The endless battle between giving in to cravings and fighting them…Which side will you choose?

Honestly, the fence might be the best choice on this one. Giving in to your cravings could make you feel guilty about eating more, while fighting them might just leave you feeling deprived. So, how do you tackle this battle? There’s no one way really, but here are some ‘tried and tested’ strategies that might just help you win the war.

1) Distract

Get your mind to focus on something else. Try calling a friend, listening to music, reading a magazine or any other such non-food activity you have wanted to do for a long time but have been putting away till now. More often than not, when you finish the task, your craving would’ve died down too.

2) Downsize

Satisfy that craving by exercising portion control. That way you don’t let yourself feel denied but you don’t beat yourself up for giving in either. You could do this by purchasing single serve packs of frequently craved foods, sharing the goodies with friends or coworkers, or then just enjoying a small amount when you eat out without bringing the leftovers home.

3) Divert

When a craving strikes, it usually is for a certain food only. It has very little to do with hunger and is almost always a ‘mind game’. You can re-route your craving by brushing your teeth or rinsing with a mouthwash that you like. The feeling of freshness will send a signal to your brain to focus on something other than food instead. And if that doesn’t work, whatever you eat after brushing your teeth won’t taste as good so you won’t want to eat too much of it anyway.

4) Dampen

Drink water. Really, it helps! Cravings could just be a case of mistaken identity, wherein you think your body wants food, but really all it wants is water. So, the next time you crave a certain food, try drinking a glass of water (yes a full glass) instead. You might just drown that craving, literally.