10 unique ways to kill your cravings

Food Diary (April 11, 2012)

Breakfast: Toast

Lunch: Flatbread, rice, vegetables

Dinner: Flatbread, rice, vegetables

Baking/sweets: Chocolates

It feels like eternity since I last posted, even though that was only a few days ago. From now onwards I will have regular access to the internet and well as time for activities such as reading blogs. So now you know why I haven’t visited you recently. I certainly haven’t forgotten you.

Today's Favourite Photo

Source: Sprinkle Bakes

No Bake Strawberry Milk Cheesecake

Today’s Favourite Blog

Source: Forbes

A very interesting list of 10 unique ways to kill your cravings.

1. Pinch your nose or earlobes for 10 seconds. This is an ancient acupressure secret – acupuncturists believe that these pressure points restore balance in your energy, as imbalances and blockage of energy cause cravings.

2. Lighten up and use brighter bulbs in your dining room. Dim lights lower your inhibitions, and let you feel better about eating more.

3. Add Vinegar to your diet. Apple cider or organic red wine fit the bill. Vinegar improves digestion by keeping food in the stomach longer, reducing the hunger hormone ghrelin. You’ll feel full for longer. Vinegar also helps prevent blood sugar spikes after a meal, helping cravings for 3 hours after.

4. Make every meal a blue plate special. Research shows that blue is a natural appetite suppressant because the color is almost never found in natural foods, so our bodies have no natural appetite response to blue. Red, yellow and orange have been shown to increase your appetite and make you eat more!

5. Boost your Magnesium. Intense chocolate cravings can be signs of magnesium deficiency. Eat more leafy green veggies, they’re full of magnesium, and can help you fight off stress and discourage intense cravings.

6. Light a vanilla scented candle. There’s a theory that the scent reduces sugar and chocolate cravings, as immersing yourself in a scent all day will desensitize you. Readers Digest called it the Christmas Dinner Syndrome, when the person who’s been cooking doesn’t eat as much as their guests because they’ve been smelling dinner all day.

7. Brush your teeth. Minty toothpaste cleanses your palate and will kill the taste of anything you crave. You’re much less likely to snack if you’ve just brushed your teeth – anything you try will taste awful!

8. Eat balanced meals. You have cravings when you’re stressed or malnourished. If you’re nutritionally satisfied, you’re less likely to have cravings in the first place. Eat Protein with every meal, and you’ll find yourself craving less unhealthy stuff later in the day.

9. Cut out sweeteners in your morning coffee. They spike your insulin levels which leave you with a huge drop later, causing you to crave more!

10. Wait 15 minutes. All cravings pass, and if you can distract yourself for 15 minutes with a short burst of exercise you will burn calories and release some endorphins while forgetting about that treat!