Avoid craving to eat

(Stop eating between meals)

How to stop eating sweets and other unsuitable food

The first step to stop cravings is to avoid eating sweets during a period of at least 30 days.

Although it is very difficult to achieve, we should restrict this type of food for a month to start to quit eating unhealthy food.

When the urge to eat, especially sweets, is very big these steps can help us.

TIPS TO AVOID SNACKING BETWEEN MEAL HOURS

Adopt a new attitude to life’s problems

Stress is a major factor that determines the appearance of cravings. Avoiding stress is one of the best ways to reduce the desire to eat between meals.

Therefore, one should adopt a new attitude to life’s problems, avoiding problems or try to rationalize them so that they cause less impact on our personality.

We may also improve with a proper diet for stress.

Replace simple carbohydrates by complex carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates (sugars and refined grains) increase blood glucose very fast, but this is also consumed very quickly, leading to a feeling of hunger a little while after eating them.

Complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, whole grains and tubers) keep levels of glucose in the blood more constant and lasting so that hunger is “keep at bay” for longer.

The following table shows a list of recommended foods to overcome cravings and another list of foods that should be avoided

• An example of what you should frequently eat: Among the main foods that decrease the desire to eat we have sweet potatoes, yams and squash.

They themselves have a sweet taste, but, unlike the real sweets, they do not increase the levels of glucose in the blood, so they can help us to go out of the vicious cycle of needing to eat simple carbohydrates. In the photo, a piece of roasted sweet potato.

• An example of what you should not eat frequently: Craving for ice-creams is a real passion when the heat arrives.

Ice creams are presented as a natural and recommended food, but, in fact, they contain too high amounts of sugars and fats, so they should not be eaten in a habitual way. In the photo, a group of people anxiously waiting to buy an ice-cream

Replace large meals more frequent frugal meals

Large meals involve copious ingestion of too much foods that raise blood sugar in the blood and cause disarray in the control of sugar levels in the blood.

Making a few meals a day is harmful because we keep our stomach empty producing hunger sensation. In addition, many hours without eating lowers levels of blood glucose and promotes the emergence of cravings.

It is best to make more meals a day and ensure that these are less abundant. Breakfast should be the main meal, followed by a small snack at mid-morning. The midday meal should be lighter than breakfast. In the afternoon we take a small snack (best of all a piece of fruit) and, at night, dinner should be very frugal.

With five well-spaced meals throughout the day and choosing the right foods in each of them, we can maintain the sugar levels stable and have less desire to eat something sweet.

Increase fiber intake

Increasing fiber intake can convey a greater sense of satiety. To do this we will use foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and seeds.

Fiber intake should be accompanied by a high intake of water. Soluble fiber in contact with water, enlarges, forming a kind of paste that increases the volume of ingested mass which can calm the hunger pangs (empty stomach contractions)

Among the foods rich in soluble fibers we have apples, oats and soybeans. (For more information on rich fiber diet)

More information about craving to eat.

Written by Editorial Botanical-online team in charge of content writing

7 August, 2024