Can’t Control Food Cravings? Don’t Worry, We Have the Solution

If you experience food cravings once in a while or a tempting desire to eat a specific variety of foods, rest assured that you’re not alone. Indeed, it’s assessed that more than 90% of the total population experiences eating impulses.

A food craving is an extraordinary longing for a particular food. This desire can appear to be uncontrollable, and you may feel like you can’t fulfill your cravings until you get that specific food.

Food cravings are probably the most difficult things to combat if you are planning to go on a diet. Compared to normal hunger, which can be subsided quite easily, food cravings can be intense and uncontrollable for very specific types of foods.

Although the cravings you get can be highly variable, such types of cravings are usually satisfied through junk food or high-calorie processed food. This form of hunger is one of the reasons why people have a difficult time losing weight. Food cravings are also an issue if you have successfully lost excess weight and want to continue your healthy eating habits.

Food cravings can lead you to eat foods that have adverse health effects, and they can disrupt efforts to follow a healthy and balanced diet.

If food craving is something that regularly troubles you, there are a few different ways to battle them. This article looks at the causes of food cravings and explains what simple steps you can take to handle them.

Stay Hydrated

One of the simplest tricks to curb unhealthy eating is to stay hydrated. Though not mutually exclusive, often thirst is mistaken as hunger. Drinking a large quantity of water is the easiest way to control a sudden strong urge for food. Even though the human body is a complex form of organism, basic desires such as thirst and hunger are easily confused with one another.

In addition to being a quick fix, staying hydrated has countless health benefits. Healthy skin and metabolism are but a few other advantages of drinking water other than weight loss by reducing appetite.

In case you feel an abrupt craving for a particular food, start with drinking a big glass of water and stand by a couple of moments. You may track down that the craving disappears, in light of the fact that your body was in reality dehydrated.

More protein, fewer cravings

Another easy way you can reduce food cravings is by eating foods that have a high amount of protein in them. This trick is known to keep you from overeating. Studies have found that eating a breakfast that is loaded with protein or increasing general protein intake can keep you satisfied for a longer period of time.

Moreover, protein is also known to help cut late-night snacking by as much as 50%.

Distract yourself

This one will cost nothing in terms of money but can do wonders for you if you are struggling with food cravings. Distractions can help keep you away from food for long periods. These could be anything from a long brisk walk or even a shower to help keep your mind off of food and onto something else.

The trick is to distance yourself from edibles as soon as you feel a craving. Some studies have also shown that chewing gum can help reduce appetite and food cravings.

Planning ahead

Planning all meals for the day, or if possible the entire week can greatly decrease your chances of eating unhealthy. Planning your meals will eliminate spontaneity and uncertainty so that you know exactly what you’re going to consume.

This is an excellent trick to remove the temptation and it will help you design a healthy and balanced diet.

Avoid starvation

Starvation is a major reason why sometimes you abandon your diets and surrender to food cravings. It is imperative to avoid long periods of hunger at all costs. A good way to do that is to have healthy snacks close by along with having healthy eating habits.

Having mastery over this technique can prevent the craving from showing up at all.

Avoid stress

Speaking of things to avoid, stress is another major reason why people tend to overeat or develop unhealthy eating habits. This is especially true for women, who eat significantly more calories and experience more cravings when they are under stress.

For instance, a 2015 study report showed that persistent stress was identified with more food cravings and this prompted a higher body mass index (BMI) in members

Stress is also known to increase blood levels of cortisol which is a hormone that can make one gain weight, mainly in the belly area.

So remember, stress is the enemy if you are trying to maintain a healthy eating pattern.

Get enough sleep

A 2013 report tracked down that not getting enough sleep could alter the body’s hormonal balance. This irregularity may add to overeating and weight gain.

Having a proper sleeping pattern is vital when it comes to maintaining a healthy diet. It hinders the fluctuation of hormones that may lead to developing poor appetite and help keep you in good shape throughout the day.

According to various studies, sleep-deprived individuals are more likely to get intense cravings and become obese when compared to people who get enough sleep throughout the night.

Eat proper and on time

Hunger can cause a lack of nutrients in the body which in turn can lead to cravings. Eating balanced meals and consuming healthy meals at correct timings can help your body get the nutrients it requires and reduce extreme hunger.

A good way to avoid getting unnecessary cravings is to include healthy snacks in between the meals such as whole foods, fruits, nuts, vegetables, or seeds.

Stop grocery shopping on an empty stomach

The worst place you can be on an empty stomach is inside a grocery store. Surrounded by all kinds of food items while having food cravings is what causes impulse eating. And because such stores usually place the unhealthiest foods at eye level, which often leads to customers eating the things which are best avoided.

Pro-tip; always go to the grocery store or the supermarket after a meal, that way it will be easier to avoid all the cravings and temptations.

Eating mindfully

This refers to practicing mindfulness, a type of meditation, in relation to foods and eating. It means being able to distinguish between food craving and actual physical hunger. Being mindful of what you are consuming helps eliminate impulsive eating.

It includes being present while eating, slowing down, and chewing thoroughly. Another aspect of eating mindfully is avoiding distractions such as watching the television or using smartphones during a meal and keeping track of your calorie intake.

It also helps you develop a sense of awareness when it comes to your eating habits, emotions, hunger, and cravings. Mindful eating can also help reduce the severity of an eating binge.

5 Natural fat burners

Let’s take a look at 5 fat-burning ingredients that can be found in a variety of natural forms.

• Caffeine

Caffeine is usually found in coffee, green tea and energy drinks. Caffeine can help you burn more fat by speeding up your metabolism. Simply consume a few cups of strong coffee every week, which is a high-caffeine beverage with numerous health benefits.

• Green Tea Extract

Green tea extract is a dietary supplement made from the leaves of the green tea plant. Green tea antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins, and flavonoids are concentrated in this product, in either powder or capsule form. Green tea extract also contains caffeine and the polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which work together to help you burn fat through a process known as thermogenesis (a process in which your body burns calories to produce heat).

• Protein Powder

Protein is an essential component in the fat-burning process. It improves your metabolism while also suppressing your appetite by lowering ghrelin, a hunger-stimulating hormone.

• Soluble Fiber

One of two forms of fibre is soluble fibre. The other is impossible to solve. By absorbing water, soluble fibre forms a gel in your stomach, that boosts GLP-1, a hormone that makes you feel full, while suppressing ghrelin, an appetite hormone.

According to a 2010 study, boosting natural soluble fiber in your diet will help your body absorb fewer calories and fats, which can help you lose weight.

• Yohimbine

Yohimbine is derived from the bark of the Pausinystalia yohimbe tree. It’s a well-known aphrodisiac. It does, however, appear to have some fat-burning capabilities. Yohimbine inhibits the binding of adrenaline to alpha-2 adrenergic receptors. This allows adrenaline to stay in your bloodstream for longer, allowing you to burn fat for energy.

Are Fat Burning Supplements effective?

It may be difficult to burn body fat solely through exercise and without making any dietary changes. To burn body fat faster, you may need to include additional supplements to your eating regimen. Fat burners are made up of components that are recognized to speed up your metabolism while suppressing food cravings. This will aid in the burning of body fat.

Takeaway

The vast majority experience food cravings every now and then. These desires can make them nibble on unhealthful food sources, which can prompt weight gain.

Different techniques, like reducing stress, remaining hydrated, and switching to fat burning pills can assist you with limiting your food cravings. Replacing healthier food sources for unhealthful ones can also help.