8 Ways To Take Control of Your Food Cravings

Almost everyone struggles with food cravings. It’s just how we’re wired as humans.

We often desire those high-fat, high-sugar, and calorie-dense foods like pastries, chocolate, potato chips, and pizza because they stimulate the reward centers in our brain and give us pleasure.

When kept in check, these cravings don’t affect our health too much and are just a normal part of everyday life.

But when they get out of control, they can wreak havoc on our health and lead to weight gain as well as contribute to negative health outcomes such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

So how do we manage these cravings so they don’t destroy our health? Here are 10 ways to help you tackle your food cravings for good.

1. Eat More Healthy Fats

Our bodies need fats to function and survive. And eating more of them may be the key to helping take control of your cravings.

Fat helps keep you full longer, which helps keep cravings at bay.

 One study found that people eating a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet had less food cravings and were less bothered by hunger than those consuming a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet.

It’s important to recognize that not all fats are created equal. Try to eat healthy fats like those found in olive oil and avocados and avoid trans fats.

2. Keep Your Blood Sugar Levels Stable

If you want to control your cravings, it’s important too control your blood sugar levels.

When your blood sugar gets to low, it can trigger cravings, especially for carbohydrate-rich foods. Low blood sugar levels tell your brain to seek out high-carb foods to help bring them back up.

To keep your blood sugar levels stable, avoid foods that spike your levels too high as they will inevitably crash later. These include foods like white rice and white bread, dairy products with added sugar, potatoes, and certain fruits like watermelon and pineapple.

Eating more fiber-rich foods can also help maintain health blood sugar levels as fiber helps to slow the absorption of sugar in the diet.

3. Make Sure You’re Getting Enough Sleep

Proper sleep is incredibly important for nearly every aspect of our health and plays a key role in our appetite and food reward system. So it’s unsurprising that research has found sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality is associated with weight gain and obesity.

Poor sleep affects the hunger and appetite centers of our brain that control what and how much food we desire. Sleep deprivation interferes with the signals from our body that tell us that we’re full.

One study found that just a single night of poor sleep increased hunger and food cravings and led to larger portion sizes.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends adults get at least seven hours of sleep a night.

If you want to keep your cravings in check, a great place to start is by getting either more sleep or better quality sleep. This may mean getting on a consistent sleep schedule or avoiding electronics before bed.

4. Get Some Exercise

Exercise can be a powerful tool when it comes to keeping your food cravings in check.

Exercise has been found to reduce unhealthy food cravings by improving something called cognitive restraint, which is the ability to control which foods we eat.

It doesn’t need to be complicated. Researchers found that taking a break and simply walking for 5 minutes every hour significantly reduced food cravings and hunger.

5. Be Careful With Weight-Loss Dieting

Many people commonly report their cravings get stronger when they go on a diet in order to lose weight, often because of the cravings in the first place. This can lead to a rebound effect in which you eat more of the unhealthy foods you crave than you did before embarking on a new diet.

And research backs this up. People who diet to lose weight versus those who eat to simply not gain weight experience not only more cravings but more intense cravings.

It may be counterintuitive, but completely depriving yourself of favorite comfort foods may actually make it harder to control your cravings.

Aim for a diet that isn’t too restrictive and one that allows you to satisfy your cravings every one in a while. Maybe have a cheat day every week where you eat your favorite foods.

6. Keep Your Stress Levels in Check

It’s nearly impossible to avoid stress in our modern lives. Busy work schedules, relationships with family and friends, and finances are all major sources of stress.

Research shows that chronic stress can trigger cravings by changing levels of hormones involved in appetite and hunger.

This is why you may find yourself craving something extra sweet and savory in particularly stressful times as a way to help cope with negative emotions and pressure. Many of the “comfort foods” that help us get through the tough times in life are calorie-rich and high in carbs and fat. They make us feel good, but this pleasure is often short-lived.

To reduce your food cravings, take an honest look at your stress levels and take steps to lower your stress such as meditation, breathing exercises, or talking with a friend.

7. Find Healthier Alternatives

Part of controlling your cravings is providing yourself with healthier options.

For example, if you’re faced with an irresistible urge to eat chocolate, opt for dark chocolate instead. It’s lower in sugar, higher in antioxidants, and is associated with more health benefits than regular milk chocolate.

If you’re craving something sugary, instead of reaching for that candy bar or pastry, grab a piece of fruit instead. This satisfies your sweet tooth and the fiber found in fruit prevents your blood sugar from spiking and crashing later. Plus, fruit also has many other beneficial nutrients in it to support your health.

You can even look for snacks that include zero-calorie sweeteners like stevia or xylitol. These can help satisfy your cravings without the excess calories.

8. Don’t Skip Breakfast

Due to our busy lifestyles and schedules, many of us often skip breakfast. However, if you’re someone who struggles with cravings you may want to find time to include breakfast.

One study found that those who ate breakfast had fewer cravings for high-carb, high-fat foods at night and ate less unhealthy snacks compared to those who skipped breakfast.

The researchers found that eating breakfast reduced activity in the reward centers of the brain that respond to food. Breakfast eaters also reported feeling fuller throughout the day.

Breakfast may therefore be especially important because food cravings and desires for unhealthy foods are often strongest at night.

Conclusion

Food cravings are a common occurrence, so don’t feel like you’re alone in your struggle to control your dietary urges.

By just making a few lifestyle changes, you can curb your cravings and develop healthier dietary habits.

It’s important to note that willpower is like a muscle, and the more you exercise it the stronger it gets. This means that the every time you say “no” to your cravings, the easier it gets. Eventually, it will become a habit and it won’t require all your energy to resist them.

Hopefully, you can use the strategies and tips outlined above to help you take control of your cravings and not let them control you.