- Get enough vitamins and minerals
Make sure your diet offers enough variety and balance, and that the food you’re eating has a range of nutrients, so your body gets what it needs and you’ll get fewer snack cravings.
MegaFood, Women’s One Daily
If you need to supplement your diet, this high-quality once a day multi is made from REAL food - Brush your teeth
When temptation strikes, reach for your toothbrush and give your teeth a good clean to put you off eating – at least for a little while. – Although it’s only a short-term fix, it’ll help you cool off from any immediate food cravings.If you are looking for a low-cost way to keep your teeth healthy (and white) check out this post:
RELATED: 64 Hydrogen Peroxide Hacks - Avoid artificial sweeteners and diet drinks
It seems like an obvious win to swap sugary soda for the diet version, but the artificial sweeteners these and other foods contain are just as bad for you. For one thing, your body doesn’t know the difference between artificial sweeteners and sugar, so sweeteners can often raise your blood sugar levels and encourage your body to store fat just the same as sugar. Plus, you stay in the habit of turning to sweet treats as a reward, instead of making longer-lasting, healthy lifestyle changes. - Drink a glass of water
Often when we feel hungry, it’s actually just dehydration, so drink a glass of water when hunger strikes to see if your cravings fade.
RELATED: 8 Amazing Ways Your Body Changes When You Drink More Water
- Eat a small square of high cocoa dark chocolate
Good quality dark chocolate, with a cocoa content of at least 70%, is high in antioxidants and minerals, has far less sugar than milk chocolate, and will satisfy any chocolate cravings with a much smaller amount. - Start meal prepping
By planning your entire week’s meals and snacks in advance, you’ll feel super-organized, and you won’t have to rely on willpower alone to help you make the right choices in handling sweet cravings.
RELATED: These 61 Easy Make Ahead Breakfasts Will Change Your Mornings
RELATED: 31 Make Ahead Meals to Freeze for an Entire Month!
RELATED: Make Amazing Poached Eggs With These 15 Brilliant TipsBefore we start, here’s my essential toolkit for successful make-ahead meal prep storage
Freezer Tape and Sharpie Set
Keep things organized with clever tape that won't fall off in the freezer
Bag Stabilizer Stand
These sturdy food bag holders will give you an extra pair of hands when you need them
Ziploc Twist’n’Loc Food Containers
These handy boxes come in all shapes and sizes and are BPA-free - Find ways to celebrate or treat yourself that don’t involve food
To lose weight and keep it off, it’s inevitable that you’ll have to make changes to your lifestyle. Find new activities that don’t involve unhealthy food for when you want to reward yourself or have fun: try a pampering beauty treatment or a Netflix marathon instead.
RELATED: 12 Secretly Healthy Movie Night Snacks - Learn about mindful eating
If you find yourself finishing the entire tub of ice cream every time, or can binge on a whole bag of chips and not even notice, then mindful eating might be a game-changer for your eating habits. Mindful eating involves developing more awareness over the food you eat and what you put in your body to improve your relationship with food. It will help you to learn when you’re really full to avoid overeating, but it can also help you to recognize and handle food cravings when they strike, instead of impulsively acting on them. - Manage cravings in small time periods
When faced with a really strong craving for something you want to avoid – a piece of cake, candy, or whatever it is – tell yourself that you won’t eat it now, but maybe you’ll have in an hour if you still want it then. Make sure you try and keep busy for the next hour to keep the treat off your mind. When the hour has passed, acknowledge how well you did in not giving in, and if you still want to eat it, try to push yourself and go another hour. Keep in competition with yourself to see how long you can put it off until the craving for the treat drops (whilst remembering to stick to your regular meal times). Remember that no craving is permanent, and by the time you wake up tomorrow, it’ll most likely be gone. It’s way easier to say no to cravings in small chunks of time – as opposed to saying, “I will never eat chips again” – which will only make you want the chips even more!
Although food cravings happen to everyone, unfortunately, that doesn’t make them easier to deal with.
Use these tips to push through when impulsive food cravings strike and eventually you will find it easier to say no. Especially when you start seeing the results of all your healthy eating paying off.
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