5 Ways to Stop Food Cravings

If you are trying to improve your diet and kick bad eating habits to the curb, you will most probably have experienced food cravings.

The reason we have food cravings is for our bodies to be able to signal to us that we require a particular nutrient. However, with the rise of unhealthy, sugar, fat, and chemical-laden foods, this once helpful bodily function has been hijacked.

Many of the foods we eat are highly addictive, and so instead of craving the healthy nutrient-dense foods we need, we end up craving more of these unhealthy, highly-processed foods instead.

If you are trying to lose weight or make improvements to your diet, read on to discover our top 5 ways to beat those pesky food cravings and help your body to start desiring healthier foods instead.

1. Eat more protein

Protein helps you to feel fuller for longer. Adding more high-quality protein into your diet will help eliminate food cravings and make you feel satisfied for longer after your meal.

2. Drink More Water

Often when you feel hunger pangs, what your body is saying is that you are thirsty. Dehydration can make you feel lethargic and hungry. Next time you experience a craving, try drinking a large glass of water first. The water will help you feel full and give you an extra moment to evaluate if you do want that unhealthy snack after all.

3. Eat Regular Healthy Meals and Snacks

If you go for hours without eating and your blood sugar levels drop, you will desire sugary, fatty foods to combat this. Avoid getting extremely hungry by eating nutrient-dense meals and snacks. You will eliminate food cravings because your body will feel nourished and satisfied. Your body will get used to consuming nutritious foods and will begin to send you signals for those foods instead.

4. Get Enough Sleep

When you are sleep-deprived, your body produces less of the hormone leptin, which decreases appetite, and more of the hormone ghrelin, which increases appetite. That is why you feel hungrier when you are tired. Getting plenty of good-quality sleep will help with your weight-loss efforts and the elimination of food cravings.

5. Distract Yourself

Cravings for junk food are usually in the mind. Often we crave unhealthy food when we are bored or unhappy. We use it to fill a void. This is especially true for sugar cravings. Next time you experience a craving, distract yourself by partaking in a different activity. Go for a walk, read an article, tidy up the kitchen, or put your favorite song on and dance. You'll be surprised at how quickly the craving passes when you are focused on something else.

Try adding these tips into your routine and say goodbye to unhealthy food cravings for good.

Photo by Thomas Kelley on Unsplash