Tips to Help Control Food Cravings

Hello, my dears! It’s Alla Sem here. Food cravings can be triggered by various things including low blood sugar, stress, and other emotional triggers. On my journey from 110 kg to 80 kg, I had to learn how to handle these cravings without letting them derail my progress. The best way to take control is to understand how to balance your meals and snacks to avoid the traps that trigger food cravings.

Here are my best tips for managing those powerful urges.

Don’t Skip Meals

Skipping meals can lead to low blood sugar and extreme hunger. Eat three meals a day and include snacks when needed. Try to eat every 4-5 hours. This will help keep your blood sugar stable and avoid getting to the place where you are extremely hungry. Low blood sugar and extreme hunger can be a dangerous combination and almost always leads to overeating. Plan ahead and keep healthy snacks around.

Balance Your Meals

Balancing your meals and snacks is important to keep your blood sugar stable. Always balance carbohydrates with protein and fat to help keep your blood sugar stable. For example, instead of bringing a piece of fruit for a snack, try having a few grapes with an ounce of nuts or a slice of cheese. The protein and fat slow down digestion and prevent blood sugar spikes and crashes.

Watch the Caffeine

Drinking caffeine, especially in large amounts, can lead to low blood sugar. This can result in stimulating your appetite and making you feel an urgency to eat. Keep caffeine to 1-2 cups per day or less to avoid low blood sugar responses.

Keep Food Records

Food records are invaluable to help identify your eating patterns. For example, you may experience sugar cravings every afternoon at 3 p.m. This could mean that you need to eat an appropriate snack at this time, or it could mean that what you ate for lunch may not have been balanced appropriately. It also could indicate a high stress or emotional time for you where a quick break might be in order. Detailed food records can help you sort through this to see what might be happening at that time.

Avoid Very Low Calorie Diets

Most diet plans are around 1200 calories, but this may be too low for many people and can become a starvation diet. There are few people who need to be on this low of a calorie level, and studies show people who go on very low calorie diets have increased food cravings and can become preoccupied with food. If you are unsure what calorie level is right for you, consider consulting with a registered dietitian.

Avoid Refined Carbohydrates

Refined carbohydrates, or the “white stuff” (white bread, pasta, rice, etc.) can end up stimulating your appetite. Instead, choose their whole grain counterparts. The fiber content of these foods helps to keep blood sugar levels stable and avoid drops which can lead to food cravings. Look for 3 grams of fiber or more per serving on the nutrition label.

Clean Up Your Environment

If you know that you have certain trigger foods, then it is important to keep them out of your home. It will be hard to choose healthy snacks when tempting foods are lingering on your shelf. The less temptation you have, especially during vulnerable times, the better.

Don’t Be Too Rigid

Enjoy your favorite desserts and snacks once in a while. If you completely eliminate them, you will become focused on these foods and end up eating too much. Enjoy your favorite treats occasionally. This takes the power away from them.

The 15 Minute Rule

Once you have a craving, try to wait 15 minutes before eating. Try to engage in another activity such as journaling or taking a walk. This is not meant as a distraction; instead, it gives you time to look into your craving a little more and ask questions. Am I really hungry right now? Why am I feeling these cravings? Often taking 15 minutes before giving into the craving can help you avoid it.

If You Give In, Learn and Let Go

If you do give into a craving, then learn from it and let it go. Beating yourself up will only make things worse. We are all human. It is important to be patient with ourselves and to allow ourselves learning curves. One slip doesn’t undo all your progress.

With love and belief in you,
Alla Sem