Ever felt a strong desire to eat something specific in particular? That's a craving. As healthy human beings, it is absolutely normal to have them.
What makes them tricky is the amount we tend to eat to "satisfy" that craving. Quality of the food is important - whole foods over processed foods - but the quantity is just as important. A cookie half the size of your palm won't necessarily make you fat; similarly, a fruit platter bigger than your head won't keep you skinny.
Don't get me wrong, you'll need to eat a lot more fruits to match the calories in cookies, yes. However, the possibility to overindulge is there either way.
Here are 3 strategies you can try out when you get a craving.
Prepare it yourself One of the reasons why our cravings can lead to weight gain is because foods like cookies, chocolate, and chips tend to be so readily available - just open the pack and they're ready to eat. Making the food yourself gives time for your craving to set in. Having this condition can lessen the chance of you eating as you will need to consider whether you ready to spend the effort to prepare the food yourself. You'd be surprised at how often you'll probably let the craving pass
Substitute A rule of thumb is “the more processed the food is, the more preservatives and other chemicals there are." Preservatives are added to help them last longer, but they could also add unnecessary calories and chemicals that would otherwise not be there if you substituted it for something else. Do a bit of research to discover what you could do or eat. Try the following instead: - Kale chips instead of commercial chips - Better quality dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate - Homemade cookies instead of the commercial kind - Fruits instead of candy - Nuts instead of biscuits or bread sticks The best part about making these yourself, you can control what exactly goes into the product. Be careful though, even the good stuff in large quantities can be bad. This brings me to my next point.
Use smaller bowls or plates By using smaller utensils, you can control the portion you consume easier. This way you can also clearly see how much you're eating.
What do you do when a craving hits you?
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