5 tips to conquer your cravings

Are you one of those people who can’t start the day without a double, double (two sugars, two creams) coffee, a sweet bread, or a bagel with cream cheese or a croissant?  Do you automatically grab a bag of chips at the grocery store, even when a part of you says “Don’t do it”? Or do you feel like is the weekend so it’s pizza night, cake on Saturday, and pancakes on Sunday? Why is it so hard for some of us to resist cravings? Well, it depends on how your brain functions.

I’m going to get a little bit geeky but try to follow because finally, you will understand why you can’t stop yourself.

Cravings involve several brain circuits and neurotransmitters, including:

• Prefrontal cortex (PFC): The PFC acts as the brain’s brake and is involved in impulse control and judgment. When it is healthy, it helps you say no to the cookies, chips, or candy that is calling out to you.

• Pleasure and reward centers: This brain region, called the nucleus accumbens, provides the passion and motivation to drive behavior. When activity in this region is balanced, it helps you choose the apple instead of the apple pie. When the pleasure centers are worn out from overuse, it makes you want more sugary, fatty foods.

• Emotional centers: The deep limbic system ties emotional memories to foods and can increase the value of certain foods that are linked to good memories.

• Dopamine: Eating triggers the release of dopamine, which is involved in motivation and salience. Consuming sweet, salty, scrumptious snacks increases the amount of dopamine released.

When activity in the PFC is healthy, these brain systems and neurotransmitters work together to help you fight off cravings.

However, if there is low activity in the PFC, it can allow the pleasure and emotional centers to hijack your brain and drive you to fall to cravings. If you routinely give in to your urges to snack on unhealthy fare, you can learn to fight back and regain control of your brain with the following 5 tips.

1. Keep your blood sugar balanced.

Low blood sugar levels are associated with lower overall brain activity, including lower activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the brain’s brake.

Low brain activity here means more cravings and more bad decisions. Low blood sugar levels can make you feel hungry, irritable, or anxious all of which makes you more likely to make poor food choices.

So, keep your blood sugar balance, eat food that doesn’t spike your blood sugar (yes, the muffin will spike your blood sugar), and have more protein and fats (coconut oil or avocado) this will keep you satisfied for more hours.

We all have difficult days, so try to start your meal with your vegetables, then protein and carbs at the end (avoid processed carbs and eat sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown wild rice, or beans, for example).

2. Avoid artificial sweeteners.

If you really want to decrease your cravings, you must get rid of the artificial sweeteners in your diet. You may think of these sweeteners as “free” because they have no calories, but they can be up to 600 times sweeter than sugar, which means they may activate the appetite centers of the brain making you crave even more food and more sugar.

So, goodbye to diet sodas, sugar-free snacks and yogurts, and all highly processed foods.

3. Manage your stress

Chronic stress has been associated with increased appetite and cravings for sugary, fatty fare. It is also linked to abdominal obesity, low energy, poor concentration, elevated cholesterol levels, heart disease, and hypertension, as well as an increased risk for anxiety and depression.

Make your mental health a priority in your life, get a life coach to speak about what is troubling you, practice meditation, practice breathing exercises, and add magnesium to your supplement intake.

4. Move your body

Scientific research has found that physical activity can cut cravings whether you crave sugary or salty snacks.

A study in the journal Appetite showed that cravings for chocolate decreased following a 15-minute brisk walk. And findings from a 2022 animal study show that acute high-intensity interval training curbs cravings for high-fat foods. In this study, rats on a month-long diet that did intense exercise were better able to resist cues for yummy high-fat food pellets. Think of it as the equivalent of being able to drive past a doughnut shop or pizza parlor without being tempted to pull the car over and indulge.

Go for a brisk walk outside in nature or consider an exercise routine that includes high-intensity interval training at least two times a week and weights, it doesn’t matter your age weights is great for your muscles and for your bones.

5. Sleep

Have you ever noticed that after a night with almost no sleep, you wake up ravenously hungry and want to eat anything and everything in sight? That is because lack of sleep increases food cravings. 

Research shows that lack of sleep causes changes in the brain associated with an increased desire for high-calorie foods. An expanding body of scientific evidence has shown that the less sleep you get, the more cravings you have, the more calories you eat, the more belly fat you have, and the higher your BMI.

Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. Create a nice routine that promotes relaxation try different things and keep doing what works better for you, for example, tonight turn off all your tech devices, sip a warm chamomile tea, and take a warm bath with Epsom salts.