.
3. Eat a Healthier Food Instead
Are you craving peanut butter ice cream? Try peanut butter on celery instead. If you want something salty, like potato chips, try a bowl of air-popped popcorn, olives or cheese and whole-grain crackers instead. Eating real food in lieu of the junk food you’re craving will satiate your appetite and may also make your initial craving disappear.
2. Substitute the Craving With Something You Want Even More
In other words, you might be craving a piece of chocolate cake at the end of your day. But if that means driving to the store to get it, you might rather soak in a bubble bath instead of getting in the car and making the trip. Or, you might really want to slim down in time for your upcoming vacation, in which case you might substitute the chocolate cake with a session of cardio.
1. Use a Spritz of ThinMist
ThinMist is scientifically formulated to reduce cravings and tame your inner Carb Monster by helping regulate your blood sugar and serotonin (‘happy hormones’). When cravings appear, ThinMist can send them packing …
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