How Do I Take Control of My Cravings?

My mother-in-law sent me this in an email this week. I thought I would pass it on to you. It's from builtlean.com, so I'm not sure how "scientific" it is, but it seems to have some helpful tips for those who suffer from food cravings. Good luck!

How To Stop Food Cravings | 7 Tips

by Marc Perry, CSCS, CPT | March 22, 2012 |   
  
Do you know the feeling late at night when suddenly you have a massive craving for sugar?

It’s as if that chocolate bar you grabbed at the deli, or those random jelly beans you have in the kitchen are sinking deeply into your thoughts. No matter how much you try to shake the image of the food you are craving out of your mind, the image grows larger and more vivid. Within minutes, your stomach feels empty even though you just ate dinner an hour ago.

Then you reason with yourself, “Alright, I’ll have one bite to get it off my mind”. One bite invariably leads to more bites until you slam down a day’s worth of sugar right before bed.

If this sounds eerily familiar to what you experience, you are not alone. In fact, everyone experiences food cravings at one time, or another, with some feeling it more frequently and more intensely than others.

The science behind overeating, hunger, and cravings is vast and can easily fill a book. This short article will briefly explore some of the mechanisms of hunger and cravings and give you 7 actionable tips you can use to help reduce, or possibly even stop the food cravings you experience.

Physiological vs. Psychological Food Cravings

As living and breathing organisms, humans need calories and nutrients to function and stay alive. So how do you figure out how many calories and nutrients your body needs?

The short answer is you shouldn’t have to grab a calculator to figure it out. Our bodies are finely tuned machines that have evolved over millions of years to regulate our hunger. We eat when we need the calories, and stop eating when we are full – or at least that’s how it’s supposed to work.

Various theories exist as to why and how our built in hunger regulation gets seriously out of whack when presented with a plate of hot fudge brownies. The second we start eating more calories and nutrients than our body needs for survival, we start shifting from physiological eating to psychological eating, from feeling hungry because our bodies need calories and nutrients to “thinking” we are hungry because the food we are eating is so tasty we just can’t control ourselves.

Research has proven that food can be just as addicting as heavy recreational drugs. In fact, the same part of the brain that is activated by these drugs is activated by the sight, smell, and taste of those delectable foods you crave. To make matters even more challenging, food marketing companies exploit our addiction by combining fats and sugar in ways that purposely over-stimulate our brains.

The following 7 tips can help you stop your cravings that are deeply rooted in your psychology and physiology:

Stop Food Cravings Tip #1 | Take Notes

Making your subconscious habits conscious to identify in what situations you start to have cravings could be the most important step you take. Writing down the situations when you feel the cravings, or simply doing this as part of your food journal can help stop the food cravings from happening, or directly allow you to address them. The sight, or the smell of food, location, time of day, your emotional state such as if you are stressed, or lack of sleep are just some of the situations that can spark a food craving.

Stop Food Cravings Tip #2 | Rehearse

Once you identify the situations where you crave foods, anticipate these situations like an elite athlete before a competition. For example, you may say to yourself, “If I smell fresh chocolate chip muffins on my way to work, I’ll keep walking”. This rehearsal process conditions the mind to make the body react favorably before you can enter into a deep inner monologue, which invariably doesn’t work out well. The cravings process works in a linear, step-by-step fashion with (1) a cue, (2) activation, (3) arousal, and (4) release. Rehearsing stops the food cravings at the cue step before going deeper into the process.

Stop Food Cravings Tip #3 | Think Negative

Pair unhealthy foods and those foods you crave with a stream of unappealing images. It’s the exact opposite of what advertising agencies do. For example, next time you have a craving for coke, picture in your mind the thought of a large bag of sugar. Then imagine opening up the bag and scooping 10 teaspoons worth of sugar into your mouth. That’s how much sugar is in a can of coke, because there is 1 teaspoon per 4 grams of sugar, and a can of coke has 39 grams of sugar.

Stop Food Cravings Tip #4 | Chew Gum

Cravings can rear their ugly head when you are experiencing a stressful situation, or even lack of sleep. Grabbing a piece of gum can help stave off that craving for pastries, chocolate, or whatever the vice. The thought of taking out the gum, then putting the gum back in after snacking is not that appealing for most people.

Stop Food Cravings Tip #5 | Drink Water

Water is not only very important for maximal fat loss and improved health, but it can also help prevent cravings. Oftentimes, our bodies can have trouble differentiating between dehydration and hunger. When all you need is a glass of water, your body can trick you into thinking you will be satisfied with some more food. When you feel a craving, drink a glass of water and wait a few minutes. The cravings may subside.

Stop Food Cravings Tip #6 | Tighten Your Belt a Notch

This can help remind you of the lower bell flab you are trying to lose and help motivate you to avoid unhealthy food. It’s a simple psychological trick that creates a physical association that you can tie to the negative impact of succumbing to your cravings.

Stop Food Cravings Tip #7 | Purge Your Cupboards

While this tip is listed as #7, it could be #1, or #2 on the list. Purge your apartment, your desk at work, and any other place that you may have foods devoid of nutritional value. Empty calories belong in the garbage, not in your stomach! The power of “out of sight, out of mind” cannot be underestimated. There’s no reason to create any more cues, because our minds are getting assaulted with savory images of food all day long.

Some More Tips to Stop Cravings

Brushing your teeth is a tactic to help avoid late night snacking, which is mainly something that’s habitual. Many times when we eat late at night, it’s by force of habit, not because we are really hungry. Another tactic is to avoid the kitchen after a certain time at night, say 8pm. Many of us go in the kitchen like mindless zombies looking for stuff to munch on, so this “no kitchen re-entry” rule can be very helpful. Brushing your teeth and making this commitment can help prevent you from digging into that stash of oreo cookies right before bed (but hopefully you’ve already thrown out that stash of oreos).

This article is just scratching the surface of complex topics like hunger, overeating, and cravings, but I hope it was a helpful introduction for you and that you now have some actionable tips you can implement right away to stop food cravings.

Hopefully you found that insightful :)

-Kamie

How Can I Possibly Eat Enough Fiber?

You may not be aware of this, but the average American only eats HALF the amount of fiber recommended by the USDA. Now, generally I'm a glass half full kind of person, but HALF the amount of fiber you should be eating...that's more of a glass half empty scenario. Ideally, women should get 25 grams of fiber/day, and men 38 grams/day. That's a lot of fiber, especially if you're not a whole gains, fruits and veggies kind of person. So, what are some reasonable solutions to fixing this problem?

1. Exchange your favorite white bread for whole grain bread. I know, that's a tough one, but there are whole grain white breads out there that taste almost exactly like the original white bread. This should add about 2 grams of fiber per slice of bread. If you eat a sandwich or a couple of pieces of toast for breakfast, that's 4 extra grams of fiber you could be getting.
2. Switch out the white rice for brown rice. I know this can be heard to get used to, but topped with sauce you'll hardly notice the difference. And one cup of brown rice contains between 3-4 grams of fiber. 
3. Anytime you go to eat a cracker, make it a whole grain one. This simple change can add a couple more grams of fiber to your diet.
4. Keep the peel on your fruits and vegetables. The peel is where a lot of the fiber and vitamins are found. On average, fruits and vegetables contain about 1-2 grams of fiber/serving. You are supposed to get 5 servings of fruits and veggies/day, so that adds up to about 7-8 grams of fiber. 
5. Make breakfast a whole grain event. Whether it's oatmeal, wheaties, shredded wheat, cheerios, etc. breakfast is a great time to pack a lot of fiber into one bowl. 
6. High fiber cereals and granola bars are another usually tasty option if you are in need of a fiber boost. These contain functional fiber, which is basically a fiber supplement in food form.
7. If you are still running low on fiber, adding a little fiber supplement powder to your juice, smootie, or even water can give you the extra boost you need. But be careful not to take too much, because too much fiber can have it's negative effects as well. 

Okay, so I bet you're wondering why you should care about eating enough fiber, right? The reason is becoming more and more clear the most science learns about it. They have already discovered that fiber helps reduce the risk of heart disease (especially fiber from whole grains) and may be helpful in preventing colon cancer. Overall, fiber helps keep your digestive system healthy and your weight at a stable level. There have been studies that have found that women who eat more whole grain tend to weigh less. That's just an added bonus ;)

-Kamie

Kamie's Tip of the Week:

Feeling a bit cold this winter season? Tempted to run to those high carbohydrate foods to comfort yourself? Maybe what you need is a warm bowl of soup :) I discovered a yummy recipe this week: Tomato soup. Find the recipe here: http://www.food.com/recipe/kittencals-thick-and-rich-creamy-tomato-soup-low-fat-option-350894. Homemade soups are generally better for you because they have fresher nutrients and less sodium.

A few tips: If you're not a huge tomato fan, add more milk or 1/4 cup cheese. This will tone down the intense flavor. I added some chopped spinach as well. It's not super flavorful and is a good way to add extra nutrients to the meal. If you're a simplistic cook like me, don't worry about adding all the extra spices. Normal pepper works fine. Use half the amount of butter suggested by the recipe (just enough to lightly saute the onions). Also, no tomato soup is complete without some crushed crackers (whole grain is best) or a grilled cheese sandwich. Enjoy!

-Kamie

Why Should I Eat Meat?

It is so interesting to see how vastly different the world is from one country to another. In most countries where starvation is a major problem, the situation could be drastically improved just by adding a few ounces of meat to their diet each day. Of course this would not solve every problem, but it would give them the adequate protein they need in order for their body to grow healthily. In contrast, in the United States and other developed countries, the majority of people eat far more meat than they need nutritionally. This is not necessarily a problem, except it can lead to excess calorie and fat consumption as well.

Nutritionally, meat is a wonderful thing. It is the easiest way for our bodies to get the right kind of protein in the right amount (for more on protein, refer back to my post on protein by following this link). What does that mean? Well, put simply, the same molecules (called amino acids) that make up the steak you ate for dinner will be making up your muscles, enzymes, and other tissues within a few hours. The type of protein found in meat is the kind our body needs. Can we get it from other sources? Yes, but then it becomes more complicated because plant sources are not an exact match of what we need. Therefore, you'll have to mix and match different grains and beans in order to get all of the amino acids your body needs to build its own proteins.

For those of us who eat meat everyday, this may not seem that important.  But if you take a look around the world at populations that live mostly on one type of grain, you can see what affect this can have. They are not getting all of the amino acids they need, and therefore their body cannot grow. Children in these countries are stunted (short for their age) and extremely skinny (for pictures click here). We are very blessed to have access to the meat our body needs around the corner at the local grocery store.

What else is good about meat? Well, it is rich in iron that can easily be absorbed. Iron is important especially in our blood. It helps our blood cells carry oxygen from our lungs to our tissues so they can live. Pretty important! Also, it contains vitamin B12 (ONLY found in meat and dairy products) which is essential for proper nerve function. Without it, you could lose your ability to feel, become paralyzed, and even die. It also helps keep your blood cells healthy, so without it you can get pernicious anemia, a very dangerous condition of the blood.

So, it's pretty obvious that meat is a good thing (at least for our bodies). However, you may have heard on the news lately that frequent consumption of red meat can be a bad thing. For more details on that, check out WebMD's article here: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-truth-about-red-meat. My advice is simple: Eat red meat sparingly, maybe once or twice a week, and get the rest of your meat from lean sources including chicken, pork, turkey, and ESPECIALLY fish. If you're not a meat fan, eggs are a great source of protein too. And don't forget to drink your milk!

-Kamie

Should I Be Taking Nutritional Supplements?

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the supplement industry, at least from a nutritional standpoint. Do supplements really help? And are they safe to take, considering they don't have to approved by the FDA?

Here's how I view supplements: Go ahead and take them if you want, but don't let them replace fruits, vegetables, whole grains, light dairy, and lean meats in your diet. All of these foods contain essential nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fiber, calcium, iron, protein) that you are far better off getting from food than from supplements.

Why is it better to get nutrients from food? The truth is, science hasn't quite figured that out yet. Tory Parker, a professor at Brigham Young University, has been doing research on this subject, and has found that for unknown reasons, eating a whole orange has healthier benefits than just taking vitamin C, the main vitamin in the orange. The conclusion reached at this point is that there must be other beneficial biomolecules in the whole foods we eat that science has not yet identified. We do not know what they are or how they specifically help, we just know that they do. From plant sources, we call these biomolecules phytochemicals, and it is agreed they work best when consumed from a whole food source.

So, if you are totally set on taking supplements just in case, there's no problem with that. Just be careful that you are taking safe amounts. You can double check this by reading the labels on the supplement. For vitamins, minerals, and some other essential nutrients, the % Daily Value, which is the percent of the total amount recommended each day, should be posted on the nutrition label. Check to see that none of these are over 200%, and most are equal to or under 100%. This precaution should be taken to insure you do not consume a toxic level of these nutrients.

Are there times when you definitely should take a supplement? If you are deficient in a certain nutrient, your doctor may prescribe supplements to help restore your health. If you are pregnant or could get pregnant, take prenatal vitamins, and make sure you are getting enough folic acid. For younger women, it could be beneficial to take iron and calcium supplements: iron to prevent anemia during menstruation, and calcium to build bone mass and thereby prevent osteoporosis in later life. However, a healthy diet and exercise are always most important and are irreplaceable in the health benefits that they give.

-Kamie

Kamie's Tip of the Week:

My mom said something interesting the other day that I thought I would share with you.  We were talking about oatmeal. I told her that, though oatmeal is very healthy for you, once you add all the brown sugar to make it taste good, it's just as sugary as those high sugar cereals you're trying to avoid. She told me that I had a problem: I was looking at food as something to enjoy, rather than as something to fuel my body.

There is wisdom in this. Food actually IS something to fuel your body. That's why we have to eat, to give our body the energy and nutrients it needs to run properly. But food is SO YUMMY! Right? Most of us can afford to add a little sugar to our oatmeal to make it a bit more tasty. But for those of you who have health problems because of your weight/diet, or are in serious danger if they don't change something, or are just getting a bit up there in age, this is a tip for you: FUEL YOUR BODY! Feed it what it needs, NOT what you most enjoy. Trust me, there's a lot more to enjoy in life than food, and living longer is always worth a little discomfort in your diet.

-Kamie

How Can I Resist the Temptation to Eat too Many Goodies This Season?

From October 31 to January 1 is the season of yummy treats and goodies! It is also the season of losing complete control over your diet. But don't lose hope, you can stay healthy even in the time of the year. Here are a couple of tips:

1. Practice Your Self-Control: Let yourself have a little bit everyday (within the means of your discretionary calories). You will drive yourself crazy if your try to avoid eating any sweets, especially since they are likely to be all around you. Instead, tell yourself how much you can eat without overdoing it, and don't allow yourself to deviate from that amount.
2. Enjoy Each Bite: If there are a bunch of yummy treats in front of you and you want to try them all, don't have a serving of each. Instead, savor a bite or two of each, all while staying within your discretionary calorie limit (about 200 calories for most people).
3. Spread it Out: Have a bite in the morning, a bite in the afternoon, and a bite at night. This will keep you satisfied all day without eating too much.
4. Try Some Healthy Treats: Pumpkin Bread, Berry Cobblers, Fruit Cakes, etc. all have nutritional value in addition to their great taste. These are the goodies you can be proud of yourself for preferring.

Here's a recipe for a deliciously healthy treat that is perfect in the Fall!!!

Peach Cobbler:

Filling: 5 cups Fresh or Canned Sliced Peaches (save about half of the juice if canned)
          1/2 cup peach juice or water
          1/3 - 2/3 cup sugar
          1 Tbsp (add more if necessary) cornstarch
Topping: 1/4 cup butter melted
               2 cups granola (or oats)
               4 Tbsp flour

Directions: Heat filling on the stove until thickened and bubbly. Pour into cake pan. Mix topping ingredients and crumble on top of the filling. Bake 10-15 min at 375. Delish!!!!!

             -Kamie