Have you been struggling to overcome cravings? At times we all get cravings, whether theyâre because of emotions, our sleep patterns, our stress levels, or something else. There are short-term and long-term ways to fight them without waving the white flag and driving to the convenience store to load up on junk food late at night (or any time, really). Try implementing these tips below to help reduce the cravings you feel and youâll begin to be satisfied by healthier choices.
In my book The Beauty Detox Power I talk extensively about cravings. I wanted to share with you a little more about cravings. I cover specific types of cravings and how to handle them extensively in my new book in much more detail. There are are actually different reasons for different types of cravings. I know from personal experience and working with my clients that cravings are something we all struggle with.
In the meantime, here are a few tips to get you started for nowâŚ
The more junk you eat, the more junk you crave. When you adopt a healthier diet one step at a time, you begin to crave junk food less and less over time. Their flavors may even become too much for youâsweets are suddenly too sweet, salty snacks too salty.
This isnât a quick fix, of course, but if you commit to one day or week at a time of making healthy choices and swearing off those cravings, youâll realize youâre craving salads, fruit, and avocados instead of burgers, fries, and decadent desserts. Even telling yourself youâre not going to have any junk for a week can make a huge difference in what you crave.
If youâre just starting out on the Beauty Detox journey, you may have a hard time believing this, but trust me, itâs true! Join the Facebook community and read some of the posts if you donât believe me. This is also something that Iâve experienced personally. Iâm no longer obsessed with getting my hands on those Rold Gold pretzels (nearly daily) anymore!
What you crave could be a peek into your emotional state. It used to be a common belief that when you craved something, it had to do with some sort of nutrient you were lacking. This theory has been largely disproven now (for example, if we were low in magnesium and that is what we were needing, people would crave nuts to a similar extent as chocolate, which we know is not the case!), but cravings do tie in to how youâre feeling at any given time. For example:
Sometimes youâll be able to identify and address the issue on your own, either just by thinking about it or by journaling, but sometimes you may need to verbalize your thoughts with a friend or therapist in order to work things out. If youâre having recurring cravings, there may be something eating you. Donât hesitate to get help if you need it.
Easier said than done, right? Try to take walks, do yoga, schedule an outing with a friend (a hike, perhaps, or just meet up to enjoy a good meal or some tea), write your thoughts down, re-organize your closetâŚdo whatever calms you down and gets you off the crazy hamster wheel for a little while. Little breaks from the stress make the stressful times more tolerable.
Studies show that when youâre stressed, youâre much more likely to crave sweet, fatty foods and energy-dense choices, especially if youâre already a stress eater. The occasional bout of stress eating wouldnât really be a problem if everybody reached for celery sticks, but unfortunately, thatâs not the case.
You donât have to tell yourself no every time you have a craving. Sometimes the best way to shut a craving up is to give in a tiny bit. Scratch that itch and then move on, but do it with healthier ingredients. You can work with it. If youâre craving chocolate, have a square of dark chocolateâbut stop at one square. If you want something creamy, whip up some non-dairy ice cream or Raw Cacao Truffles.
A craving for something crunchy could be taken care of with gluten-free crackers or chips (or even kale chips for a truly healthy option). If youâre craving cheese, have a little bit of a vegan alternative or even raw goat cheese (if you personally eat it). Of course, you donât always have to âcheat.â If you frequently feel tense and maybe even a little annoyed by co-workers who arenât pulling their weight when youâre approaching project deadlines, have some almonds or raw vegetables nearby on those days to relieve some of that stress via crunchy foods.
You get the crunch without falling off the wagon at all. If you want something meaty but you donât eat meat, have some tempeh or a mixture of nuts and spices, like the filling in my Raw Gorilla Tacos. All the women out there know about those PMS cravings! Make sure you have some cacao powder and other ingredients to whip up some superfood treats and healthy desserts for yourself and take care of that desperate need for chocolate.
Healthy substitutions are better than processed or refined foods no matter what. Go with what you thing will take care of the craving without veering into totally unhealthy territory and derailing your progress toward a healthier lifestyle.
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Apple cider vinegar is one of your best friends when youâre fighting sugar cravings, especially if youâre battling candida. Candida can cause you to have intense sugar cravings, but apple cider vinegar helps minimize the presence of candida in the body.
Add apple cider vinegar to your salad dressings or drink a tablespoon or two in a glass of water with a little raw honey, stevia or coconut nectar and maybe some ginger (steep the ginger in hot water for about two minutes as if youâre making Detox Tea. Just make sure youâre using organic raw, unfiltered, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar (Bragg makes one).
If you always get a craving for sweets in the afternoon, have something on hand in your desk to munch on that will take the place of whatever you would have caved and gotten from the vending machine or the coffee shop.
This isnât the same as giving in because youâll have prepared healthy choices that may not even target the typical cravings. Sure, if you normally crave sweets, you can grab some fruit and if you normally crave crunchy things, you may choose nuts. When you stop cravings before they start, youâre able to get by without caving and having chocolate or âhealthyâ chips (even those tend to have more oil than you should consume on a regular basis).
Late night cravings can be the worst, especially when you know youâre not really hungry and just want something to snack on! Have some herbal tea and see if that quiets the craving.
Having several flavors on hand might make things exciting. You can also try my Vegan Vanilla Latte recipe if you just feel like having something comforting while you watch a little television or enjoy a good book at the end of the day.
Sometimes cravings pop up as a result of boredom, and most cravings will go away in about 20 minutes if you think about something else for that long. Tell yourself youâll wait it out for 20 to 30 minutes and then do something elseâgo for a jog, do some yoga, vacuum the floor, or anything else that gets you up and moving. Thereâs a good chance that by the time your 20-30 minutes are up, youâll have forgotten all about whatever food you were craving.
If itâs time for a meal and youâre craving something you shouldnât have, tell yourself youâll eat your veggie-heavy lunch or dinner and then youâll consider caving in to the craving. This works to quell the craving in two ways: youâre distracted by your meal for roughly 20 minutes (at least), and youâll be full by the end of it.
Sleeping in on a daily basis may be your dream, but itâs probably hard to make that a reality. Go to bed earlier if youâve been skimping on sleep, making sleep as much a priority as a healthy diet and active lifestyle. Ghrelin increases when youâre sleep deprived, and ghrelin is what controls your appetite. More ghrelin means youâre hungrier, and in this case, it makes you hungry for high-calorie carbs.
Do everything you can to prevent cravings for the processed and packaged foods, like getting more sleep, diving into emotional issues that are bugging you, and alleviating your stress as much as possible. Inevitably, a craving you donât want to give into will strike, so donât forget to be prepared for emergencies, too.
Keep a little bar of dark chocolate on hand, have a list of ways to distract yourself, or plan ahead with just the right kind of snack (like raw veggies or a handful of raw nuts for tension-ridden times). No matter what, remember that youâre in control, and you can fight or work with those cravings without setting yourself back in your plan for a healthier, more beautiful life.
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