How many of us have longed to conquer the food monster in our head that tends to mess with our healthy diet plans and weight loss objectives? The term craving is an extremely repulsive word, especially when one is trying to keep away from unhealthy food options. Almost every dieter has combated, fought and wrestled with mental concoctions of cupcakes, pizzas, ice cream and burgers, especially when all that they have in front of them is a bowl of steamed veggies. Unfortunately the thought of eating unpalatable food can actually cause hunger cravings to become more frequent and intense thus worsening the situation of making healthy food choices. This does not mean that nothing can be done about hunger cravings. Here are some ways on how to discern the biggest mistakes one makes while on a healthy food path and what can be done to get it under control.

Learning To Crush Hunger Cravings

Do not avoid Breakfast

Although not many people feel hungry in the mornings, it is important to eat something that can help in staving off cravings later during the day. According to a study published by the Nutrition Journal, it was seen that those who were overweight consumed a 300 calories breakfast with approximately 12 grams of protein and had reduced cravings for savoury and sweet foods during the day as compared to participants who skipped breakfast. Although it is not clear why, researchers believe that protein is extremely instrumental in stimulating the release of dopamine, which is an important neurochemical involved in maintaining and managing food cravings. If you are looking to sustain yourself throughout the day without indulging in any kind of hunger pangs, go in for a half portion of cottage cheese, a couple of boiled eggs, or a small bowl of cooked oatmeal with 2 teaspoons of peanut butter stirred in it.

Reduce Portion Sizes

You have certainly got a craving for dense, decadent brownies and no matter how much you are trying to curb the hunger, you will be going to have it, which surprisingly is perfectly all right. But the problem lies in the quantity of the brownie servings that you are going to indulge in. So even though you are looking to grab three portions of brownie servings, it can help if you take only half of your imagined portions. According to a latest study conducted by the Cornell University, a survey conducted on 105 students revealed that participants who were given tiny bite sized pieces of chocolate, apple pie or potato crisps revealed their satisfaction of feeling full as compared to those who were given larger portion servings. Incidentally, the people who were given small portions ended up consuming approximately 78% fewer calories than those who had large portions. Hence, by taking a small serving of your favourite indulgent food, you can sit back and enjoy eating the treat slowly and then waiting for approximately 20 min until the craving for eating more subsides.

Don’t let Guilt get the Better of You

You’ve been invited for a friend’s birthday and you see a succulent slice of cake in front of you. You are immediately riddled with guilt, as you feel that if you eat that slice you will feel guilty about eating it later. Delighting in delicious food is the key to avoiding future bad food choices. According to a study conducted by the journal ‘Appetite’, it was seen that participants who associated desserts with celebratory feelings, had greater control on their eating habits and were less worried about losing weight or maintaining it. According to researchers, feeling guilty can result in ignoring your thoughts which can cause you to obsess over bad decisions and result in making even more bad food choices.