It's 2pm and that chocolate bar is calling to you. "Eat meeee", it lures. You know the initial sugar rush will be replaced by depleted energy, but it's getting harder to kick the craving. Sound familiar? We've all been there. The trick is to understand your cravings, so you can deal with them and make healthier choices. Here we explore how.
1. Change Your Eating Habits
Perhaps the simplest step to take is to stop eating the foods you crave. It sounds obvious, yet so little of us do it!
We only crave foods that we regularly eat – that Friday afternoon donut, peanut butter toast midnight snack or giant cinema popcorn. But if you gradually phase those foods out and introduce new foods, your cravings will change.
And it works! I recently replaced cheap chocolate with cacao nibs and homemade sugar-free chocolates (made with cacao powder, chia seeds and coconut oil) and I now don't care about the store-bought stuff.
2. Don't Buy Craving Foods
Another easy thing to do is buy only the foods that nourish your body. Don't let your craving demons take control in the supermarket – fill your basket with the best produce and plan ahead.
If you struggle at the supermarket, consider a home delivery or visiting farmers' markets instead.
3. Destroy Craving Foods
If you already have temptations in the house, get rid of them! Whether you throw them out, or better still - put them under running water and take back control!
4. Gulp Water
Often, we're thirsty when our cravings come on. So before you make any food choice, have a big glass of water – or three – and wait a few moments. You may find all you needed was a little H2O. And if you're still hungry, reach for new foods such as nuts or a small protein source such as a hard-boiled egg or goji berries.
5. Learn Relaxation Techniques
I don't know about you, but whenever I'm stressed, it' s easy to tear open a packet of Tim Tams and devour the whole lot!
A more sensible approach is to learn how to relax. Whether that's by meditating, taking a few moments out to practice deep breathing, doing a short yoga practice or running a bubble bath, relaxation can take away that desperate need for a lousy snack.
A nutritionist or dietitian can arm you with even more techniques to beat your cravings.
Originally published on May 16, 2014
