How To Deal With Food Cravings When Dieting

From ice cream to chocolate to juicy burgers, our bodies have certain food cravings that can strike at any given time. Under normal circumstances, the best way to get rid of a craving is to simply give in. After all, the harder you resist a food craving, the more intense it becomes.

However, if you’re on a diet giving in to food cravings isn’t a good idea as doing so can wreak havoc on whatever fitness results you’ve achieved so far. So, what’s a dieter to do when that powerful desire to indulge in a craving hits? Well, by putting the following tricks into action, you should be able to deal with food cravings without breaking your diet.

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6 Ways To Deal With Food Cravings

As the old adage goes, “prevention is better than cure.” If you can prevent food cravings from even manifesting, then you’ll not have to struggle to beat them.

While there is no surefire way to prevent cravings, you can minimize chances of a craving occurring by following some, or all, of the following tips.

1. Eat Regularly

Hunger is one of the biggest causes of cravings. So, one of the best ways to prevent cravings is to avoid getting hungry. Regular small healthy meals and snacks taken every 3-4 hours should do the trick. It will keep your stomach full and prevent you from adding extra kilos as a result of over-feeding the body.

2. Identify Your Triggers

We all have food cravings and these cravings are usually triggered by something. It could be a strong emotion such as grief or joy, certain feelings such as loneliness or boredom, a happy memory associated with food, or even a deeply ingrained habit. Knowing what your triggers are can help you keep your mind from going to that place that will cause you to start craving a certain food.

3. Keep The Foods You Crave Out Of The House

Resisting a craving becomes more difficult when that food you are yearning is within close reach. What’s more, the simple knowledge that the food is safely stored away in the fridge or kitchen cabinets can be enough to trigger a craving. So, make it a point to avoid keeping a stockpile of those foods you normally crave in your home. Although this sounds simple, it can be quite effective at preventing cravings.

4. Increase Your Protein and Fiber Intake

Unlike foods high in sugar and refined starch which digest quickly and cause a sugar crash effect that leaves you with a food craving (especially for sweet treats), protein and fiber rich foods slow down digestion and keep you feeling full for longer. Therefore, by simply upping the protein and fiber portions in your meals, you will remain in a satiated state throughout the day and thereby decrease your chances of developing cravings. 

5. Go For Healthier Alternatives

One good way to satisfy a craving without going against your diet is to make a healthy re-creation of whatever you are craving. For instance, try a sweet fruit if you are craving sugary treats, satisfy a cake-crave by baking a whole wheat flour cake with no icing, go for the healthier alternative of dark chocolate when feeling an overwhelming desire to eat chocolate, and so on. A healthier alternative allows you to satisfy a craving without the high fat or calories that the actual food delivers.

6. Distract Yourself

Cravings are more of a psychological than physiological thing. This is why you can feel a craving even when in the natural sense you’re not hungry. Distracting yourself by focusing your mind on something else will separate your mind from the food and thereby help break a craving’s hold on you. Any form of distraction will do whether it is reading a book, going for a walk, watching a favorite TV show, or squeezing in a light workout. Focusing your mind on anything other than food will kill the desire to eat.

How To Make Your Lifestyle More Active

From weight gain to eating disorders, food cravings can lead to several negative effects. By following some, or all, of the tips above you’ll be able to deal with food cravings and thus prevent them from ruining your health.

To help you burn more calories and leverage new habits into a lifetime of good health and better fitness download my free report 20  Ways To Make Your Lifestyle More Active. Once you choose a healthy lifestyle, you’ll never have to worry about dieting again.