Practical Tips To Help Fight Food Cravings

Managing food cravings can be the toughest part of eating well. When the time comes to choose between eating well and caving into those monster cravings for all-things-naughty, it’s best to have a plan for making your cravings something you can ignore.

Here are some practical tips to help fight those food cravings when they creep in.

Drink Plenty Of Water

It is not unusual for people to mistake thirst for hunger, as the two biological signals are close. To check to see if you are thirsty and not hungry, drink at least one 8 oz cup of water and wait for 20-30 minutes. If your craving goes away within that time frame, then it wasn’t a real hunger signal.

You may want to keep a water bottle on you to help you stay hydrated and craving-free. By keeping your system well-hydrated, you can reduce your appetite during mealtime too.

Develop Stress Relief Techniques

Not only is stress detrimental to your overall health but it can also trigger food cravings in an effort to self-soothe. In fact, research has shown that stress, which causes the release of the stress hormone cortisol, contributes to the development of abdominal weight gain. So, when you grab a snack because you feel stressed, that excess can end up right around your middle.

To help you combat food cravings triggered by stress, it is important for you to develop a variety of stress-relief techniques. Some you may want to try are:

Morning meditation
Regular yoga
Breathing techniques
Calming mantras

Rather than searching all over the internet for these techniques, you will find that iFit has a variety of options with experts who know these techniques best. Access your iFit membership here.

Embrace Protein And Fat Consumption

If you find that you are usually hungry an hour or two after you have already eaten a meal, you may want to embrace the addition of more protein and fat to your diet.

Both fat and protein are satiating, which helps your body feel satisfied for longer, as well as supplying key macronutrients you need to function. Healthy foods which are rich in protein and fat are:

Nuts
Avocado
Fish
Quinoa
Eggs

By incorporating these things into your diet and removing some simple carbohydrates, you can tackle your food cravings more easily. It’s also a good idea to keep track of your nutrition so you can have a clear idea if you’re getting enough or lacking something. You can do so with the iFit app.

Keep Healthy Snacks Handy

Snack attacks are bound to happen. Sometimes it’s because you missed a meal or had a high calorie-burning workout with iFit. Whatever the reason, it is important to keep some healthy snacks on hand to help you when those cravings hit. That way, you don’t grab the nearest candy bar, only to regret it after the craving has passed.

Need some snack ideas? Check out these healthy snack recipes on iFit. And if you happen to be Keto, iFit has got you covered too!

Practice Meal Prepping

Lastly, one of the best ways to beat food cravings is to have your meals planned, or even better, already prepared. It is not uncommon to consider meals only once we are feeling hungry, but by that time, it is also easy to just grab whatever food we are craving.

By having meals planned for or already prepped, all you have to do is follow through and eat your meal, avoiding any diet-busting craving meals.

Pair these tips with your NordicTrack fitness equipment to feel more confident as you continue on your health journey without those stingy food cravings.