Conquer Your Food Cravings

I am totally guilty of having unhealthy food cravings. I’m sure we all are. Not all willpower is strong. Sweets are my weakness. If you are unsatisfied with your weight, the food you consume and lack of exercise is probably to blame. Food cravings often cause many people to overeat, and they don’t even realize it. Take a look at your desk. Do you have snacks in a drawer somewhere? While snacks aren’t a bad thing, salt snacks and sugar snacks will quickly put the weight on, and before you know it, you are packing on extra weight. It has a way of sneaking up on you. 

Conquering your food cravings is not going to be easy. It takes a lot of patience, dedication, and desire to overcome them. A lot of it is a mental condition, and you need to re-train your brain into a healthy lifestyle.

Food cravings are usually for sweets like sodas, chocolates, and candies, or salt like potato chips. Depending upon the reason why you started snacking on these foods, the brain may be trained into thinking it needs a Dr. Pepper when you start to feel pressure and stress. The brain naturally releases opiates to calm the body once your taste buds start to recognize food on the tongue.

This can cause food cravings to occur, and they tend to intensify when you are on a strict weight loss plan. The brain is responsible for releasing serotonin, which causes mood swings. Some people find that during a weight loss plan, they feel irritable and unsettled, which is common as the body is learning to overcome food cravings.

To conquer your food cravings, you need to go through your cupboards and toss out all the salty and sweet treats. Make sure your fridge is stocked with plenty of water and not soda. Try a no-calorie flavored water if you have a hard time drinking water alone.

Try healthy snack alternatives when you have a good craving. When craving sugar try popping berries instead. The sweetness will help curb the craving. Nuts can be a great snack as well. Try to get nuts that aren’t overly salted. Carrots can offer a great crunch when you are craving crunchy snacks. Homemade beet chips can always be a great snack too.

Exercise is another great way to get rid of food cravings. When you feel a food craving start to come on, head out for a walk or go to the gym. You need to get your mind off the food craving, or else you will dwell on it, and it will continue to get worse and worse. Participate in daily exercise to encourage the body to release endorphins, which make you feel better and can help you overcome your cravings. This helps me a ton. Plus After a run I tend to crave better food than when I didn’t exercise. 

Grab your toothbrush and scrub away when you start to feel a food craving. Brushing your teeth is a great way to overcome food cravings because the taste buds recognize a flavor on the tongue, and they will send the message to the brain that you are getting food, even though you aren’t. Plus, we all know that food never tastes as good after we brush our teeth.

The brain will then release the chemicals to calm the body, and this will help the craving to pass. Use some mouthwash to swish through your mouth if you don’t have time to brush your teeth at work. Mouth wash strips are another great thing to use as they not only get rid of the food craving they also freshen your breath.

Eating right will help you get through food cravings. Start with easy to change habits like breakfast. Put away the sugary cereal and switch to a healthy breakfast of oatmeal or a piece of whole-wheat toast. Skipping meals will make your food cravings worse, and eating breakfast is essential to helping your body get off on the right start. Eating breakfast does reduce your cravings throughout the day, and it can help you maintain a healthy weight.

Remember that no one is perfect though. If you fall off the wagon every now and then give yourself some grace. Don’t let one mistake lead to a whole binge. Moderation is key. If you eat a piece of birthday cake one day don’t tell yourself that it is then ok to eat pizza and french fries too because you already slipped. One slip up is ok, but letting that derail you what causes you to go right back to your old habits. Stick with it and you will see results. 

Here are some other posts you might like:

10 Tips For Making Healthier Choices When Eating Out At A Restaurant

15 Tips to Eat Healthy Without Blowing Your Budget

Why You Should Be Taking A Probiotic Daily

10 Healthy Snacks That Help Boost Your Brain Power

Want to come back to this? Pin it for later.