Ah, cravings. That is something we all have or had. One thing about cravings is that they strike fast, hard and before you know it, you can’t resist a bar of chocolate or plate potato chips. But reality hits in when weight issues become a real problem as a result of your bad eating habits. In fact, most of the people struggling with weight issues blame their bad eating habits or cravings.
But contrary to common belief, you can control and eradicate your food cravings. There are various ways that you can achieve this. To help fight your cravings, we’ve rounded up useful tipsving that will kill all types of cravings including chips and chocolate amongst other junk foods. Check out these tips:
Try an Oatmeal Breakfast
How you start your day will greatly determine what you are likely to eat for the rest of the day. Oat is one of the most recommended meals to start off your day. From several studies done on proper eating habits, it has been proven that oatmeal is the best go to breakfast. According to a research done by Swedish university, Lund University, it showed that healthy fats in oat trigger the secretion of satiety hormones, which prevents craving for up to 7 hours. Another study shows that people who take oatmeal in the morning are likely to eat 31% fewer calories. Therefore, taking oatmeal for breakfast will not only help you control cravings but unhealthy weight gain as well.
Address Any Deficiencies
Some of the intense cravings are not just love for food but could be as a result of nutritional deficiency. You might be suffering from certain nutrient deficiencies that your body is trying to address. For instance, some of the chocolate cravings are associated with magnesium deficiency. Similarly, sugar cravings are believed to stem from a chromium deficiency. It is also common knowledge that low levels of zinc could be responsible for increased appetite which could lead to caving in cravings. Ensure that your meals are balanced. Also, adding a variety of nutritious foods can help to address such deficiencies.
Get Active
How active are you? Most of the people struggling with cravings lead a very inactive lifestyle. They have a lot of time to watch TV, a movie or do nothing at all. This kind of lifestyle is dangerous, especially with the issue of dealing with unhealthy weight gain. Whether you are getting cravings from boredom or hunger, hitting the gym or engaging in physical exercises is a great way to get distracted. According to a study done by a researcher at Loughborough University, it was proven that participating in aerobic exercises can help you suppress your appetite. So head out for a run or hit the gym and you will see your cravings fade away with time.
Avoid Your Craving Hot Spot
Avoid the streets or eateries where you get supplies from. It is very difficult to resist food you have a craving for, especially if it is just right there in front of you. By avoiding craving hot spots, you will manage to control your craving. Walk on the opposite side of the eateries or pretzel shop at the mall. If possible, you should avoid such places indefinitely. In addition, avoid friends that are likely to drug you.
Substitute with Healthier Alternatives
If it is difficult to avoid junk food, which is the situation with most people, you can switch to healthier alternatives. The hack has been found to work on many people since you can still feed to your craving. For instance, if you have craving for ice cream, you can try frozen yogurt which more benefits to the body. Similar, you can substitute fries with sweet potato wedges. With such alternatives, your body will start adapting to changes, and soon the cravings will be a thing of past.
Dealing with craving is not as difficult as many people would tend to think. All you need is to follow simple steps to get you distracted or reduce the urge to eat foods that you have developed a craving for. However, you must first accept that you have a problem and make a conscious decision to deal with. With the listed hacks, your cravings will be a thing of past.
