Written By: Debjani Arora | Published : March 15, 2018 1:42 PM IST
Food is our comfort zone and no one can deny it. Those indulgences that we die for is really hard to resist. Different people have an affinity towards different kinds of foods, some like to indulge in the sugary creamy pastries, some love to dive into the cheesy pasta or double cheese crust pizzas, others will pig out on spicy biriyani, tandoori chicken or polish off packets of salty chips in minutes. We all have our comfort foods to go for when we want to instantly lift our moods. Yes, we do know the damage it does to us and the caloric burden that we put ourselves through but there are times when cravings get the better of us, period. The aftermath of cravings: guilt trips. But the damage is already done and you can do nothing to undo it. But what you can do is take the right steps to avoid a repeat episode of binge eating, overeating or falling prey to your cravings.
Here Neha Shetty, Nutritionist and Senior Manager, Reduce, Mumbai tells us what one can do right to curb cravings:
1. Stay hydrated always
Sometimes we confuse thirst with hunger. If you feel a sudden urge to have a specific food, try drinking a large glass of water and wait for few minutes. You might find that the urge fades away. Drinking water before meals may reduce cravings and settle your appetite. This immensely helps in weight loss too. Here are few ways to store water the right way.
2. Don t stay hungry for too long
Hunger is the biggest cause of our cravings. To avoid it, make sure you take your meals at regular intervals. Avoid staying hungry for a long time it can have an adverse effect on your health. Preferably plan your meals and stick to it regularly. It is also extremely necessary to make sure that the food that you eat consists a proper balance of the necessary nutrients and doesn t lack protein mainly, as protein intake can lessen your cravings majorly.
3. Don t binge eat when you are stressed
Stress may induce food cravings. It is extremely necessary to tackle stress as it not only influences eating behaviour but it also affects the judicious functioning of your body and tires you out easily. Try to minimize stress in your environment by planning ahead, meditating and generally slowing down. Are you stress eating, read this article to know.
4. Trick your mind
When you crave for some particular food incessantly, distance yourself from it. Try distracting yourself from the thoughts, keep yourself occupied (take a walk, shower, chew a gum, etc) so that your mind concentrates more on the task that you are doing and is diverted from the pangs for food.
5. Don t miss out on your six to eight hours of shut-eye
Lack of sleep is linked to most of the disruptions that your body undergoes and yet is the most neglected issue as well. Your appetite is largely affected by hormones that fluctuate throughout the day. Sleep deprivation worsens the fluctuations further and may lead to poor appetite and strong cravings. Hence it s necessary to at least have a proper sleep for the system to be up and running.
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