Food Cravings – 7 Ways To Banish Them
With the Autumn season now drawing in on us, our cravings for comfort food have stepped up, read my 7 tips on how to heart those seasonal food cravings…
Having cravings for our favourite foods, in particular unhealthy, calorific foods, can play havoc with our waistlines and predispose us to diabetes and even wrinkled skin if sugary foods are involved. Food cravings are commonly associated with anxiety, loneliness, and depression but can also be attributed to imbalances of insulin and serotonin, and can also frequently occur in the run-up to and during a woman’s menstrual period.
Foods such as cakes, biscuits, chocolate, fast foods and crisps are most commonly craved and are often consumed during binges. Cravings are difficult to resist because of the feelings of euphoria we can experience after consuming these foods. Thankfully, there are several things that can be done.
Here’s a guide to banishing the craving before you reach for that donut
- Protein, protein, protein
When a craving rears its ugly head, what the body might be crying out for is protein rather than sugar. Good sources of protein are eggs which contain about 6 grams of protein, but fish, pork, chicken and turkey are also excellent. Try to have a meal containing a good amount of protein and see if this helps.
- If an increase in protein doesn’t improve your craving, then it’s worth generally improving your diet, to incorporate lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and lots of lean protein and healthy fats.
- Have small, regular meals.
This will help to keep blood sugar levels stable and reduce the body’s need for a quick sugar fix.
- Reduce your overall sugar intake
You may not realise how much sugar you’re consuming, so check labels before eating anything. It’s no surprise that cakes, biscuits and fizzy drinks are sugar laden, but you may not realise that it’s added to many other foods. It is present in unexpected foods such as soups, bread, and yoghurt, and you may have unwittingly become addicted to it.
- Don’t deprive yourself
Those who are on a very restrictive calorie intake or those who cut out entire food groups like carbs, are more prone to cravings. Research by the University of Toronto found that ‘restrained’ eaters were more likely to experience cravings than those with a more relaxed approach to food, and that obsessing and bingeing can lead to overeating ‘forbidden’ foods.
- Distraction
Distraction is often an effective cure for a craving. So if you’re about to demolish an entire packet of biscuits, go for a walk or phone a friend and see if it passes. Cravings can be a result of stress, loneliness, anxiety or a plethora of other things. The trick is to identify what it is that’s triggered the craving, then finding an activity that addresses that. So if you’re stressed, try and do a workout, or if you’re anxious about a problem at work, call a colleague and try to resolve it.
- Make sure you get enough sleep.
Studies have shown that lack of sleep depletes the levels of the hormone leptin that controls appetite, and increases levels of ghrelin which is an appetite trigger, by about 18%. Make sure you get 7 or 8 hours’ sleep.
