Wednesday, April 11, 2012

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
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!

15 comments:

  1. You're back!!! Yay!!
    Oh, those are great tips indeed .... I really gotta try #1, everything else I believe I've done sometime or other but didn't really work. My tummy has a mind of it's own :)

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    1. Its good to be back!
      I guess if you pinch really hard, the pain will take the focus away from hunger:)

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  2. Isn't blogging addictive? When I sometimes make a tiny break (like just before Easter) skipping one post seems an eternity... Happy to see you back!
    Actually these tips sound very practical and feasible. Pinching one's nose or ears is new to me. I must try it. I don't have any other plate colours apart from white and... blue, so it's good news; I have nothing to throw away.
    I have also my own tip for my weekend 4-5 pm cravings: a glass of wine. It works and makes me feel better than stuffing myself with a chocolate bar or other snacks. I have less cravings like this during the week.

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    1. It is, for sure. But I guess this addiction is better than some other kinds of addiction, or maybe not:)
      The wine solution sounds excellent. I guess it will work just as well anytime of the day!

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  3. I know some folks that go so far as to keep the breath strips on.

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  4. #1 looks like the most interesting solution! I will have to try it soon!

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  5. my favorite tip above and the most important in my opinion is the wait 15 minutes. I can't tell you how many time I am like I need that now and then have to stop to do something real fast and then I forget I even wanted it and chose something different

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  6. OK - I'm going to try ALL of these techniques!!
    Mary x LOVE that picture of the cheesecake!

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  7. Thanks so much for posting these tips!! Cravings are especially strong when one's trying to cut down! :-(
    LOVE the photo of the cake... and it's giving me cravings!!

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  8. I do try and brush my teeth early although sometimes I get late night cravings and end up brushing my teeth a couple of times! :P

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  9. These food craving suppressants are all new to me but I definitely can relate to cleaning your teeth. I can never eat as much as a morsel after brushing my teeth - you definitely need time for that peppermint flavour to wear off. And now I'm off to buy some blue plates! Nice to see you back xx

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  10. ahhh these are some good tips. i need to buy a blue plate. and 15 minutes, if only i could wait that long! hahaha.

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  11. I've tried the brushing the teeth one and the waiting 15 minutes but some of the others sound very interesting to try! I am ALWAYS hungry so thanks for the tips!

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  12. Proto-col Slim-Fizz is a unique appetite suppressant which is containing the ground-breaking fibre Glucomannan, which is an organic soluble fibre derived from fresh Konjac.

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