It could be because you always go for a smoothie after work. Or chocolate seems to be the one thing that can take your stress away. Or sometimes you just have to eat a pretzel, or potato chips or cocktail peanuts.
When you feel like you just need to eat or drink a certain thing, and you just can’t do anything to get rid of them, you’re in the midst of a craving.
Cravings are normal. They don’t mean you’re a food addict. But they can make you want a donut or pizza when those are the last things you should eat today.
Why You Get Food Cravings
When your body feels it needs certain nutrition, or it’s overwhelmed physically or emotionally, or it’s in the habit of getting something at a particular time, it starts letting you know about it with a craving.
If you’re low on salt, which your body needs to, well, keep your heart pumping, you’ll do anything for something salty. Your chocolate craving? It gives your body brain-boosting feel-good chemicals. And if you just can’t start your day without coffee, your body expects you to give it a power-shot of caffeine.
How to Get Rid of Cravings
Fortunately, there are a number of ways to get rid of cravings, or better yet, prevent them from happening in the first place.
- Try to Distract Yourself – Have you started work in the morning and the next time you looked at the clock, it’s lunchtime? If you’re able to consume yourself with an activity, you can take your mind away from the craving.
Some people find that problem-solving games, like sudoku or crosswords, do the trick. Or maybe it’s time for a good yoga session! - Address the Root Cause in Moderation – If you don’t get enough sleep each night, you’ll wake up tired, and your cravings for coffee and donuts will be off the scale. So get more sleep and avoid the sugar and caffeine. Craving a juicy burger? Your diet may be out of balance and your body’s looking for some protein. A balanced diet works well to reduce many cravings.
- Use Nutritional Supplements Instead of Unhealthy Snacks and Foods – You can give your body what it craves in forms that won’t derail your weight loss program. For example, you can reduce your sugar cravings with the levels of Vitamin B you get from Herbal One’s Ultra B-Trim.
If you enjoyed this post, check out our recent article on how to stop sugar cravings with nutritional supplements.