Have you ever wondered why is it that your cravings for junk food are so much more powerful than those urges for healthy food? It’s simple. These foods are made in such a way that they give you great satisfaction when it comes down to taste while completely ignoring the health aspect of it.
While you indulge yourself in the guilty pleasures of cheese burgers and fries, you could also be concerned about your weight and deteriorating health but that isn’t enough to stop those cravings. Want to end this vicious cycle of food cravings and excessive weight gain? Here are some ways to make much healthier food choices:
1. Practice The Five-Ingredient Rule
When shopping for groceries and every day snacks, practice the five-ingredient rule. If there are more than five ingredients, know that it is a red flag for processed foods and therefore, do not buy it! Even if you must, consider it more of a treat than an everyday munch-on. This rule works best to avoid impulse buys like flavored chips and processed cookies.
2. Break Your Routine
Breaking old habit may take a few weeks. If you are habitual of associating 3pm with a trip to the snacks drawer and munching on snacks, try to get rid of this habit. An easy way to kick off the craving is to start the tradition of walking around your block or do a low-intensity workout in your room to get your mind off all the food that keeps popping up in your head.
3. Keep The Healthy Stuff Handy
Make sure you keep all the healthy snacks around you so you don’t crave anything else. Stack the center front area of your fridge with a fruit bowl and other healthy treats so they catch your eye as soon as you open the fridge. Keeping healthy and nutritious easy-to-munch-on snacks are always a great way to avoid eating other unhealthy foods that have large amounts of calories too.
4. Know What Your Trigger Foods Are
Whether you have a sweet tooth for red velvet cake or a perpetual wish to eat freshly opened bags of chips, know what sends a strong stimulus down your spiral of junk food splurging. Once you have identified what your trigger foods are, consider half your work done. You know it is best to keep them out of your range, or better yet out of the house.
5. Gross Yourself Out
Another way to keep your mind and hands off the junk food is to know more about how they’re made and processed. Most of the processed foods, chips, drinks etc are made in unhygienic conditions. One you gross yourself out, you will definitely think twice before you eat it.
6. Treat Yourself With Healthy Junk Food
Got a sweet tooth? No worries! Before your sugar cravings kick in, make sure you have something stashed to soothe those taste buds. Some of the easiest and yummiest desserts are made out of fruits. Keep some red grapes in the freezer. Or better yet, make a fruit bowl out of your favorite fruits.
7. Aim For Three Colors
Don’t you like it better when you have a variety of different colors on your plate rather than one? Many people tend to prefer three different items of three different colors on their plates. Whenever you eat, make sure you mix not more than three colors of healthy Junk Food in your plate. Instead of snacking on a candy bar, put some nuts, slices of fruits and a small piece of dark chocolate.