5 ways to control your craving for junk food

Craving for junk food is difficult to give up. Popular snacks are made with the right amount of sugar, fat, and salt and chemicals like casein to increase their addictive nature. Not only are the artificial sweeteners putting you at the risk of obesity and diabetes, but they are also making it difficult to give up junk foods. For a better weight loss program, you need to control your craving for junk food. Read on for tips on how to do it.

 

Try chewing gum

This one of the most effective slimming tips out there. This works on the principle that junk food cravings are related to habits and not conscious decisions. For instance, people generally snack up on chocolate bars when tired. One easy way to change this habit is by chewing sugarless gum. The same impulse of being tired/stressed will result into a different outcome by changing the action. Chewing gum also helps to slowly cut on junk food purchases and improve your weight loss program at the same time.

 

Eat more satiating food

Junk food is created so as to replace the need for satiety with palatability. This works by giving your body a temporary high by spiking your insulin levels, followed by crashes. The body’s reaction is to sustain that high by eating more of the same food. Palatability and satiety are inversely linked. To beat this impulse, avoid high palatability foods like French fries, fizzy drinks, cakes and baked products. High satiety foods that you should instead have are fruits, beans, fibrous food, and meats.

 

Trick yourself on your junk food budget

Commonly known as the envelope technique, this is an effective way to slowly do away with junk food cravings. Locate your expenditure on junk and fast food from convenience stores, restaurants and grocery stores. Reduce this amount to half for the first month. However, it is a better idea to keep the number to three-fourths. Keep this money in an envelope and limit the purchase of junk food to the cash kept here. Gradually bringing this amount down can help cut down on junk food totally.

 

Improve on your snacking choices

The first step is to move snacks you currently eat, to a different place. Now, choose healthier alternatives to these snacks. For instance, sodas can be replaced by water, chips by nuts, chocolates by fruits and so on. Shift your new choices to the old places. If you are motivated enough, the first step will be quite easy. The best part about this trick is that you will be satisfying your junk food cravings with much healthier food choices.

 

Identify why you need to quit junk food

This step is a lot about the thought-process and requires the channelizing of your willpower. Realise how beneficial quitting junk food is for your weight loss program. Many people go for energy bars or fries when stressed, or frustrated. Identify the environment that encourages you to eat junk food and get away from it. Another idea is to set reminder notes strategically near places that store your snacks. Body language exercises also go a long way in helping you ignore these cravings.