Controlling Food Cravings

1) You may be on a diet that restricts how much you can eat--as a result, you are still hungry

2) You habitually use a favorite food to fill an emotional need

3) Your body may be seeking some nutrient that is lacking in your diet

4) You may be seeking, unconsciously or not, some calming food to take the edge off caused by too much caffeine

I had a hard time controlling food cravings for many years, up until about a year ago. As a result, I sabotaged my diet, usually in moments of stress or late at night when I couldn't sleep. So, I have thought a lot about controlling food cravings; I've read a lot about other's ideas on the subject, and I have also come to some original conclusions that may be useful to you.

1) There is no need to restrict the amount of complex carbohydrates you eat, if you want to lose weight. (Fats, especially animal fats, are what you need to avoid, if you want to lose weight easily.) On the Healthy Planet Diet, you can eat as much as you like, so long as the carbs you choose are from whole foods and are low-glycemic carbs. Carbohydrates are the preferred fuel of our body and our brain -- but make sure you eat complex, unrefined ones. Learn to make comfort foods in a healthy way! (A recipe page will be forthcoming shortly!)

2) If you are frustrated or depressed or lonely, eating is not going to solve these problems. Eating, especially the wrong foods(the fattening ones), is only going to make you heavier, which may be part of the reason for your emotional isolation. Instead, do something constructive to improve your situation.

a) Take a walk, lift some weights, get your mind out of its repetitive groove of feeling sorry for yourself. Exercise is an excellent way for controlling food cravings.

b) Get involved in some cause that takes you outside your self--see that many others have it far worse and help them

c) Find your purpose in life, what you want to accomplish in your limited time here: This will bring you into contact with others who will help you carry out your exciting mission. There are people dying all around the world and you could help them, if you help them they will give you a love that food can never give you.

d) Sometimes -- Rarely -- it is useful to give in to your food craving, rather than going through a list of substitutes and finally giving in to the craving you wanted in the first place. Enjoy it fully, without guilt, but observe all the after-effects of what this food does to you. Feeling less than my best the next day after indulging in a small amount of some food that's not in my diet plan has been very useful for me in controlling food cravings.

3) A simple way to cover nutritional deficiencies that the Healthy Planet Diet doesn't address is to take a well-formulated, balanced multi-vitamin and mineral combo. Don't make the mistake of taking "some of these and some of those" individual vitamins--it is easy to get too much that way, plus some of the minerals must be in the proper proportion to each other or they cancel each other out. Leave the mixing and formulation to the professionals! (I will say that most vitamins on the market are junk. The best I have found in natural foods stores--at a good price--is Source Naturals' "Life Force Multiple.")

4) For me, coffee has been a challenge to manage throughout my life. I was introduced to it by my father as an aid in doing my homework early in the morning, but it caused me a lot of stress and anxiety.

Now, everyone has a different metabolism, but I suspect coffee and other strongly caffeinated beverages such as energy drinks are the cause for a sizeable segment of the population's difficulty in controlling food cravings.

Some people have told me that coffee has no effect on their ability to get to sleep. Others can't tolerate it at all, especially those who are not used to it. I love the taste--and, in small doses--the stimulating effects, but I have found as the years go by that there are better herbal stimulants that are helpful in doing mental work(such as writing) and burning off extra calories in exercise.

Watch Out for This Common Food Additive, Which Has Been Linked to Uncontrollable Eating

There is one energy drink I've found that gives me all-natural, slow-release energy without the jitters or the crash of caffeine-based energy drinks--and, does it with no artificial flavors, sweeteners, or unhealthy stimulants.

Important Point: Most energy drinks have WAAAY too much sugar in them to be useful in the diet of those trying to control food cravings. Replacing juices, overly sweet energy drinks and coffees, and sodas are one of the easiest ways to cut excess calories and still get the sweet satisfaction and energy boost you need to stick with a healthy diet.

There is only one energy drink I have found that still tastes good and is low enough in sugars to help in controlling food cravings.

This is the magic ingredient that put me in control of my food cravings, while it gave me a feeling of euphoria that made it possible for me to fully transition to the vegan diet and lose that pesky extra 15-20 pounds in the course of a year.

This energy drink makes losing weight FUN!

I forgot to mention that this unique energy drink will save you up to half of what you would pay for Red Bull and the rest, when you order direct from the manufacturer.

I don't know if this drink will work for you as it has for me, but what if it does? Try it and see what you think.

To learn more about my "secret weapon" for controlling food cravings, click the link below.

This Healthy Energy Drink Has Helped Me In Controlling My Food Cravings

Controlling food cravings is easier with a Vegetarian Diet