Oh, those sweet cravings we all deal with! What is a craving? Cravings to me are when we really can’t stop thinking about a type of food or flavor. Our mind gets fixated on it, and it feels like it won’t stop until we get that food.
At the end of the day, cravings are usually a sign from our body that we are missing some kind of nutrient. We might crave ice cream but might just need calcium from yogurt. Regardless of why we crave certain foods, it is best to not fight them. It’s just like a kid that gets his toy taken away; he is going to want it more than ever! It’s similar for us when we fight a food craving. If we just consume the food, the power of the craving goes away.
Another way to calm cravings all together is eat high protein. Most people’s diets are extremely low in protein. Protein can keep us satiated and full for an extremely long time. When we are full, we just tend to think about food way less. When we are hungry or low on energy, we have more food cravings!
Sleep is another major tool to reduce the number of cravings we have. When we are low in energy, we are more likely to overeat. Our willpower will be weaker when we are more tired, which allows us to fall victim to every craving we face. People find themselves tired and then rationalize that they need sugar to pick themselves up. Maybe part of this is true, but when we are in that state of mind, we don’t pick the apple with natural fruit sugar; we pick the candy bar!
Another way to calm your cravings is to drink more water. Staying hydrated helps to keep you full, increase your energy, and keep yourself on a healthy path in your day. That allows you to have more willpower. You might have heard that the thirst and hunger signals are located in the same part of the brain. So when we are craving sweets, we might just need a glass of water.
Cravings will come and go. If we just take a break and walk away when our brain can’t stop fixating on a certain craving, we might find ourselves occupied on a new task that isn’t food related. Try some of these tips, and if they don’t work for you, just enjoy the cookie and move on.