How to Resist Food Cravings, Beat Anxiety? (BONUS: Lose Weight by Eating Better)

Craving for Sweets and Junk Foods

Craving unhealthy foods is at its peak when you least expect it- be it during a restricted diet, a fitness schedule, or just at night. You might have just had your dinner but a cookie jar or a box of sweets on the shelf can simply make you hungry for more. What’s next? Well, you just go and grab a piece of it.

This doesn’t stop here and you grab another piece or slice of the same coveted sweet thing and then another. Sometime later, you are done.

But then the feeling of guilt overpowers you- you feel like you have cheated on yourself. You spend the rest of your day or night ruing your decision, wondering if you could have done better. You sure could have but you didn’t. Here’s something that would help the cause.

“Help! I Want to Lose Weight but I Can’t Stop Eating!”

You are not alone. Every single person on the planet does indulge in emotional or binge eating sometime in a month. To us, craving for something coveted is not even a matter of concern as long as it is not affecting your health. It is when these indulgent desires get out of hand and cause a health risk that we start taking them seriously.

Expert help: Here’s how to get back on track after emotional eating

Such untimely desires to eat something can play on your vulnerabilities anywhere and anytime - and sometimes the impulse for a certain food is so compelling that you just can’t say no to it. Once you surpass that difficult stage after having it, you normally tend to feel guilty. This is a never-ending circle that only leads to faster weight gain and a ton of health issues like diabetes, overactive thyroid, and heart ailments.

People experiencing stress, anxiety, panic attacks, depression or anything related to a mental illness do not have to count on antidepressants to alleviate the pain they are going through. Simply adding some foods to your diet can boost your mood and squeeze out the negativity from your life. As you replace these healthy foods with junk foods and sweets, you will feel several healthy changes in your body.

How to Stop Overeating or Craving Food When Dieting?

As mentioned above, craving for foods is highest when you are dieting, or when you are on a restrictive diet like Keto or Mediterranean. It may also happen when you are under stress or when your blood sugar levels are low. You may control these indulgent desires with some determination and distraction.

The worse may happen if you are overweight or obese. You could be depressed about your increasing weight gain but you still can’t control your habit of binge or emotional eating. Persisting with this bad habit can lead to far-reaching consequences like diabetes, heart ailments, weakened metabolism, etc.

Here are some simple tips to crush cravings when dieting:

Sip some hot tea or coffee

Having a hot drink is a great and low-calorie option to handle sweet cravings. A tasteful cup of coffee will not only relax you but will also fill you up with liquids. You can simply go for the flavored low-calorie options like peach, apple, cinnamon, or berry for your sweet fix. Topping your favorite cup of coffee with sweetened milk is also a great way to handle midday hunger cues.

Choose your snacks wisely

Sometimes you just have to eat it and get indulged to handle the cravings. You may go for it but you should choose an item that does not exceed 200 calories. You could eat a protein-packed nut bar, Greek yogurt with berries, or a cappuccino. For salty options, you can choose from mixed nuts, cottage cheese, or sesame crackers.

Also read: Should thyroid patients eat every 2 hours for weight loss?

Eat a pickle

If you want to have something salty, just have a pickle. Yes, we know that this food item is high in sodium but it is also really low in calories. One or two spears will do the trick, without adding to your waistline. Just grab a bottle of water to flush some of that sodium!

Halt Method

It is important to practice mindful eating habits. Stopping yourself after you eat anything high in calories can be difficult, so you might want to ask yourself if you are really hungry. If you’re not, don’t eat it. Such temptations usually arise from boredom, tiredness, or loneliness.

How to stop sugar cravings? :

Switching to Honey for weight loss is a fabulous idea. We recommend you start your day with a cup of green tea to set your metabolism faster. This will also reduce your body’s requirement to depend on sugar for all necessary processes.

Sticky activity list on your pantry door

The best places to stick to the list of things you have to do are your refrigerator and pantry. This will help in diverging your interest and reducing the chances of mindless eating. It might just also help you handle your unhealthy eating habits.

Foods That Reduce Anxiety and Depression

Eating certain fruits and herbs is linked to reducing boredom, anxiety, stress, and depression. The same can also be extended to reduce the habit of binge eating and its after-effects. We tend to overeat when we are stressed or when our sleep patterns are not balanced, so it would be worthwhile to consult a healthcare expert to know what could be missing.

Expert tip: Here are some easy foods that you can eat every day to lose weight faster in a natural way.

Avocado

There’s a reason avocado on toast is one of our favorite breakfast options. Avocados are loaded with B vitamins that help in improving brain cells and nerve health. There’s a chance that your anxiety and stress may be a result of a vitamin B deficiency.

Did you know? Avocado and quinoa are excellent replacements for your junk foods.

Avocados are amazing stress-busters. Not only do they please us with their great taste, but they’re also very nutritious. They’re rich in potassium and monounsaturated fatty acids and thus they help in lowering blood pressure. It is also a good source of Vitamin B2, B3, B5, and B6 that all help in boosting energy levels.

Turkey

Turkey is rich in Tryptophan, an amino acid that stimulates the brain to produce feel-good chemicals. This amino acid enables a neurotransmitter called serotonin that contributes to calmness and a positive mood. You may also eat chicken, milk, cheese, bananas, nuts, nut butter, soy, sesame seeds, and oats for the same result.

Asparagus

Anxiety and depression have been linked to low folic acid levels several times in medical and scientific literature. Asparagus is a great source of this mood-boosting nutrient. One cup provides two-thirds of your daily recommended value. What’s great about asparagus is that it can be included in any meal.

Beef

Beef made of grass-fed animals is packed with vitamin B vitamins. A deficiency in B complex vitamins like folic acid or vitamin B12 can cause stress and depression. You should take vitamin B supplements or consume foods containing vitamin B to make up for this deficiency. You may also go for rice, nuts, chicken, citrus fruits, legumes, and eggs as alternatives.

Turmeric

Turmeric consists of antioxidants called curcuminoids that have neuroprotective qualities and can help improve your mood. Adding it to your food has been proven to ward off even major depressive disorders that are closely associated with anxiety disorders. Turmeric can be used in powdered form in daily meals and warm milk for the best results.

Controlling Food Cravings: Take a Nutritionist’s Advice to Control What You Eat

We know that it is not easy to eat salads when others around you are eating cookies. But you should consider the after-effects of going in with fat or calorie-rich snacks or junk foods. Going on a restrictive diet and curbing your cravings can be difficult in the beginning but you would also derive health benefits from such positive habits.

A professional nutritionist can help you list out a few healthy foods that you can eat in moderation and at certain times of the day. Such inputs would be based on your energy intake and expenditures, so would be personalized to give better results.

You should also make a few changes to your fitness schedule. Working out will bring in a sustainable set of dietary habits. Staying consistent and truthful to it would hold the key to your fitness in times to come. Even if you slip or overindulge someday, you should not let the guilt or anxiety overpower you- you should rather use it as a motivator to make better choices in the future!