Strategies to Overcome Cravings
Do you struggle with how to handle cravings? Cravings are a common challenge that people face! The fact that you’re experiencing them doesn’t mean that you’re weak or unmotivated. With the right mindset and strategies, you can embrace change and create new strategies and new opportunities for you to fight back to help stop and reverse those cravings.
Here are a few specific dietary steps, that can significantly help you if you’re struggling with cravings:
Start your day by ALWAYS eating breakfast. Never skip this important meal, even if you’re not a “breakfast person.”
Have a micronutrient-filled breakfast that includes fiber, protein and vegetables. The typical American breakfast of sugar and carbs is NOT nutritious.
Avoid refined, processed, and packaged carbs and sugars. These products will continue to stimulate more and more cravings.
Establish strategies to replace your cravings, instead of ignoring them. Think of your body as a wood- burning stove. For such a stove to be effective, you have to put fuel in that will allow it to burn long, slow, and evenly without the flames expiring. In other words, you wouldn’t want to use sticks and leaves which burn out fast. You would want to use nice-sized logs that burn long and strong, and when the fire starts to burn out, you would want to grab another log to put on the flames.
By comparison, carbs and sugar are to our bodies what sticks and leaves are to the wood-burning stove. When we experience cravings, it’s as though the fire is starting to burn low. In those moments, you may notice that your body craves things like sugars and carbs, which are like “quick fixes” or leaves on the fire. When this happens, don’t give in. Instead, replace that craving by snacking on some raw nuts and veggies. In the long run, you want to eliminate snacking altogether, but for the time being, this can help your body begin to feel satisfied when you have a craving. Proteins and healthy fats are going to help you feel satisfied for the longest period of time – they are like logs on the fire. They provide good energy and keep your metabolism going, unlike a quick fix of caffeine, carbs, and sugar. Remember that quick fixes do not provide the nutrients you need, which make them counterproductive in the long run. Over time, you become more depleted and have more and more cravings instead of suppressing them. Other options to replace and reduce the cravings would include a piece of fruit or adding fiber, such as ground flax, to your meal.
The best way to succeed in replacing your cravings is to plan ahead and be sure that you have nutritious snacks with you on a day-to-day basis. Again, you’ll be working towards a goal of not snacking, but in the meantime to fail to plan is to plan to fail.
RECIPES for Sweet Cravings:
BANANA NICE CREAM
INGREDIENTS:
3 Frozen bananas peeled, cut into thirds
1⁄4 cup of almond milk
DIRECTIONS:
Add the bananas and almond milk into a processor/high-powered blender and blend until creamy. This is delicious as is, however it can also be flavored.
OPTIONS:
Gingerbread Almond Banana Nice Cream
Add 1 Tablespoon of raw almond butter, 1-2 teaspoons of grated ginger, a sprinkle of nutmeg, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a sprinkle of ground cloves
Strawberry Nice Cream
Add 2 tablespoons of raw almond butter, 1 cup frozen strawberries, and 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
BLUEBERRY FLAX “YOGURT”
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1⁄2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
3 dates, pitted
DIRECTIONS:
Blend until smooth. Chill and serve.
BLACK BEAN BROWNIES
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of cooked/canned black beans
1 1⁄4 cups pitted dates
2 tablespoons raw almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1⁄2 cup coco powder
1 tablespoon ground chia seeds
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Combine the black beans, dates, almond butter, and vanilla in a food processor or high-powered blender. Blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend again. Pour into a very lightly oiled 8x8in baking pan. Bake for 90 minutes. Cool completely before cutting. These taste best after they have been refrigerated.
CHOCOLATE CHERRY ICE CREAM
INGREDIENTS:
1⁄2 cup vanilla almond milk
2 tablespoons coco powder
4 pitted dates
1 1⁄2 cups dark sweet cherries, frozen
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
Blend all ingredients together in a high-powered blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.
SWEET POTATO PEANUT COOKIES
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons ground chia or flax seeds
1 1⁄2 cups cooked/canned white beans
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1-2 ripe bananas
1⁄2 cup baked and peeled sweet potato
6-10 pitted dates
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup chickpea flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 cup dried apricots, cut into small pieces
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl mix ground chia seeds with 1⁄2 cup water and stir. Let sit 2 minutes to form a gel. In a high-powered blender combine chia seed gel, white beans, peanut butter, 1 banana, sweet potato, dates, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth and creamy. In a large bowl, combine the flour and baking powder and mix thoroughly. Add the blended mixture to this dry mixture and mix until flour is totally combined. Stir in apricot slices and second banana (cut into thin slices) and mix. Place parchment paper on large cookie sheet. Drop batter by spoonfuls onto the sheet and bake for 20 min.
