How to resisit cravings!!
There are many causes of strong cravings for particular foods or favors or texture.. salty, crunchy, sweet, smooth…. However, gaining a deeper understanding of how cravings work allows you to mindfully respond to what your body needs.
Navigating cravings with mindfulness:
1| acknowledge the cravings
2| explore the origin
Whether you choose to eat that particular food or fnd an alternative to nourish yourself, the point is to make empowered decisions that work for you with no regreats or feeling of guilty. Having cravings isn’t a bad thing. In fact, they are sometimes a good indication that you’re not getting the nourishment, which may not have anything to do with food! Sometime cravings can be an indication of a luck of vitamin or exhaustion...we must understand if the cravings id based on an emotion or an actually need for the body to nourish with a particular food type. When cravings arise, they can be a symptom indicating an imbalance occurring elsewhere – investigating cravings is a great opportunity to treat the cause, not the symptom. Being aware of the different factors that may contribute to cravings can help you explore the choices that are best for you. Just make sure that is not only based on emotion and luck of love…. But on a actually need of the body… I also suggest to fnd always a healthy alternative to what you crave… the cravings for salty and crunch crisps, can be substitude with vegetable crisps or just grilled salmon with crispy skin!
1. ACKNOWLEDGE THE CRAVINGS.
If cravings arise, acknowledge them. Ignoring cravings often makes them seem stronger and more powerful and you end up over eating while trying to substitued the actual food you need and want. When you make foods you want off-limits, it usually has the opposite effect. Rather than leading you to forget the “off-limit” foods, you end up preoccupied and less equipped to control yourself when you’re around them or end up eating more! In this case, acknowledging and fulflling a craving may be more productive than actively trying to avoid it. Or simply trying to fnd the healthier option to it…. Craving fried chicken, just make your own or go to a good italian restaurant to have chicken milanes rather than macdonald! The simple act of acknowledging your craving also may help reduce its power and allow you to dissociate from it.
2. EXPLORE THE ORIGIN
Is this craving occurring alongside a particular emotion or feeling? Stress, fatigue, loneliness, and even boredom can lead to particular food cravings. In these cases, food won’t solve the problem – it would be treating a symptom, which works in the short-term, but it will not help to balance your emotions.
When people are stress, anxious, tired, they not only eat more but are also more likely to make poor dietary choices. Sleep-deprived individuals are more likely to crave snacks and consume more calories over the course of the day. The more stressed people are, the more they tend to look for comfort in food – this is just one of the ways that stress leads to weight gain. During stressful times, cravings for energy-dense, less nutritious foods are common.Including an activity that helps you manage stress effciently can have a major impact on your dietary choices. Go for a walk in nature, take up a dancing class, go for dinner with a friend, go or a massage.. pamper yourself!
Is this craving for a highly palatable food? Not all foods are created equal. Certain foods – called highly palatable foods – are designed to be craved. If it feels like you’re craving sugar, you may be seeking a quick source of energy (it could actually be another symptom of lack of sleep). I suggest you sleep more or get a majadool dates or a clean fruit and nut bar, to give you energy and nutrition at the same time, while avoiding sugar crush that eating a cake will result in. Processed foods are designed to make consumers crave them. In fact, the food industry created what has been described as the “bliss point” – the perfect combination of sugar, salt, and fat that makes processed foods diffcult to resist. Often, this combination is created mathematically to appeal to the most people. These products may take years to be fully developed, and a team of researchers, favor specialists, engineers, and even statisticians may be involved in creating a food with optimal favor, texture, and feel. Frequent exposure to these types of foods is likely to increase desire for them. These craved foods tend to be higher in calories and fat and lower in protein and fber – they usually don’t offer a ton of nutritional value aside from energy. Sometime people crave Nobu Black Cod, you know why? Because there is sugar in the marination, that gets people addicted to that particular tase.
Is this craving link to a habit? Sometimes people simply desire a food or snack because they’re used to having it at a certain time or place. In other words, you may gravitate towards a particular food out of routine. For example, it’s common for people to feel a drop of energy in the late afternoon and reach for sugary snacks or drinks. Eventually, you may start craving snacks during this time of day simply out of habit, while you made only need a glass of water or a nice warm tea with nut milk, or simply to eat or balnace you macro more at lunch! Rather than going on autopilot, take a moment to tune in to your body. A brief moment of mindfulness may be enough to help you distinguish between craving out of habit versus craving due to actual hunger.
Is this craving guiding me toward a food that would support my health or well-being? Fulflling a craving may also contribute to your well-being beyond a nutritional standpoint. For example, craving a plate of pasta or a food that takes you back home to enjoy among friends and family might provide a strong feeling of connection and love. This may be a powerful form of primary food nourishment for some. Also a craving of fruits maybe be your body telling you to add vitamins and antioxidants to your daily rotuine… Dont be scared about fruits!!! There is no added sugar in it… Its just sweet by its on nature and its full of nourishment for your body and soul!
