5 Strategies to Curb Cravings

When I talk to my patients about making certain dietary changes, they often say they struggle with cravings. Unfortunately, cravings can derail you from achieving your nutrition goals, and leave you feeling frustrated. The good news is that by following the five strategies below, you can easily curb those cravings and even stop them for good.

 Strategy #1:

Get plenty of healthy fat in your diet. This is especially true if you find yourself craving sugar. Your body wants fuel for energy, and for better or for worse, sugar is an immediate source of energy. But as you probably know, sugar in any form (even natural ones like honey) can create inflammation. If you get plenty of healthy fat at each meal you will:

  • feel fuller longer
  • have a steady source of energy at a “slow burn” instead of the spike-and-crash from sugar.
  • maintain a healthier weight

Here are some great sources of healthy fat:

  • coconut oil
  • olive oil
  • butter from grass-fed cows
  • nuts
  • avocados
  • Ghee

 Strategy #2:

Drink lots of water – aiming for half your body weight in ounces (e.g. a person weighing 150 lbs would aim to drink 75 ounces of water per day.) When you’re dehydrated, even if you don’t feel thirsty, you’ll feel tired and will be more likely to crave coffee or sugary drinks.

Here are a few ideas to make it easier and more enjoyable to get your daily quota of water:

  • “front load” your water intake by drinking 2-3 large glasses of water when you first wake up
  • grab a nice reusable water bottle and always have it with you when you’re on the go
  • make a big pitcher of water with cucumber slices or lemon and keep it next to you when you’re working at your desk

Strategy #3:

Make sure you’re getting enough clean protein, especially at breakfast. The individual amino acids (the building blocks of protein) are critical for happy moods, focused thinking, detoxification, and stabilized blood sugar.

Here are some ideas to get your protein at breakfast:

  • eggs scrambled with onion, bell pepper and mushrooms (or any other vegetables)
  • a piece of salmon with sautéed greens (easy leftovers from dinner)
  • sliced turkey breast rolled up in romaine lettuce with avocado slices

Strategy #4:

Get 8 hours of sleep. You might not connect sleep with food cravings, but if you cheat yourself of adequate rest, your cortisol levels will be unnaturally high. Elevated cortisol (the “stress hormone”) can cause sugar cravings. Ghrelin (the “hunger hormone”) also increases in times of stress, which includes lack of sleep.

Strategy #5:

“Feel” your cravings. Before you reach for another piece of chocolate or pour yourself another cup of coffee, take a minute to close your eyes and actually feel where the craving is coming from. Ask yourself these questions:

Where in my body is the craving coming from?

What sensations am I feeling right now?

What am I hoping to fulfill or satisfy from the food I’m craving?

By asking yourself these questions, you’ll understand what’s lying underneath the craving. You may realize that your mind is racing, and what you’re really craving is stillness. Or you may discover an emotion, like loneliness or frustration. Instead of numbing the emotion with food, breathe into it, and watch it pass by like clouds in the sky. Or you may find that you need to stretch and move after sitting for many hours – we often associate “break time” with food.

 References

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25098557

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23500173

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24462487

You Might Also Be Interested In

Empowering Physical Therapists to Address Mental Health with Low-Intensity Psychological Interventions for Holistic Patient Care

In the wake of rising global mental health concerns, the need for accessible, effective, and scalable interventions has never been more critical. Low-intensity psychological interventions ...
Read More

Understanding the Distinction: Mental Distress vs. Mental Illness in Chronic Pain Management

Some healthcare providers may use the two terms “mental distress” and “mental condition or mental illness” interchangeably. However, there are fundamental differences between mental distress and ...
Read More

The 5 Biggest Trends Revolutionizing Physical Therapy in 2024

The 5 biggest trends revolutionizing physical therapy pain management in the year 2024!
Read More

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: May, 2018

Your privacy is very important to us. We want to make your experience on the Internet as enjoyable and rewarding as possible, and we want you to use the Internet’s vast array of information, tools, and opportunities with complete confidence.

The following Privacy Policy governs the online information collection practices of Joe Tatta, LLC d/b/a joetatta.co and www.backpainbreakthrough.com ( collectively the “Sites”). Specifically, it outlines the types of information that we gather about you while you are using theSites, and the ways in which we use this information. This Privacy Policy, including our children’s privacy statement, does not apply to any information you may provide to us or that we may collect offline and/or through other means (for example, at a live event, via telephone, or through the mail).

Sign Up for the Integrative Pain Science Institute’s Weekly Newsletter

Enter your email and get the latest in pain science, podcast episodes,
CEU opportunities, and special offers.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

We only send you awesome stuff!