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May 25, 2021 · Likewise, if you crave a soda, try replacing it with carbonated water. If that isn’t sweet enough, mix it with 4 oz (118 milliliters) juice. If you crave sweets, you could dip fresh fruit into melted dark chocolate instead of having a candy bar. Some people prefer a crunchier, saltier snack.
- Overview
- 1. Drink Water
- 2. Eat More Protein
- 3. Distance Yourself From the Craving
- 4. Plan Your Meals
- 5. Avoid Getting Extremely Hungry
- 6. Fight Stress
- 7. Take Spinach Extract
- 8. Get Enough Sleep
- 9. Eat Proper Meals
Awareness of cravings and their triggers makes them easier to avoid. Strategies like eating more protein, planning meals, and eating mindfully can also help reduce them.
Food cravings are the dieter’s worst enemy.
These are intense or uncontrollable desires for specific foods, stronger than normal hunger.
The types of foods that people crave are highly variable, but these are often processed junk foods that are high in sugar.
Cravings are one of the biggest reasons why people have problems losing weight and keeping it off.
Here are 11 simple ways to prevent or stop unhealthy food and sugar cravings.
Thirst is often confused with hunger or food cravings.
If you feel a sudden urge for a specific food, try drinking a large glass of water and wait a few minutes. You may find that the craving fades away, because your body was actually just thirsty.
Furthermore, drinking plenty of water may have many health benefits. In middle-aged and older people, drinking water before meals can reduce appetite and help with weight loss (1, 2, 3).
Summary
Eating more protein may reduce your appetite and keep you from overeating.
It also reduces cravings, and helps you feel full and satisfied for longer (4).
One study of overweight teenage girls showed that eating a high-protein breakfast reduced cravings significantly (5).
Another study in overweight men showed that increasing protein intake to 25% of calories reduced cravings by 60%. Additionally, the desire to snack at night was reduced by 50% (6).
Summary
Increasing protein intake may reduce cravings by up to 60% and cut the desire to snack at night by 50%.
When you feel a craving, try to distance yourself from it.
For example, you can take a brisk walk or a shower to shift your mind onto something else. A change in thought and environment may help stop the craving.
Some studies have also shown that chewing gum can help reduce appetite and cravings (7, 8).
Summary
If possible, try to plan your meals for the day or upcoming week.
By already knowing what you’re going to eat, you eliminate the factor of spontaneity and uncertainty.
If you don’t have to think about what to eat at the following meal, you will be less tempted and less likely to experience cravings.
Summary
Hunger is one of the biggest reasons why we experience cravings.
To avoid getting extremely hungry, it may be a good idea to eat regularly and have healthy snacks close at hand.
By being prepared, and avoiding long periods of hunger, you may be able to prevent the craving from showing up at all.
Summary
Stress may induce food cravings and influence eating behaviors, especially for women (9, 10, 11).
Women under stress have been shown to eat significantly more calories and experience more cravings than non-stressed women (12).
Furthermore, stress raises your blood levels of cortisol, a hormone that can make you gain weight, especially in the belly area (13, 14).
Try to minimize stress in your environment by planning ahead, meditating and generally slowing down.
Summary
Being under stress may induce cravings, eating and weight gain, especially in women.
Spinach extract is a “new” supplement on the market, made from spinach leaves.
It helps delay fat digestion, which increases the levels of hormones that reduce appetite and hunger, such as GLP-1.
Studies show that taking 3.7–5 grams of spinach extract with a meal may reduce appetite and cravings for several hours (15, 16, 17, 18).
One study in overweight women showed that 5 grams of spinach extract per day reduced cravings for chocolate and high-sugar foods by a whopping 87–95% (18).
Summary
Spinach extract delays the digestion of fat and increases the levels of hormones that can reduce appetite and cravings.
Your appetite is largely affected by hormones that fluctuate throughout the day.
Sleep deprivation disrupts the fluctuations, and may lead to poor appetite regulation and strong cravings (19, 20).
Studies support this, showing that sleep-deprived people are up to 55% more likely to become obese, compared to people who get enough sleep (21).
For this reason, getting good sleep may be one of the most powerful ways to prevent cravings from showing up.
Summary
Sleep deprivation may disrupt normal fluctuations in appetite hormones, leading to cravings and poor appetite control.
Hunger and a lack of key nutrients can both cause certain cravings.
Therefore, it’s important to eat proper meals at mealtimes. This way, your body gets the nutrients it needs and you won’t get extremely hungry right after eating.
If you find yourself in need of a snack between meals, make sure it’s something healthy. Reach for whole foods, such as fruits, nuts, vegetables or seeds.
Summary
Aug 20, 2024 · Postpone, don't deny your cravings. When you are craving something unhealthy, don't tell yourself "no." Instead, tell yourself, "maybe I'll eat it later." Psychological research shows that often, deciding to eat something later on is enough to stop the craving. Chances are, in a short time, the craving will have passed.
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- Replace unhealthy snacks with something that's healthier. Try something like nuts, seeds, fruits, or vegetables.
- An addiction to sugar is a real thing and is physiological. It's tied to the brain and body, just like a drug addiction. To clear yourself up of a...
- If you are truly hungry, you should eat something. Fresh fruits and vegetables or lean meats are good choices.
May 28, 2023 · This technique can help you get through an intense craving of any kind, whether what you crave is sugar, alcohol or nicotine. Instead of trying to push the craving from your mind, let it wash over you like a wave, and imagine yourself “surfing” it. Notice where in your body you are experiencing the craving and what the sensations are like.
Aug 23, 2024 · Pick a non-food reward on days that you do well. You could get a mani-pedi, book a spa trip, or get a massage. Or, you could just take a bubble bath or go for a walk around the block. The more you reward yourself for not giving into cravings, the more motivated you’ll be.
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- Nope! When you restrict foods inherently, that pendulum swings back in the other direction, which causes you to eat more of that restricted food. I...
- There are many ways to distract our bodies when the cravings strike. Take a multivitamin, preferably a chewable or gummy vitamin, with a glass of w...
- If you are truly hungry, you may want to have a meal. Make sure your meal contains 50% vegetables and include some whole grains and some meat (or o...
Sep 13, 2021 · Chances are 10 minutes later the craving will ebb and you will forget. Do this often enough and you’ll find that craving is gone. Acceptance. This is a behavior strategy that acknowledges but doesn’t act upon the craving. When a craving hits, you don’t have to act on it or avoid it.
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Cutting out carbohydrates is not necessary, but choosing high-quality carbohydrates over highly refined carbs could help reduce your sugar cravings. Refined carbohydrates like white bread, candy, pastries, and soda all work to quickly raise your blood sugar, which creates changes in the brain that make you crave additional high-sugar foods. 12
