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| Home > Healthy People > July 2004 |
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Fighting Carb Cravings - 20 Easy Ways
By Susan Blackard, R.N.
 The trick to fighting carbohydrate cravings is to work with your cravings
and appetite-regulating chemicals, not against them. Below are 20
suggestions for curbing—and perhaps even eliminating—cravings for carbs.
1. Keep hunger at bay by eating three small meals and three snacks
evenly distributed throughout the day.
HOW: Make sure snacks include protein and a complex carbohydrate (smart
carbs such as any vegetable or fruit, dark leafy lettuce, beans, nuts,
brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, whole-wheat bread, seven grain breads
(oatmeal and oat bran) and peanut butter. Sugary snacks and desserts,
white bread, white pasta, white rice, soda and other sugar products are
not smart carbs. They are empty calories which may result in more pounds
stored.
 2. Avoid soft drinks and other sugar drinks in the morning, and
limit coffee.
WHY: Sugar drinks increase your cravings for carbs throughout the day.
3. Eat breakfast and include at least one serving of whole grains
(smart carbs),
one serving of fruit and protein.
4. Be sensible about snacking by planning ahead.
5. Keep nutritious foods on hand at home and work.
6. Use alternative flavorings, such as vanilla, nutmeg, spearmint,
cinnamon, and anise, to appease a sweet tooth.
ANOTHER TIP: Stevia is a great sugar substitute and appetite suppressant
that does not raise your blood sugar and store more fat.
7. Identify your trigger foods.
HOW: Plan ahead when you anticipate situations that will tempt you. Keep a
cravings journal and write down the time of day and the circumstances as
well as your mood, that surround a craving. Then develop a plan to appease
the craving while nourishing your mood and health.
8. If habit, not chemicals, is at the root of a craving, find more
nutritious, low-calorie foods or develop a new habit that provides the
same pleasurable or rewarding effect.
GREAT TIPS: Soak in a hot bath, go to the gym, or play with the dog during
the vulnerable time(s) of the day. Go for a five-minute walk after you eat
your planned snack and the craving will disappear.
9. Exercise – plan it in your daily schedule. Exercise is the only
way to deactivate fat cells.
10. Drink plenty of water.
WHY: Often a desire for sweets is actually a signal that the body needs
fluids. Some people report that their cravings for ice cream subside
within a few minutes after they drink one to two glasses of cold water.
Try drinking water with fresh lemon as you clean up the kitchen after
dinner.
11. Avoiding eating in response to stress and emotions.
HELPFUL TIPS: Ask yourself if you are really hungry or if you are eating
to soothe a mood. If you are not physically hungry, then find a non-food
outlet for your emotions, such as calling a friend, listening to soothing
music, or taking a walk.
12. Wait 15 minutes before giving in to a craving.
13. Eat like a king for breakfast, a queen for lunch, and a pauper
for supper.
WHY THIS HELPS: Eating 70 percent of your calories before 6 p.m. will also
help decrease your cravings for sweets.
If you are not hungry for breakfast, you are probably eating too much for
dinner.
14. Pay attention to portions.
WHY: Soothe a craving with a little, not a lot. One oatmeal cookie is
fine; the entire bag is a binge.
15. Savor the flavor.
HOW: When you choose to eat a cookie or a Hershey’s kiss, try chewing it
for 10 minutes instead of 20 seconds. Mindful chewing will help you with
food cravings. Chew sweet foods like you are chewing a piece of gum. It is
better to eat three meals and three healthy snacks throughout the day than
to binge.
16. Set mini-goals.
START SMALL: People have a limited capacity for self-control. Setting too
many goals or expecting miracles overnight is overwhelming. Instead, set
small, easy-to-achieve weekly goals, such as cutting back on potato chips
or soda.
17. Cut out all sweets for a week. WHY: You might find that
cravings will dwindle or even vanish. Challenge yourself.
18. Watch the negative self-talk.
THINK POSITIVE: Do you tell yourself, “I must have that cookie;”“A little
won’t hurt;” or “That’s it, I’ve blown it, I might as well eat all I
want”? These thoughts escalate cravings and urges to overeat. Replace them
with positive thoughts such as, “I’m thirsty, not hungry;” or “I ate more
than I wanted to, but I’ll stop now and get back on track;” “I am
responsible for making smart decisions.”
19. Change your attitude.
HOW: Stop denying yourself your favorite foods. Stop obsessing over food
or your weight. Dieting and restricting favorite foods only lead to more
wanting and eventually overeating. Eat favorite foods in moderation. Focus
on healthful eating, not dieting.
20. Eat a green leafy salad (romaine, green or red leaf lettuce or
spinach) at lunch and dinner. also try: Adding kidney beans, garbanzo
beans, sunflower seeds (low-glycemic foods) to your salad, squeezing fresh
lemon juice on your salad and using olive oil and balsamic vinegar as
dressing will decrease after-meal cravings.
Susan Blackard, R.N., is vice president of St. John’s Corporate Health &
Wellness Services and the author of
several wellness programs, including “The Low-Carb vs. Low-Fat Dilemma,”
“9 Steps to A. N.E.W. S.T.A.R.T.” and “Understand Alternative Medicine.”
For a speaking engagement, call her at
417-820-2322.
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