“Those fried chicken wings are reaching out to me”, said she and threw her diet plan outta the window. And off went the 1 week’s hard work of killing their appetite and eating the patient’s food diet she had been on.
We have all been there and done that. No surprise. Cravings are little minions on a mission. Plus there is never seize to fail. Mostly, jonesing for food is the worst kind. If you are a shopaholic, well your cravings would be different. Those feet of yours might itch for a new pair of boots, or your wrist might feel naked without a new arm candy. Today on hintsoflife we are going to supply you actually functional and workable hacks to kill food cravings and step into a much healthier lifestyle. Now, no more sudden fits of yearnings for something to chow on would be a problem.
Why Do We Crave for Food?
We legit come to know the instance a food craving strikes. But there exists a scientific reason behind this too. Our brain and hormone levels are directly related to triggering this.
Hormones such as leptin and serotonin are directly related to causing cravings. When there is an imbalance of these two in our bodies, food cravings are sparked. Similarly, this imbalance happens when women are on their periods. During pregnancy when the hormones are always spinning in a tornado, these food cravings are heightened like crazy and they become even more intense. Also, cravings are directly related to brain regions that are in synchronization with memory, reward, and pleasure.
Ways to Stop Food Craving
There are some practical ways that can stop your food cravings. These are tried and tested and are proven useful with being scientifically backed up.
1. Sip on Water
People often suggest not to fill your tummy with water before a meal as it will hamper your capacity to eat. Voila! Here’s your solution. Drink water before any meal. This does 2 things. One is that it will fill you up a little. Leaving less space for food. Second, any further food cravings will be cut down.
Water also works well if you suddenly feel like binge eating. Any food craving lasts for about 3-5 minutes, Scientific Studies say. In such cases, chug down a glass of water and thank us later.
2. Try Flavored or Infused Drinks
If the above tip of drinking water sounds boring, then there is the option of adding a teeny hint of taste to it. Maybe use a lemon wedge or any sliced fruit and just add it to your water. This will soothe your taste buds and take care of your cravings too says Nicole Silber, R.D., C.S.P., nutritionist at Middleberg Nutrition in New York City. There are many popular options to go with like mint, basil, cucumber, basil, berries,etc. Moreover, them infused drinks are a lot more better than artificially sweetened beverages.
3. Chew that Gum
Keep your mouth engaged in chewing some gum. Your craving levels will be lowered considerably. A study was conducted between two hungry people, in which one was chewing gum and the other was not. The results showed that the former felt less hungry than the latter. If you get cravings too often, always keep a pack of gum handy.
Studies from Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Louisiana State University have proven that people who chewed sugar-free gum in the next three hours following their lunch, had considerably fewer cravings and felt less hungry too.
4. Take a Walk
A recent study from the journal PLOS ONE found out that those who hop on the treadmill or go on a 15 minutes walk in their daily routine are more likely to resist cravings. You can become better at making planned and mindful decisions about what to eat and what not if there is some amount of moderate to intense workout activity involved in your day-to-day life.
5. Picture Yourself Eating the Food You Crave
This is a little loony for my taste too. But it works somehow. As per a study published in the journal Appetite, conceiving a mental image of yourself eating the food you crave, will satiate your hunger and make the cravings shoo away. This is for you to try out and do write to us if this works. We here on the other side of the screen can daydream all day long about the most exquisite food to eat.
6. Vacate your Craving Spot
This one is the most practical way to try. Outrun your craving and avoid being in its vicinity once you know that there has begun a craving of sorts. Staying close to what you carve will only make you more likely to give in and binge on it. Moreover, divert your mind in a good way like getting up and going for a walk, involving yourself in a talk with someone, etc.
7. Eliminate Stress
There has been enough study and research on how stress affects us physically and mentally. With maddening side effects on the body, stress also adds a burden to our food habits too. In many cases, stress has been shown to induce cravings and eating disorders.
The body gets the most bashing when there enters a stress element in your life. There is released more cortisol in your blood in stressful times, which can make trigger weight gain.
8. Get Good Sleep and Rest
As we know, when hormones go haywire, they can make us feel hungry and leave us drooling craving for anything and everything. Being sleep deprived is one factor that contributes to those heightened cravings. According to studies, people who are sleep deprived are more prone to the risk of becoming obese as much as 55%, when compared to those who sleep enough.
Get ample amount of rest to not be craving food every other day.
