8 Out of the Ordinary Approaches to Defeating Your Food Cravings

8 Out of the Ordinary Approaches to Defeating Your Food Cravings

Do you feel like you can’t lose weight because you struggle with cravings?

Has a gnawing, insatiable want hijacked your healthy eating plan?

Chocolate, candy, potato chips, pizza, steak, coffee, ice-cream, salt or what have you —most of us battle these cravings.

But we don’t have to.

Are you ready to defeat them? If so let's dive in and reveal what you can do to conquer your dangerous moments without regret.


Drink, Drink, Drink
First off, if you’re dehydrated, you’re likely to feel wiped out. When you’re pooped liked that, chances are you’ll be craving a stimulant in the form of sugar or caffeine - think chocolate or coffee.

So drink a glass of water — yes, plain water. By the time your body tells you you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. And, dehydration occurs as mild hunger. So… glug, glug, glug and make it a habit to drink a glass of water every couple hours.

Why You Need to Sleep More
If you’re majorly stressed, or suffer from insomnia or sleep deprivation, you’re probably exhausted much of the time.

I know about this; believe me! It took seven years and an entire collection of My Little Pony before my daughter slept through the night. Sleep deprivation is a form of torture — don’t underestimate it.

Adrenal imbalance causes your body to call upon your adrenal glands for more stress hormones to act as a pick-me-up, but over time, your adrenals become less able to respond appropriately. Chances are, you’ll resort to sugar or carbohydrate snacks or coffee during the day and carbohydrates or alcohol at night, all of which exacerbate the problem.

I seriously recommend finding a way to chill and give your adrenals a break. I’ve found meditation and exercise such as yoga to be a blessing. A hectic cardio workout is not going to help here. Keep it on the calm side.

The Shocking Truth About Boredom and Dissatisfaction
Being bored or dissatisfied with a particular situation, such as work or a cruddy relationship, or life in general, is the number one cause for filling up on undesirables.

“The longing for sweets is really a yearning for love or sweetness,” wrote Jungian analyst Marion Woodman and she was spot on. So often we try to fill the void with eating. Instead, take time to reflect and assess what’s really going on.

Dr. Oz suggests that it helps to realize that emotional hunger onset is sudden and urgent, while physical hunger is gradual and patient.

Fully facing this kind of eating may lead to some serious soul searching. You may want to consult someone if it becomes overwhelming. But when food is masking a deeper dissatisfaction, no amount of the fix will take away the pain or frustration. Work on healing that and then the cravings will naturally disappear.

How to Change Bad Habits
Psychology professor Debra Zellner, Ph.D., draws the conclusion that our cravings are predominantly determined by habit rather than biological need.

You know how you fall back to habit in times of stress rather than creatively brainstorming fresh approaches? Well the same is true here. When you’re stressed, she argues, your generally strong restraint flies out the window and thoughts about comfort foods come rushing in.

So how do we avoid this stress trigger cycle? According to Zeller, we should:
Indulge on occasion: By making certain foods “taboo,” we tend to make a dash for them when our defenses are shot. The alternative is to have that chocolate once in a while and de-demonize it. Enjoy a bowl of ice cream now and then. Don’t associate certain foods with the ‘forbidden fruits.’

Mix up your patterns: Just as with Pavlov’s dogs, Zeller continues, a stimulus produces an automatic, virtually involuntary response in each of us. Figure out if predictable times or places make your cravings appear. Then, change your indulgence time and place, shake up the predictable and don’t create a mindless pattern.

Make healthy associations: Find healthy foods that you enjoy and make a habit of eating those at stressful times instead. For me, I’ve trained myself to crunch on cucumbers. Granted, we always need to have cucumbers in the house, but it definitely beats chocolate!
A Little Bit of Yin and a Little Bit of Yang
Ever heard of Macrobiotics? Well, key to this philosophy on life is the idea of Yin and Yang, two complementary and antagonistic forces. Before you think this is some new age concept, know that Hippocrates first used this philosophy in 400 BC to describe healthy, long lived people.

In terms of food, certain foods, such as meat, chocolate, cheese and coffee have contractive or Yang qualities. Other foods, like beer, white sugar, soya and potatoes, have expansive or Yin qualities. And then foods like whole grains and veggies have a neutral effect on the body.

The body naturally strives for balance. Without one iota of doubt, what passes through your lips contributes to where your body’s at and what it’s going to need more of. When you’re eating too much Yin or too much Yang, your system won’t be happy. And hello, these extremes are the core of the Standard American Diet. Loads of meat, salt, sugar and fats.

They throw the body out of its natural balance and we crave whatever is required to regain equilibrium. Sadly though, we’re putting in excessive amounts on either side of the scale.

By paying attention to what you’re eating in overload and introducing more balancing foods, cravings will decrease. Remember, the key is balance — not excess.

Are You Malnourished?
For me, malnutrition has always been associated with the image of a starving African pot-bellied child. Painful. And don’t get me wrong, that’s certainly malnutrition.

But did you know how malnourished most of us “First Worlders” are? An estimated 70% of all Americans do not consume sufficient nutrients, mainly as a result of refined and processed foods.

Why do I mention this? If the body is starved of nutrients, it will produce cravings.

Renowned physician, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, states that in order to stop the “addictive drives and perverted cravings” we suffer from, it is essential to restore nutritional excellence.

We need to eat a diet high in what he calls Nutrient Dense foods such as green veggies, non-starchy veggies, beans, fresh fruits, whole grains and raw nuts and seeds.

The toxins in our processed fare just keep us coming back for more and so you need to oust them!

Temptation Be Gone
Clearly, if you’ve stocked up on your favorite indulgence, you’ll eat it. Corollary: if it’s not there, you can’t eat it.

That one’s easy! Banish the temptation. And oh, never go shopping on an empty stomach. A full tummy is less prone to rumble for honey — with apologies to Pooh bear.

Spew It All Out
My final tool for you here is to keep a food journal. Track your eating habits and see if your cravings exhibit a pattern. With this information, you’ll be in a far better position to understand and help yourself.

The Final Word
Cravings aren’t the enemy. In fact, they can be a gift - a window into what’s ticking in your internal clock. By opening a dialogue with your body, you can begin to love and support it just as it supports and loves you with every unfailing heartbeat and every unfailing breath.

But that’s entirely up to you. Changing behaviors is work. No, it’s not like reinventing the wheel or finding a cure for cancer. But it does take commitment and facing some harsh challenges.

If you’re still reading this, that’s a good sign. Nobody can or will make the changes for you. Beating your cravings is the same as anything else. You have to be focused and work damn hard. Oftentimes you’ll need courage too. If you’re prepared to face the challenge, your health will improve and you’ll lose that excess weight. You’ve also got an excellent chance of feeling more whole if you confront the psychological aspects of what’s driving your behavior.

Ready to tackle the task?

Written on 1/05/2012 by Kerri Baruch. Kerri is a Holistic Health Coach passionate about restoring excellent health in clients by supporting them as the full individuals that they are. Kerri shares recipes, blogs and Health Coaching info on her site Eat Real. Be Well

hoto Credit:Calgary Reviews
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