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Jul 18, 2024 · A dietitian reveals what can trigger intense food cravings (we're looking at you, stress!), plus she shares her top tips on how to stop them. You don't have to give up your favorite fare. Here's how to quash hunger pangs the easy way.
- Overview
- Why Is Less Nutritious Food So Addictive?
- Out of Sight, Out of Mind
- Stock Up on Nutritious Food
- Try a Glass of Water
- Increase Your Protein Intake
- Go for a Walk
- Take Time to Savor Your Food
- Identify Your Triggers and Break the Cycle
It’s the end of a long day at work and you’re coming home. You’re not hungry but craving something that will make you feel better. You stop by your favourite fast food joint and grab your go-to snack combo.
You’re driving with one hand in a bag of fries and the other on your steering wheel. By the time you come home, the bag is empty and you have no idea how it happened.
There’s a reason a bag of chips is so much tastier than a plate of carrot sticks and dip. Manufacturers who produce processed food have one goal in mind. They want you to buy and consume as much of their product as possible. And one of the most effective ways to do this is to make it so delicious that it’s almost addictive.
Ever notice how quickly and easily you can finish a bowl of M&Ms when they’re right in front of you? One of the ways to help manage those cravings is to remove yourself from seeing the culprit in the first place.
A study looked at how the proximity of food relates to how quickly one consumes it. It showed that people consumed fewer chocolates, crackers, and grapes when they were located 20 feet away compared to at arm’s length.
Focusing on improving your eating habits is a more positive and effective strategy than trying to stop eating processed food altogether. When you eat nutritious foods, it can affect your mood and overall mental, emotional and physical well-being. In turn, you’re more likely to make smarter food choices.
One of the first steps to attaining a more wholesome diet is having access to nutritious, whole foods. When shopping for groceries, stick to the perimeter of the store where the fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, meats, and fish are typically located.
Before grabbing that last cookie from the lunch room, ask yourself whether you’re actually hungry or thirsty. It’s quite common for people to confuse signs of dehydration for hunger because the feelings of thirst are too subtle compared to those of hunger.
Therefore, before biting into that cookie, try drinking a tall glass of water and see if that settles your cravings.
Having sufficient protein in your diet can help you feel fuller, prevent overeating and suppress those cravings. When your appetite is satisfied for a longer period, you’re less likely to reach for something that's not as nutrient-dense.
Some examples of protein-rich meals and snacks to include during the day include:
•Greek yogurt
•Peanut butter on whole-grain toast
•Tuna and crackers
•Nuts and seeds
For some people, satisfying a food craving is part of their routine. They enter the afternoon slump and are conditioned to grab that muffin to feel better. However, you can break that cycle by substituting the food craving with a healthy activity. Of course, though, if you are truly hungry, then you may need to grab a snack as well.
A study showed that those who went for a 15-minute brisk walk had a reduced urgency to consume high-sugary snacks than those who didn’t go for a walk.
Mindful eating involves slowing down, enjoying your food, and appreciating every flavor and texture as part of the eating experience. Being present with our food can help improve our eating habits, make better dietary choices and provide a sense of calm during mealtime.
Practice mindful eating with this raisin experiment:
1.Take a raisin and notice its texture, shape, size, weight, color, and smell. Squeeze and notice the feeling between your fingers and their stickiness
2.Put the raisin on your tongue and let it sit while it slowly moistens. Notice how it feels in your mouth.
3.Move the raisin around in your mouth with your tongue and slowly chew it as you notice the sweetness and stringiness of its flesh.
4.Chew it enough times so that it completely dissolves into a liquid.
For many people, stress triggers certain food cravings. It's common to turn to food for comfort. Food can fill an emotional void, be a coping mechanism, and offer social support.
In addition to preventing serious health issues and improving day-to-day lives, managing stress levels can nip those cravings in the bud and allow us to make better food choices.
The next time you feel stressed, notice whether you’re reaching for a cookie or a bag of chips. Identify the trigger that caused this habit and write it down in a journal. When you keep track of your emotions and how you respond, you will notice whether it is something you’re repeatedly doing.
Some ways to manage your stress levels include:
•Doing yoga
•Practicing meditation
- Drink enough water. Studies show that around 37% of people confuse thirst for hunger, often because the same part of the brain interprets both signals.
- Eat more protein. You may associate a high-protein diet with people looking to build muscle or gain weight. However, protein is an essential nutrient for making up virtually every tissue within the body, from skin and nails to muscles and bones, and also plays a significant role in regulating appetite.
- Eat wholesome foods. If you’ve ever had cravings after consuming fruit juice or sugary carbonated beverages or eating cookies, processed meats, and fast food, this may be because these foods contain empty calories.
- Drink some coffee. Coffee is loved for its energy-boosting properties, but did you know that it also works as an appetite suppressant? This is because it contains caffeine, a natural stimulant with thermogenic effects that may temporarily increase your metabolism and decrease your appetite.
- Sleep more. It’s no secret that sleep is the key to success—mental and physical. Lack of sleep can lead to all sorts of problems, the most major of which may include chronic conditions like anxiety, depression, and heart disease.
- Eat well. Fill up on healthy foods like vitamin-rich veggies and fruit, and eat regular meals every day. Make sure to choose low-sugar and low-fat options.
- Be mindful of what (and when) you eat. Mindless eating is a danger zone. You know the type: the bowl of pretzels you inhale as you binge-watch TV, or the M&Ms you pop while sitting at your desk.
- Drink water. Often, hunger is more a sign of dehydration than it is a need for food. Drinking water can help quell those tummy grumbles and keep you feeling full for longer.
- Feel good. Eating food high in fat, sugar or salt activates the brain’s reward system. For example, chocolate has a strong effect on mood, generally increasing pleasant feelings and reducing tension.
- Self-medication. There seems to be a consistent connection between negative emotions and unhealthy foods, a phenomenon called emotional eating. In a bad mood, people are drawn to unhealthy foods (sugary and fatty) as a coping mechanism.
- The need to belong. We tend to associate certain foods with members of our family, social gatherings, and people taking care of us, such as Thanksgiving holidays with family.
- Nostalgic eating. There is a strong link between scents and emotional memory. The smell of foods can evoke vivid and detailed emotional memories of our past (Reid, et al., 2014).
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Oct 11, 2020 · Tips for dealing with food cravings: Reduce stress to help avoid the tendency to reach for addictive substances as a coping mechanism. Understand what your brain may need: More protein? Healthy...
