Tips To Battle Food Cravings

Have you ever noticed that when you are exhausted or down, you have a tendency of eating things you shouldn’t. Being tired or being down will cause you to have low blood sugar and/or low serotonin, and this signals the brain that it needs a pick-me-up. This signal will causes a sugar craving or carbohydrate craving. These cravings can cause you to eat the foods that you shouldn’t and sabotage your weight loss program. Here are some things we need to avoid to help battle these cravings. Sugar. This may surprise you but the average American consumes an astounding 2-3 pounds of sugar each week. Just because you are not spooning it in doesn’t mean your not getting it. Highly refined sugars in the forms of sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), and high-fructose corn syrup are processed into food and will only lead to food cravings. The first step is learning what you are consuming. How will know something is high in sugar? Well if it contains one or any of these names as the first or second ingredient listed on the food label, then it is in high amounts. Here is the list: Brown sugarr Corn sweetenerr Corn syrupr Dextrose Fructoser Fruit-juice concentrater Glucoser High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) Honeyr Invert sugarr Lactoser Malt syrupr Maltoser Raw sugarr Sucroser Syrup Let’s now talk about another group of foods to avoid. Pre-Packaged, Processed Or “Instant” Foods We all love how quick and convenient they are. Processed foods contain chemicals that will only make you more dependent on them and often contain large amounts of sodium and preservatives. Try avoiding: Canned foods (contains a lot of sodium) White breads & pastas made with refined white flour (try to use wheat) Packaged high-calorie snack foods (chips, etc) High-fat convenience foodsr Frozen dinnersr Packaged cakes and cookiesr Boxed meal mixesr Sugary breakfast cerealsr Processed meats Fast Food: Here is another situation where convenience makes this an option. Remember this, if you get into the habit of eating out of convenience, then you are most likely leading yourself down the weight gain road. Fast food has chemicals and hormones that make it addictive and those who frequent fast food restaurants are more likely to pack on the pounds and also lead to an increased risk of many diseases. Behaviors To Avoid To Combat Cravings: Going To The Grocery Store Hungry. When you do this you will overspend, and most importantly, buy things you don’t want and don’t need! I don’t care how strong your willpower is, you will just set yourself up for self-sabotage if you do this, so make sure you are not hungry when you go. Supermarkets are set up the way they are for one reason. That reason is to get you to buy stuff you didn’t intend on buying. You will find the bakery near the door so you can see and smell the goods as soon as you walk in. Have you ever noticed milk is always at the back of the store to make you walk past and hopefully buy other products. Be smart and implement a food shopping strategy. Designate one day a week as your shopping and food preparation day. By developing this ritual, you become more organized and disciplined. Skipping Breakfast I don’t know how many topics I have talked about this as it keeps showing up. It is so important to eat breakfast. Always make sure to eat within the first hour after rising in order to jumpstart your metabolism and burn more calories throughout the day.People think that they are saving calories when they skip breakfast but it’s really quite the opposite. Make sure to have your “Breakfast of Champions” and that you have a balance of protein and complex carbohydrates. Keeping Unhealthy Food Choices Around You Why do this to yourself? It’s only natural to want a bite when you see it. As the saying goes – out of sight, out of mind! Keep that snack food out of your surroundings! How many of you have a snack in your draw of your desk at work? I bet it isn’t a health one also! Busted! Other Ways To Reduce Your Cravings: Frequent Meals. One way you can combat the cravings is to eat often. By eating 4-5 small meals per day you will keep your metabolism & blood sugar levels in check and keep your cravings at ease. Exerciser Any kind of exercise will helps you release endorphins, improve your mood and help you combat your cravings, especially if you can schedule your workout at the specific times that your cravings occur. Relieve Stressr There are many situations where people to turn to food as their outlet whenever they become stressed. By discovering alte ative ways to relieve your stress, you will soon be able to channel your stressors into something positive. Try taking a brisk ten minute walk the next time that your nerves get rattled! You may also want to try incorporating yoga or meditation into your routine at least once a week. Once you understand what may be causing cravings and some foods to avoid you should be able to combat them. Exercise and Nutrition Tips