What to do When You Have a Craving

It’s great to set wellness goals like, “eat more fruits and vegetables” or, “lose the extra weight I gained over the holidays”. Setting goals gives you something concrete and tangible to work towards. Each goal achieved is a milestone on your wellness journey. Do you have a goal you’re currently working towards? Maybe you’ve even made a plan to help yourself reach success (grocery shopping lists, prepped meals, an accountability partner, etc). In your mind, things will go swimmingly - you’ll accomplish your goal in no time and be as healthy as can be. And then, all of a sudden…a craving strikes.

When that happens, please don’t beat yourself up! It’s completely normal to have cravings. Speaking for myself, I definitely have a sweet tooth - or, realistically, probably multiple sweet teeth. Food tastes delicious. I don’t believe that food should just regarded as fuel. Food makes a happy contribution to our life experiences and it should be enjoyed.

That being said, there are many factors that can cause us to yearn for sweet or salty treats. Stress, hormonal fluctuations, and feeling down can all lead to strong cravings. Many of us have at least one of these factors present on any given day of the week. While there is room for all foods, in moderation, in a healthy diet, indulging your every hankering might not be the best idea. Eating goodies daily, or nearly everyday, could lead to negative consequences to your health in the long term.

“Splendorous, I’m trying to eat healthy but I don’t know what I should do when I have a craving.” Funny you should say that, because I have some suggestions for what to do when you start longing for less-than-healthy foods.

Check in on Your Hunger

Sometimes a person starts craving energy-dense foods (ie: chips & ice cream) when they’re hungry. Our bodies know what foods offer lots of energy. If you’re running on low, your body might start craving those types of foods to quickly replenish you. So if you’re itching for an indulgence, take a pause and listen to your body. We sometimes push hunger cues to the side because we’re busy. Maybe you’ve been running errands all day. Maybe you wanted to get some exercise in before work, but then ran out of time to have a bite to eat. When you take this pause, you might realize that it’s been a few hours since you last ate.

Skipping meals and not eating when your body is telling you it’s hungry can throw a wrench into healthy eating plans. It can cause you to get to the point of being so ravenous that it gets difficult to make good food choices. It’s hard to be patient and take the time to make a healthy meal when your hanger starts raging. On top of that, it’s easy to tell yourself, “I haven’t eaten all day. I deserve this bacon double cheeseburger with a milkshake on the side”. In the end, you might end up eating even more than you would have if you had eaten earlier.

“Not skipping meals is easier said than done, Splendorous. I’m a very busy person.” I get that. If it’s challenging to find time to sit down to a meal, I recommend squeezing in a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. Choose foods that are both energy dense and highly nutritious so that you’ll feel satisfied and be less likely to binge later in the day.

Here are some examples of filling snacks:

• Crackers & cheese: Look for crackers made of brown rice, sweet potato, or quinoa. These foods have a lower glycemic index, so they won’t cause your blood sugar to spike and then crash. When shopping for cheese, choose something with a moderate amount of fat, around 2% M.F., to fuel you up and help you stay satisfied for longer.

• Plain yogurt with jam or honey: I recommend buying yogurt with around 2-3% M.F. Both the fat and protein from the yogurt will help you feel full. Adding something to sweeten the yogurt will keep your blood sugar from crashing and keep the cravings at bay. If you’re dairy free, there are alternatives made from coconut, soy, or peas that you can try.

• Fruit/veg with nut butter: There are so many butters out there to try besides peanut. There are butters made from almond, hazelnut, cashew, sunflower seed - the list goes on. And they don’t just pair with bananas. Try it with apples, grapes, berries, carrots, or celery. Again, this snack has fat and protein to satisfy your hunger, and it’s loaded with vitamins and minerals to nourish your body.

• Larabars: Personally, I don’t know how I’d get through this life without them.

Mint chocolate chip and chocolate brownie Larabars are my favourite snack. The protein, fat, and fibre in the bars keep me full and they also contain a decent amount of iron.

Check in on Your Thirst

I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but it’s so important to stay hydrated! Water is just as vital to your body as food. This is because water is required for the chemical reactions that break down your food for energy. All of your cells need water to function properly. Not drinking enough water can have effects that are similar to not eating enough food: trouble concentrating, feeling lightheaded, headaches, and irritability.

Feeling crummy from dehydration could lead to cravings for a treat. You might think that you’re hungry and need a snack, but you could actually be thirsty. If you’re feeling any of the previously mentioned sensations, have a glass of water and wait 20 minutes. Hydrating might make your craving fade away.

I’m a water freak. I carry around a big water bottle with me throughout the work week so I can stay hydrated. This helps me to not confuse thirst with hunger. Don’t worry, you don’t have to use a water bottle this big to stay hydrated!

Reflect on Your Diet Over the Past Week

Food isn’t just nutritional, it’s also social and cultural. That’s why we associate certain foods with celebration, happy times, and rewards for accomplishments or good behaviour. Because we have these associations in the back of our minds, cravings can develop after putting in a hard day’s work or when you’re feeling like you need a mood-boost. The problem is, if your reach for a treat every time you want to reward or comfort yourself, you can end up over-indulging.

To prevent that from happening, it’s important to be honest with yourself about what your recent diet has been like. Let’s pretend it’s Saturday and you’re thirsting for some goodies. After taking the time to reflect on the past week you might realize, “Oh ya, on Tuesday I had popcorn and candy at the movies. And then on Thursday I had a slice of birthday cake at the office. Hmm…then Friday was date night and I ordered cheesecake for dessert.” To keep yourself from going overboard on the delights, I recommend limiting your indulgences to 2 or 3 eating occasions per week. Meaning, if you have a cupcake for snack, that counts as one eating occasion.

“I can’t remember what I ate yesterday, Splendorous, let alone a week ago.” I agree - it can be really hard to remember what you’ve eaten. That’s why I suggest keeping a food diary when you’re working towards your healthy eating goals. A food diary is a very useful tool when you’re trying to improve your diet or lose weight because you can look back and see what you’re eating. If it’s overwhelming to keep a daily food dairy, you can aim for recording your diet 3 days out of the week. Make sure that one of those days is a weekend day. We tend to indulge more on the weekend; recording a weekend day might help you discover a barrier in your progress.

Ryan Gosling wants you to keep a food diary to help yourself reach your health and wellness goals.

When you’ve reflected on your recent diet and you realize you’ve already had your 2 or 3 indulgent occasions, I suggest saving the treat you had in mind for next week. This isn’t a hard rule set in stone. Of course I wouldn’t want you to miss out on special occasions that feature less-healthy foods just because you already had a couple goodies this week. But setting limits on the amount of indulgent food you eat will help you build self-control and make healthy decision-making easier.

I know how hard it can be to say no to a craving, so here are some healthier alternatives for when you’re feeling snacky:

• Chips: - one serving of crackers (check the nutrition label for serving size)

  - a small handful (or 1/4 cup) of unsalted nuts

  - 2 cups of air-popped popcorn (top with sriracha or mix seasonings - like

  dill or garlic powder - into a tablespoon of melted margarine)

• Ice cream: - make a thick smoothie out of frozen avocado, frozen banana, your

  milk of choice, and a dollop of honey or maple syrup

  - mix a ripe avocado with a tablespoon each of cocoa powder and

  honey/maple syrup for a mousse-like alternative

  - leave some flavoured yogurt in the freezer for an hour or two (check

  the nutrition label for yogurt that has less than 12g of sugar per

  serving)

Maybe after you’ve taken a look back on your diet you realize that you’ve only had one treat this week - or even none at all. At that point, I think it’s more than reasonable to have your heart’s desire. Just keep in mind that portion sizes matter. To avoid bingeing, dish out your goody and then store any leftovers out of sight. For example, put some chips into a soup bowl and then stick the chip bag in a cupboard that’s above your eyeline. Or, take one slice of cake and package up the rest and put in the freezer.

If you’re like me and you love baked goods, try my recipe for gluten free ginger snaps.

Did I mention I have a sweet tooth? After baking this batch of cookies, I ate one and then put the rest in my freezer to enjoy later.

Gluten Free Ginger Snaps

Yield: approx. 12 cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour (I use President’s Choice)

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

3 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp ginger paste OR 2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 cup oil of choice

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 F.

2) Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon together in one bowl.

3) Combine oil, sugar, and egg in another bowl until mixture takes on a fluffy texture.

4) Add ginger and molasses into the wet mixture from step 3; mix well.

5) Combine the dry mixture from step 2 with the wet mixture.

6) Cover and let dough rest for 10 mins.

7) Portion out dough onto a baking sheet with a scoop or spoon.

8) Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Ultimately, if you’re having a craving it’s because your body is trying to tell you something. That something could be, “I’m stressed” or, “I’m hungry” or, “We haven’t had something sweet and delightful in a while”. Listen to your body and address the root cause of your craving.

My question for you today is: Do you prefer sweet or salty treats?