Avoid cravings and reaching for those bad foods!
We have all experienced the feeling of food cravings, and much
of the time it’s for unhealthy foods that we should be avoiding, and no matter
how hard you try you aren’t satisfied until you’ve given in to your craving.
Why do we have cravings for these bad foods?
Junk foods that we all love to eat are intentionally
manufactured with the perfect amount of fats, salts and sugars that gets our
brain hooked on the taste. Food companies spend millions of dollars developing
these foods so that your brain becomes hooked on them and always coming back
for more.
Not only are these foods generally created very calorie
dense with little to no nutritional value, they are also designed to trick your
brain into thinking you aren’t full, to keep you wanting more and more.
So how can we avoid this from happening, and derailing us
from our healthy habits?
Luckily there are ways to avoid getting cravings.
Don’t allow yourself to become too hungry. One main reason
that we get cravings is by waiting too long between meals and allowing
ourselves to become extremely hungry. When this happens our blood sugar levels
drop to low levels and we begin to crave calorie dense foods to satisfy that
hungry feeling.
I recommend aiming to eat small meals every 2-3 hours throughout
the day. By doing this it allows your body to maintain blood sugar levels and
keep your insulin levels stable.
By eating small meals every couple of hours, you are
unlikely to become hungry between meals, which will eliminate the desire to
snack on foods.
When you are choosing your meals, it is important to be
consuming high quality protein with each meal. Protein helps to keep you
feeling fuller for longer and can help against over eating. Studies have also
shown that eating a high protein breakfast significantly reduces cravings
throughout the day.
If there are foods that you know are your weaknesses then
try to distance yourself from them. If you find yourself always craving and
snacking on chips or chocolate, then avoid keeping them in your house. If you
are unable to simply reach for them when a craving starts you can switch to a
healthier alternative.
Try and stay in control of stress levels. Sometimes this can
be easier said than done, but something to be mindful of.
Stress leads to the release of cortisol in the body, which
is linked to weight gain. Stress has been shown to influence eating habits and
induce cravings. This is typically more common in women; however
men can still be affected by this.
People under stress have been shown to eat significantly
more calories than those not under stress. So next time you find yourself in
stressful situations, try and be mindful of what foods you are consuming.
Drink enough water and get enough sleep. You may wonder how
these two factors could affect food cravings, but they do.
Thirst can often be mistaken for hunger, so if you feel
sudden urge of hunger, have a drink of water and wait a couple of minutes to
see whether the feeling subsides.
In addition to this drinking water just before a meal can
reduce your appetite and assist with weight loss.
With sleep, your appetite is highly affected by the hormones
in your body that can fluctuate during the day.
Sleep deprivation can disrupt these fluctuations of hormones
which can then lead to an altered appetite and increase the likelihood of
cravings.
Get a good nights’ sleep and then begin your day with a high
protein breakfast, and you are well on your way to kicking cravings out of your
day!
So, these are a few tips to help you win the battle against
food cravings and stay on track with your fitness goals!
