Junk food cravings can arise at any moment. Believe it or not, these urges can even strike health and fitness professionals. My familiar foes are anything fried, especially chicken (possibly due to Southern heritage) or fast food items (e.g. burgers, fries, pizza).
- The most tempting food items for me, however, are desserts – particularly pastries. Leaving me alone in a bakery would be dangerous; not only for my health but for the bakery itself…they’d have nothing left to sell!
So, how does one curb these crazy cravings? Well, you can start by talking to yourself. I know what you’re thinking…”Talk to myself? That sounds like the beginning of a different kind of problem!” What I mean by talking to yourself is, play detective; figure out the true reason for your craving. You may find that you are actually using the food to resolve another issue such as boredom, sadness, stress, fatigue, etc.
I’ve often found that I tend to crave greasy, fried foods, and even sweets whenever I’m sleep deprived or have fallen off my exercise routine. So the next time you suddenly have a hankering for a Hershey bar, try to figure out what may actually be causing your craving. If your detective work still leads you back to your ”not-so-healthy food” item, then at least minimize the damage by choosing a healthier alternative, smaller portions or treating yourself once a week at one meal.
Here are some additional helpful tips for managing junk food cravings from Reader’s Digest:
- Avoid Your Triggers. The longer you avoid your trigger foods, the less you crave them.
- Go Nuts. Try an ounce of nuts (e.g. 6 walnuts, 12 almonds, 20 peanuts) and two glasses of water. Your crazy cravings will likely subside within 20 minutes.
- Take a Power Nap. Sometimes fatigue encourages cravings; a power nap will help you fight your urges.
- Get Minty Fresh. This usually helps because most of us do not want to eat right after brushing.
Guest post written by Christen Miller, Cafe Physique registered dietitian
