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Did you just get done with your meal a few hours back? Suddenly started craving food, especially unhealthy food yet again? When it comes on tips on how to stop food cravings, the results depend on the dedication of the person trying to stop the issue in the first place.
Majority of the times, the food cravings often tend to be of the junk foods and sugars that the doctors tell you to steer clear from. It is thus important to ensure that one has their willpower in check to prevent unhealthy food and sugar cravings.
In this article, we are going to share some easy tips to stop cravings for junk food for a much healthier and active mind and body.
Tips To Prevent Unhealthy Food And Sugar Cravings
While the consumption of carbs and sugar is necessary to gain the energy to get on with the activities of the day, it is important to keep the same in check and not go overboard with it.
In this section, we are going to be sharing some easy and effective ways to stop cravings for carbs as well as unhealthy food.
1. Drink water
Majority of the times when you think you are hungry, you are actually not. Being thirsty is often confused for food cravings (R) and hunger.
If you are suddenly feeling “hungry” out of the blue even after have a sumptuous meal, try and drink a glass of water and see if the craving subsides, if not, grab an apple.
Not just that, even drinking water before meals (R) (R) helps suppress your appetite subsequently.
2. Plan you meals accordingly
When you plan your meals (R) ahead of time and shop accordingly, there are fewer chances of you to flip out of it the last minute.
Having the meals planned reduces the chances of spontaneity and makes you stick to the list that you have prepared which is definitely helpful to stop cravings for junk food and unhealthy food.
3. Combat Stress
Stress is yet another factor that negatively influences your hunger and satiety. When you are stressed, you are not likely just going to eat more; you are also more likely going to end up craving something greasy and unhealthy.
Stressed induced food cravings are significantly seen more in women and induce the eating of unwanted and unhealthy food (R) throughout.
The heightened levels of cortisol also impact one’s body weight (R) and make you gain weight, especially around the belly area. If you want to stop cravings for sugar, it is high time you managed your stress in a healthy manner.
4. Eat More Protein
Thriving just on just carbs and fats won’t keep you full for an elongated period of time which is why it is important to ensure that you consume the optimal levels of protein with your meals as well.
Having a subsequent amount of protein in your diet helps prevent you from overeating and stops cravings for junk food and carbs at bay. Even a conducted study witnessed that the consumption of more protein significantly lowered the cravings.
Statistically speaking, eating proteins reduce food cravings by 50%.
5. Practice Mindful Eating
It doesn’t really matter how healthy you eat, if you are not engaging in mindful eating, it is most likely that you won’t be able to prevent unhealthy food and sugar cravings a few hours after the meal.
When you eat mindfully (R) without any potent distractions, it is assuring of the fact that you will end up eating the correct amount (R) and not overeat or even under eat.
This also helps you distinguish that fine line between actual hunger and the unnecessary cravings. This ensures that you choose the response responsibly (R) and not act out on sudden instincts.
6. Proper Night’s Sleep
Sleep is yet another important factor that influences our hunger, satiety and cravings. A proper regulation of the hormonal levels in the body is beneficial when it comes to hunger and cravings. Not having a proper night’s sleep ends up affecting that equilibrium (R) and ends up contributing to persistent food cravings.
Sleep deprived people also have more tendency of becoming obese (R) in comparison to people who catch their proper night’s sleep.
7. Go For A Walk
Yeah, you actually did hear it right, going for a walk or even indulging in short bouts of exercise actually does help to stop cravings for sugar.
It is not something that I am pulling out of thin air but studies (R) have shown that people who walk on a treadmill for 15 minutes or so when hit with a wave of strong food cravings for junk food or carbohydrates, it can actually help in minimizing the same effectively.
8. Eat Proper Meals
Proper meals are yet another factor which plays quite a significant role when it comes to answering your question of how to stop cravings for unhealthy food.
Improper eating and lack of proper nutrition in the diet often end up causing subsequent food cravings which you could have easily avoided otherwise.
Balance out the nutrients in your meals and ensure that you are eating correctly and healthy (R) at the same time. Even if you are indulging in some snacks in between the meals, make sure that you opt for the healthy variants.
9. Tap Your Forehead
As weird and out of the box it may sound like, a study has shown that tapping your forehead can significantly lower your hunger and effectively stop raving for crabs and other junk foods.
While the exact mode of action responsible for the same is not clear, it is believed that tapping the forehead erases the mental image of any form of food craving and thus makes you snap out of faster than you could even imagine or expect.
A study (R) presented in the Obesity Society Annual Meeting was the one that clarified this process and stated that the persistent tapping of the forehead continuously for 30 seconds actually does help in reducing the intensity of the cravings.
10. Chew Gum
Yet another amazing way on how to stop food cravings is to suppress it by chewing gum. Studies and researchers have shown that people who tend to chew gum after their meals (R) tend to have lowered food cravings and even when they have one; it is much easier to stop cravings for sugar.
Chewing gum also tends to take away signs of fatigue and tiredness and makes a person feel more energetic which is definitely yet another factor that helps with the inconsistent and unwanted cravings.
11. Relax Your Mind And Body
It might seem like the best option to stop cravings for junk food or prevent unhealthy food and sugar cravings, but relaxing your mind and engaging in mindfulness meditation actually does help in lowering the levels of cortisol (R) in the body which often tends to trigger the hunger pangs in your system.
Having a calm and settled mind also prevents you from making impulsive decisions which is yet another factor that helps stop cravings for carbs effectively.
12. Cheat days
Now, while you might be here trying to stop the cravings for junk food and unhealthy food, it is also negative to go cold turkey with the process. If you have been vividly gorging down unhealthy and junk food the entirety of your life, leaving eating any of it completely and abruptly can impact your body negatively which is why it is best to just indulge in steady and gradual steps.
Start with having a few cheat days in the week where you eat a little of something unhealthy. Include some unhealthy carbs and junk food once in a while because everyone deserves to have some cheat days.
13. Make A Fist
Yet another easy way on how to stop cravings for unhealthy food is by bunching your fingers to form a fist. When you tighten your fists, it tends to boost your willpower of sticking to the decision your mind made.
In a conducted study (R), it was found that people who punched their fist chose healthy foods in comparison to the ones who didn’t. Firming up the muscles tend to help keep your self-control in check.
14. Take A Nap
One of the most reasons behind the sudden unhealthy cravings is because of fatigue and tiredness. Energizing your body often tends to take away the desire of eating something unhealthy.
Not just that, even a study (R) conducted has proved that engaging in a steady night’s sleep or even a power nap can reduce the intensity of food cravings. You lack of rest can be a possible reason behind your hunger pangs.
15. Consume Spinach Extract
Don’t get deterred by the mention of spinach extract, primarily because of the fact that it helps curb and stop cravings for sugar and carbs.
If you have been looking for ways on how to stop food cravings, indulging in the spinach extract can actually be beneficial. The primary way in which it does so is by lowering the rate of fat digestion which suppresses your appetite (R) and even handles the hormones related to it.
Optimally, 3.7 – 5 grams of spinach extract (R) with every meal has beneficial impacts in handling food cravings.
If you have consistently been hungry and craving the unhealthiest of foods and are not pregnant, it is time you take the situation seriously. Seeking ways on how to stop food cravings is not rocket science. It is more of the kind of dedication one showcases that make all the difference. If you are determined enough to put a halt to your food cravings, it won’t be much harder to actually achieve it.
