You know the triggers… The chocolate ice cream calling you from the freezer. The Tayto cheese and onion taunting you from the kitchen counter. The hot nut gnawing away at your willpower. But, is it the food that’s pestering you? Of course not—it’s just cravings and they are caused by triggers.
We all have them, but do we really understand why? And more importantly, do we know how to recognise and control our triggers?
You probably already know that food cravings can have little to do with hunger, but you may not be aware of how they work. Cravings have both biological and psychological components. The most common foods we crave are sugar, carbohydrates, chocolate, salt and, for some, cheese.
We see a food as a positive or negative, if you have a trigger than means you ‘crave’ for certain food, if you ‘chose’ what is seen as a positive food (fresh and not processed or high in sugar) then you will find you wont feel as guilty and less likely to keep eating or over indulge.
If you chose a negative food your initial trigger has turned into another of guilt meaning you feel like you have failed and continue eating.
A few helpful tips for overcoming triggers: Be Prepared!!
- Very obvious, don’t have the bad foods in the house or readily available to you, until to have the will power to say no.
- Plan and prep – batch cooking is a great way to ensure you have all your meals for the week ready, so you don’t go hungry, or be tempted to the biscuit tin. You can even make a few smaller portions as a back up if you do get a craving!
- Think fresh – always have a healthy alternative, readily available in the fridge or freeze
- Create enjoyable meals – cook and prepared, tasty healthy meals you want to eat and watch your craving disappear
- Take a break – once a week give yourself a break, enjoy that glass of wine and bar of chocolate, but be prepared to get back at in the following day.
Being aware of your triggers will mean you can be prepared and less likely to fall into the cravings trap! The healthy choice will always make you feel so much better.
Make a healthy choice today, join a group or online.