Anyone who wants to lose a few kilos or even needs to reduce their body weight for health reasons knows the problem: Although the desire to stick to a certain diet plan is there in principle, the desire for unhealthy, sweet or fatty foods is suddenly greater. This phenomenon is also known to many as cravings. Read here how cravings arise and how they can be kept under control and even prevented.
Cravings as a diet killer
Anyone who has ever been on a diet – aroundyour own healthto do something good - you know the craving phenomenon: a diet plan is followed throughout the day and perhaps a sports session is incorporated into the daily routine. In between meals or in the evening, however, the irresistible urge for unhealthy snacks or other high-calorie foods arises. If you give in to it, it usually doesn't stay with a small portion.
The sudden strong cravings for food have the potential to demotivate those who want to lose weight and to question their success in losing weight. However, if you understand where cravings come from, you can mitigate them with a few tricks.A balanced diet helpseven avoiding cravings altogether.
Cravings as a warning signal from the body
The feeling of craving is – just like a “normal” feeling of hunger – a warning signal from the body. Hunger indicates that it needs nutrients to continue functioning properly. The tricky thing, however, is that hunger can sometimes also appear as cravings and thus as a desire for unhealthy things.
If you give in to your cravings and eat sweets or snacks, your blood sugar level will rise sharply - but will quickly fall again a short time later. The result of the rapid decline is the renewed urge to eat something sweet or fatty.
This means that when hunger occurs, the body is often not provided with the nutrients it actually needs. This, in turn, causes the body to crave even more food, despite previous food intake. However, the point is actually not that the organism needs something sweet. Rather, he just wants to remind us to get enough nutrients.
A balanced diet prevents cravings
Cravings are actually nothing more than the body's desire for nutrients. Accordingly, cravings can be avoided in most cases. In order to prevent attacks, it is particularly important not to skip meals and to eat healthy, nutrient-rich foods. This makes it possible to ensure a sufficient supply of nutrients and keep the insulin level constant - cravings then occur much less often.
Of course, avoiding cravings through a healthy, balanced diet won't happen overnight. Rather, it takes some time until bad eating habits and the associated food cravings are completely a thing of the past.
However, if you want to finally say goodbye to excess weight and unhealthy cravings, you should take the time necessary. Changing your everyday habits and practicing new, healthier eating habits usually takes around six to eight weeks. Within this period it is usually possible to get used to new behaviors and consolidate them. If you succeed, cravings will soon be a thing of the past thanks to a sensible diet.
However, it is important not to allow yourself to be demotivated by setbacks and occasional “sins” during the adjustment phase. Rather, those who want to sustainably reduce cravings should continue to eat regularly, exercise and eat a low-calorie, healthy diet. If cravings continue to occur occasionally during the adjustment phase, they can be alleviated with a few simple tricks.
Effectively reduce cravings
According to official data, around 60 percent of all adults in Germany are overweight. Food cravings and the lack of control over them are partly to blame for this development. Fortunately, there are ways to deal with food cravings constructively or to mitigate them:
- If the craving occurs in a situation in which it has been a long time since the last meal, those affected should actually eat something. However, they should not give in to their cravings, but rather prefer a healthy and balanced small meal instead of sugary or fatty foods.
- While eating, care should be taken to consume food as slowly and consciously as possible. This promotes the feeling of satiety and makes it last longer. Eating on the side - for example in front of the TV - is less recommended.
- Cravings usually don't last long - they usually go away after a quarter of an hour. To bridge the time until the attack ends, it helps to chew chewing gum or brush your teeth. The mint taste often makes the craving for sweet or fatty foods go away even faster.
- DieConsuming sufficient amounts of fluidhelps prevent cravings. It is recommended to drink at least 1.5 to 2 liters of unsweetened liquid daily. It can also help to drink a large glass of water or some unsweetened tea during a craving.
