Issue Date: March 22, 2009
Manage your food cravings
Researchers are still debating why people have cravings that prompt out-of-control eating. But experts have plenty of tips on how to manage cravings:
KEEP CONTROL
Identify -- and minimize -- factors that trigger overeating, such as specific foods, social settings, routines or intense hunger.
Choose one place at home to eat, such as at the kitchen table, so you teach your brain to associate only that area with food.
Serve yourself a small portion. Don't eat food straight out of the package.
When you finish a portion, wait 15 minutes. Allow your brain to receive the message that your body has eaten.
Eat meals at regular intervals. If you skip meals, you may overeat later.
MAKE SUBSTITUTIONS
If you crave sweets, try fruit, perhaps with a dollop of yogurt. If you crave chocolate, try a high-fiber, low-sugar cookie or a granola bar that has a bit of chocolate in it.
If you crave salty foods, eat microwave popcorn, which is higher in fiber than pretzels and potato chips, or baked tortilla chips.
If you are hungry for something more substantial, eat a whole-grain-and-protein snack, like peanut butter on whole-grain bread, because it will fill you up.
Want to know more about stopping sugar cravings? Click here.
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