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If you are spending the whole day inside, it can be hard to avoid food temptations. You will experience a variety of emotions that will lead you to the kitchen. Stress, anxiety, depression, and many other emotions are the biggest reason for binge eating. When at home, most people do not eat because they are hungry; they eat because they are undergoing emotional pressure.
Food cravings are difficult to deal with when food is a few steps away from you. Even worse, you will experience them regularly. Still, food temptations can be avoided. Continue reading to know how to prevent them.
Avoid Getting Hungry
When you are hungry, you attract unwanted cravings. Hunger causes people to eat anything that’s readily available. Have a meal and do not stay too long without eating. If you are trying to lose weight, you should always make sure that healthy snacks are prepared to eat in between meals. This will help you stay full all the time and minimize food cravings.
Drink Plenty Of Water
Most of the time, thirst is mistaken for food cravings or hunger. If you feel a sudden craving for a burger, you can try drinking water then wait for some time. There is a chance that the urge will go away because you were just dehydrated. Additionally, drinking a lot of water has a lot of health benefits. Drinking water before consuming food can decrease appetite hence assist in losing weight. It also stimulates energy expenditure and the body’s metabolism, which also helps with weight management.
You can also drink other fluids, such as tea and juice. Some have no calories, while others have very few calories, and they are a healthier option than snacking. However, it does not mean that you should drink water instead of consuming food when hungry. It means you only need water to get rid of a craving.
To increase your intake, you can set alarms and reminders to track water consumption. There are applications that help you keep a record of your water intake. If water has a flat taste, you can try Alkaline Water because of its crispier taste. It has a ph of 7 and many health benefits for your gut. Additionally, it keeps the body hydrated for a long period of time in contrast to normal water. You can turn regular water to alkaline water with plenty of antioxidants within minutes using a DYLN Bottle. It comes in plenty of different colors and sizes to choose from.
Replace With Healthy Snacks
If you need to eat something, try a healthy snack. You can replace refined sugar products with veggies or fruits. Spending a whole day in the house can lead to significant food temptations. When you get anxious and need to snack, choose a healthy one instead of greasy and fatty foods. Additionally, some food cravings can signify a lack of something in your diet, such as;
- Chocolate cravings signify a lack of magnesium. Instead, you can snack on nuts, fruits, or green leafy veggies.
- Refined sugar product cravings might signify the need for complex carbs or proteins. You can try consuming long wild grain or brown rice, nuts, lean meats, etc.
- Fried food cravings might signify the need for fats such as omega-three fatty acids. Consume fish, cheese, milk, or eggs containing Omega 3 fatty acids. You can also take a fish oil supplement.
- Salt cravings might signify a lack of sodium, chloride, potassium, and calcium. You need to hydrate and eat a banana and yogurt.
Consume More Proteins
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Most people say that consuming more proteins helps with reducing cravings. Proteins assist the body to feel satisfied for a more extended period. Research shows that overweight men who increased their protein dietary intake to 25% of their daily caloric intake reported a significant decrease in food temptations. During breakfast, you will find that proteins prove to be very helpful. According to research, obese teenage girls who skipped breakfast increased the chances of experiencing food cravings during the day. Consuming breakfast with high protein content reduces savory food cravings. So, what does high protein content mean? If a meal has 35 grams of protein from different sources, it is considered as having a high protein content.
Change Your Thinking
Once you get a food craving, stop, and think. If you take a moment to consider before acting on your craving, it can reduce your urges. Ask yourself why you want to eat that particular food. It does not always stop the craving, but it can help you make healthier choices. It can also help you remember what you have consumed on that day hence trigger the brain to think that you are satisfied.
It would help if you also visualized the rewards. If you have a vision of what you want to achieve in your head every time you wish to consume unhealthy snacks, you will not do it. Imagine your body goals and how they can only be achieved through healthy eating. Another way to stop food cravings is to visualize the consequences. Bad decisions lead to adverse effects such as weight gain or even diabetes. Exaggerating the harm of eating unhealthy snacks can help you make better decisions.
Distract Yourself or Break The Routine
Try to get busy with something else whenever you experience food cravings. You can make a healthy choice of taking a walk, or you could call a friend or work on something else. If you are bored around the house, you will experience food urges. Keeping yourself occupied will keep your mind off food.
Another way of eliminating food cravings is by breaking the routine. Sometimes snacking is a result of a pattern. It can happen without you knowing that it is happening because you are used to it. If you are used to watching TV while eating snacks, you will always look for a snack while watching. Change up your routines to minimize snacking.
Do a Food Inventory
One of the best methods of dealing with food temptations is getting rid of your biggest temptations.
Go through your kitchen cabinets and refrigerator and eliminate any unhealthy snacks. First, you need to make different piles of healthy and unhealthy snacks in your kitchen. It can be tough to discard food that you are used to eating, but the rewards are great. At first, you will experience anxiety and ask yourself what you are supposed to eat, but there are many healthy options.
If there is an unhealthy food item that you tend to eat late at night or when you have had a stressful day, eliminate it. You always find yourself shopping for this specific item because it somewhat clears your anxiety. However, the truth is, all this is in the mind. You can try a healthy snack every time you feel like snacking, try it for a week, and you will get used to it.
Get Enough Sleep
Lack of sleep can cause the body to need more calories to keep you awake. Sleep deprivation is linked to junk food cravings. If you get adequate sleep, you will reduce the chance of having food cravings. Also, when you are sleepy, your willpower decreases, which makes it challenging to fight temptations.
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Stress also plays a significant role in food temptations. Binge eating has been linked to long-term stressors, leading to excessive consumption of sugary and calorie-dense foods. It is crucial to find ways that help reduce stress and anxiety. Stress can also increase hormonal cortisol levels, which increases weight gain, especially around the stomach. Simple techniques such as taking breaks from work or breathing in and out can help you stay calm and focus. You can also engage in tai chi, yoga, breathing exercises, and guided meditations. Try out different things, and whatever works for you, continue doing it.
Make Healthy Food Convenient
If you are working around the house, make sure that there are healthy snacks around you. You can always cook up healthy snacks such as carrot fries and store them in the fridge. Whenever you feel the urge to eat, all you have to do is reheat your healthy snack. The Carrot fries recipe is straightforward. Additionally, carrot fries are very delicious. Not all healthy snacks taste bad. All you have to do is look for ways to spice up your healthy meals, and you will never want to go back. It will minimize the consumption of unhealthy foods hence help you stay in line with your goals.
Conclusion
There are many ways of avoiding or controlling food temptations. You can always choose to keep a DYLN bottle by your side. It has a VitaBead Diffuser that alkalizes and enhances water making it have a compelling taste and also has many health benefits. You can also choose to consume more proteins and change your way of thinking. Whether you want to use one technique or combine all of them, there is no harm. Whatever works for you is the best choice.
