I’m sure everyone has experienced a time when you get a craving for a specific food and it’s very hard to give into it. Whether it may be pizza, chips, icecream, or chocolate, many times our cravings are so intense, it’s hard not to give in! Research is still inconclusive about whether cravings are physiological or pyschological and both factors may be causes. Sometimes our cravings can be so intense and overwhelming which results in overindulgence which then results in guilt. Those that follow very restrictive diets that cut out specific food groups can get trapped into a vicious cycle of indulging, overeating, and then feeling very guilty and bad about those actions. A balanced, portion controlled diet that has small amounts of foods but sometimes includes those high fat, high sugar, high calories foods (in moderation) can be easier to maintain as there is not elimination in this diet. Moderation and portion control are truly essential to a healthy diet and can help you stay in control of those behaviors and desires and that viscious cycle of cravings, over-indulging, and guilt.
Here are some tips to help you manage your food cravings:
- Ignore the craving: if you feel a craving coming on, wait for 20 minutes and then decide if you should give in. Usually cravings are short-lived so if you can distract yourself for a little while, the feeling may go away.
- Find a healthier option: Feeling like potato chips? Find a kind that is lower in fat such as the baked chips. Feeling like pizza? Make a mini pizza with thin crust and add some great veggies and lean meats. Feel like something crunchy? Try carrots and light dip or a crisp apple.
- Choose single servings: Buy just one cookie rather than the whole box. 100 calorie packs are a nice way to practice portion control, however the key is only having one pack, not 10. In addition sometimes these foods are not the healthiest, so you will want to choose wisely and carefully.
- Practice a consistent intake: Planning your meals and snacks throughout the day and eating every couple of hours can decrease the desire to over-eat and indulge. You may have to plan ahead and have snacks or foods readily available if you’re on the run alot.
- Distract yourself: take a walk, call a friend, or work on a hobby. Sometimes redirecting your thoughts and behaviors will help you get through the craving without giving in.
- Keep a food journal: Journaling your intake not only helps with choices and portion control, but it can also help you recognize your feelings and desires about foods. Record your emotions, how long the craving lasted, what food you craved, and how you handled the situation. You may also want to pay attention to the time of the day the cravings occur. By journaling, you’ll be able to recognize patterns and be better prepared to handle these situations in the future. Keeping a food journal is a very valuable tool and something we provide at our first meeting with STRIVE 2 Survive!
-Kelsey
