How to win the cravings game.
You are ready to finally get your nutrition on track. You are following the latest, and coolest, diet found on the internet.
Maybe you have even ordered some food/products and have all the pieces lined up. This time is going to be different.
At some point into the second or third day, you start to crave a bunch of the foods you are trying to restrict. Your willpower subsides just enough and you wake up surrounded by crumbs and wrappers.
Don’t judge me.
How could this happen? This time was supposed to be different.
Your goal should never be to eliminate your cravings. This is unrealistic. It is also impossible.
That being said, you can trick them, if you were so inclined.
There is rarely regret after having a salad, protein shake or some grilled chicken. The regret, and the cravings, typically tied to junk foods.
So, how do cravings work? “First comes the urge (the craving), followed by the behavior (finding a food that satisfies that craving). Then, you get the reward (eating the food you wanted). That last part is accompanied by a release of dopamine, giving your brain a ‘hit’ of pleasure.” [1]
Each time you experience a craving, jot down the answers to these questions:
What are you craving? (A specific food? A certain flavor or texture?)
Where are you? (Note your location, but also any smells or visual cues—like a restaurant billboard or commercial.)
What are you doing? (Driving? Working? Watching TV?)
What are you feeling physically? (Shaky? Lightheaded? Tense?)
What are you feeling emotionally? (Happy? Cranky? Rushed?)
What are you thinking? (For instance: ‘I might as well eat this… I’ve already blown my diet.’)
Who are you with? (Be very specific.)
The next time you have a craving for something, just sit for 5 minutes without doing anything. The idea is not to white-knuckle the experience.
It is more about letting your conscious mind stay in control.
Colors of your brain may vary.
It is not uncommon to eat for other reasons other than hunger. And mindless eating is a common problem for almost all people.
Another option is to indulge the craving with one caveat. You have to make whatever it is you want.
“Potato chips need to be sliced from actual potatoes and cooked in the air fryer. Cake needs to be baked in the oven. Ice cream needs to freeze.”
Are the “healthier” snacks actually better?
When you head to Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s or your favorite grocery store, are those organic, lava-crusted, unicorn-hair-dusted cookies really any better than Oreos?
Regular vs organic, lava-crusted, unicorn-hair-dusted cookies. Who wins?
Eh. Maybe.
“Healthy” snacking options are everywhere, from frozen yogurt to paleo-friendly snacks that our caveman brethren would have never consumed.
Some of these “alternatives” may be better but they still need to be consumed with a plan. There’s evidence [2] suggesting that when people purposely choose a “healthy substitute,” they often overeat later.
Be mindful of the catchy terms and phrases. Organic. Gluten-free. Low calorie. Lava-crusted.
These “alternatives” are made with a delicious combination of sugar, fat, and salt or other brain-pleasing ingredients. There is a whole science behind how foods are made to be hyperpalatable.
No matter what option you choose, eat it slowly. Junk foods are meant to be consumed quickly. If you chew them slowly, they start to lose their flavor. Compare this to fruits and veggies which tend to have more flavor the more you chew them.
“Enjoying a full-fat ice cream in a reasonable portion beats a compulsive, automatically-gobbled pint of a ‘healthy substitute’ that leaves you with a weird chemical aftertaste.”
Again, enjoy whichever choice you make slowly. This is a real game changer.
If you want some options you can make at home to satisfy certain cravings, check out https://www.precisionnutrition.com/junk-food-alternatives for the following recipes:
Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Edamame with Wasabi and Sea Salt
Espresso and Cacao Nib Ice Cream
Spiced Date and Almond Balls
Frozen Yogurt Fruit Pops
Quick Pickled Cucumbers
Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar and Cottage Cheese
Watermelon “Gazpacho”
Spiced Yogurt and Veggies
Hazelnut Dark Chocolate Ice Cream
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chia Pudding
Almond oatmeal cookies
Tandoori roasted cauliflower bites
Mango and lime granita
Ginger, Saffron, and Vanilla ice cream
Until next time,
Dr. Tom
References:
1. Carter, A., Hendrikse, J., Lee, N., Yücel, M., Verdejo-Garcia, A., Andrews, Z. B., & Hall, W. (2016). The Neurobiology of “Food Addiction” and Its Implications for Obesity Treatment and Policy. Annual Review of Nutrition, 36, 105–128. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27296500
2. Cohen, D. A., & Babey, S. H. (2012). Contextual influences on eating behaviours: heuristic processing and dietary choices. Obesity Reviews: An Official Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 13(9), 766–779. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3667220/
