Do you need help figuring out how to defeat food cravings?
Everyone suffers from food cravings from time to time, and it can be a challenge to say no to some high calorie foods, sweets and desserts. Even though they are bad for you, the food cravings do exist and persist.
Food cravings go deeper than just a love for food.
We did a little research.
Let’s look at what leading experts have to say:
What are food cravings exactly?
Food cravings come from the brain, not the stomach.
To understand how to manage food cravings, it is important to first understand what a food craving actually is. Hunger comes from your stomach, but cravings come from the brain.
“The brain’s desire to binge on rich food is a genetic holdover from the days of hunter-gatherers, states Dr. Mark Hyman.
“Eating as many calories as possible, whenever possible, allowed our ancestors to store excess calories as fat and survive lean times. That approach worked well for 2.4 million years, but today it’s making us sick and fat.” Dr Hyman adds.
Nutritionist and lifestyle expert Liz Tucker told WebMD that mood plays a big part in food cravings, “As far as energy is concerned, people crave high calorie foods, high in carbohydrate, fat and sugar because it gives them a fast burst of energy. Even though it would be much better for them to have a foodstuff with a better nutritional value without empty calories.”
Tucker adds that we can crave certain foods because they make us happy.
When we are struggling or are depressed in one area of our life, food can help bring happiness.
How to control food cravings:
1. Be ready for when it strikes:
Keep real foods like fruits, veggie and nuts close by.
Tip: If you feel the craving coming grab some grapes, a banana, some celery or carrots.
We love frozen grapes they taste like candies without the guilty calories.
2. Keep yourself distracted:
Do something not food related.
• Listen to music, dance, draw, do some gardening.
• Call a friend or go for a walk.
• Start a new home design project.
• Clean your home.
3. Control blood sugar:
“Blood sugar highs and lows drive primitive food cravings,” states Dr. Hyman. When you get very hungry in between meals, it usually because your blood sugar levels are low. When blood sugar levels are low, high carb, high sugar, and high fat foods seem more enticing.
Tip: To regulate blood sugar better, try a health protein filled snack like seeds, or nuts every 3-4 hour.
4. Avoid liquid calories and artificial sweeteners:
Early humans didn’t reach for soda or fruit juices when they got thirsty,” Dr. Hyman states. Sodas are packed with chemicals and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and some fruit juices are filled with sugar.
Tip: Try water and green tea instead. Water is essential for the body and green tea is filled with antioxidants for optimal health.
Dr. Hyman also warms to stay away from diet drinks at all costs. “The artificial sweeteners in diet drinks fool the body into thinking it is ingesting sugar, which creates the same insulin spike as regular sugar.”
5. Eat healthy proteins at breakfast:
Eating healthy proteins in the morning and throughout the day is key to managing cravings.
Tip: include pasture eggs, nuts, seeds, or raw and organic nut butters.
Slice an apple and spread 1 Tbsp of organic almond butter over it.
6. Morning workout:
One recent small study found that a morning workout may reduce cravings throughout the day.
“There is no established recommendation for the time of day a person should exercise,” says study author James LeCheminant, PhD, “but I think it’s worth a person trying, if they’re struggling with how much they eat, perhaps to exercise beforehand and see if their individual response would be a diminished desire to eat.”
Tip: Workout with music.
Note: None of the information in our website is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease. The content on our website is for educational purposes only.
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1. “How to Rewire Your Brain to End Food Cravings.” Dr Mark Hyman. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.
2. Harris, Siobhan, and Rob Hicks, MD. “Taking Control of Your Food Cravings.” WebMD. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.
3. “Plant-animal Subsistence Ratios and Macronutrient Energy Estimations in Worldwide Hunter-gatherer Diets.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.
4. Nestle, Marion. What to Eat. New York: North Point, 2006. 17. Print.
