Reaz Fiem
Falling off the diet wagon is one of the common most things experienced by us. The biggest push for that fall comes from food cravings. Food craving is a situation where we cannot think beyond food. So why do these cravings play such strong roles in our lives that we cannot stick to a balanced diet that does well to us?
Well there are many impetuses; the most influential would be the various adverts and offers of foods bombarded toward us everyday. Honestly we cannot fight media or cannot hide in a cave where we are untouched by it’s influence, but we surely can give a try to fight the food cravings. So here are my five tips to fight cravings that might just help my readers.
1.Eat more lean protein in your meals: Consumption of protein leads to formation of cholecystokinin, which is a gut hormone and is a natural suppressant of your appetite. Also, eating more protein helps to lower calorie intake. Sadly, our modern diet is filled with high amount of refined carbohydrate and trans fat lacking the adequate amount of protein.
2.Stay hydrated: When we are not hydrated properly we feel thirsty. However, in many cases we confuse that thirst with hunger pangs. Yes, it is true to the root. Whenever you feel hungry, at first try drinking a chilled glass of water. You might just then understand that the so-called hunger was a false alarm! So water can be a chill pill.
3.Stay active: Okay think when you were a kid, you were so active, you used to run around, play outside with your friends, or completing your science project, then it was difficult for food cravings to creep in. However with age activities get lesser and thoughts of food tend to fill that gap! I can bet, on your busy days you consume less of poor calories than your non-busy days.
4.Chew a gum: find sugar free gums and chew it. Yes, at times when you are physically inactive may be just watching television or reading a book, you can graze on a gum. A continuous form of graze through out a movie might allow you to enjoy the movie better, by keeping the thoughts of food away.
5.Avoiding food with high fructose corn syrup: from cookies to chocolates to many other canned and boxed products, there is HFCs.
Good number of research findings has shown that consumption of HCFs has increased food cravings. No wonder we crave for these refined foods more often than we do for natural fruits or vegetable dishes.
Hence, keeping foods high in HFCs as once in a while treat is probably best justified.