A breathing exercise to help curb your cravings

• Lack of nutrients in your body often lead to cravings but they could also be a result of stress. The increase in the production of stress hormone cortisol not only increases your appetite but also induces cravings for salty and sugary foods, leading to weight gain.
• According to a study published in the journal Stress and Eating Behaviour, stress directly influences your food choices by binding to the receptors in the brain that stimulate you to eat food high in sugar and fat.
• Another study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology suggests that cortisol also regulates the levels of other hormones like corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH), leptin and neuropeptide Y that are released under stress. These hormones, too, stimulate appetite and cause you to overeat.

How does this breathing practice help? This deep breathing technique can thus release stress and thus help in beating cravings. So when you find yourself craving for brownies in the evening while you are still at the office, take a few minutes to practice this breathing technique. Green tea can also help you beat cravings and lose weight.For how long should you practice? You can begin with 3 minutes and then increase your duration and perform it up to 30 minutes. Try practising it for 90 days consecutively and you will stop giving into your cravings. So, watch this video and learn how to perform the breathing technique. If you still can't control your cravings, think about the repercussions that refined sugar can have on your body. It can cause diabetes, tooth decay, obesity, heart disease and hormonal imbalance. This should restrict you from gorging on too many refined carbs and sweets. Here's how you can control pregnancy cravings. Image source: Getty Images Video source: Aili Kuutan/YouTube