Skip to main content

Do Junk Food Cravings Control Your Health?

 

We all have our favorite tastes and weak spots when we are shopping in stores full of candy, cookies, potato chips and soft drinks.

Even though we know that we would be healthier and a lot thinner if we bought salad ingredients and fresh vegetables, we still come home from the store with a bag of potato chips or a box of cookies in our bags…or both.

So, what can we do about this diet busting habit?  Try some of the techniques below.

The simplest, but most powerful technique is to eat a good breakfast that fills you up.  After sleeping all night, you are effectively fasting and a healthy breakfast will delay your rush to the vending machine for that cinnamon roll that is burning a hole in your mind.

Pack a healthy lunch and some snacks, like string cheese, a small bag of nuts, dried fruit, like cranberries, blueberries, raisins, a small bag of crunchy vegetables, etc.  A thermos of hot coffee will make you feel good and less deprived.  Instead of adding sugar and cream, use low-fat milk and a sugar substitute.  Carry some bottled water to avoid resorting to sodas.

Old cravings are very difficult to eliminate.  Just don’t expect to change everything about your old eating habits the first day.  It is far more productive to change one thing at a time.  How do you do that? Quit buying one unhealthy “treat” and exchange it for something better for your body, like fresh fruit or more vegetables.  Continue that process for a week or two before you drop another “treat.”

If you pour sugar into your morning coffee, switch to a sugar substitute.  If you have some favorite food or treat that you know is unhealthy and
are disturbed by the thought of never eating it again, go ahead and eat it once in a while.  Don’t feel that you are cheating or about to destroy your determination to better your health.  Just go on with your pursuit of a healthier body.

What do I do?  I have an endless craving for bacon.  I often buy a package, but don’t eat it right away.  It is a comfort to know it is in the refrigerator or freezer and that I don’t have  to eat it now.  I space it out and have a bacon and tomato sandwich every couple of weeks.

It works for me.  Discover what works for you and follow it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cook At Home For Healthier Food Options

One great advantage of cooking your own meals instead of buying ready prepared food is that you can control what ingredients are used. If you are health conscious or trying to control your weight it pays to create menus and cook the food yourself, using fresh ingredients and low fat options. Typically, processed or ready made meals will contain ingredients that you may not want to include in your diet. Also a wide variety of additives are used in processed foods. These have been known to have detrimental effects on the health of some people. In order to create more flavour in their meals processed food manufacturers often add far greater amounts of sugar, salt and fat than you would use when preparing the same dish at home. Preparing your own food at home gives you total control over what you eat, giving your body a better chance of greater health.
Post a Comment
Read more

F Is For Fruit

  F is for fruit, and also for five a day.  In order to stay healthy it is recommended that we eat five portions a day of fruit or vegetables.  Many people use breakfast as an opportunity to have their first portion, with fruit forming part of their breakfast meal.  Just fruit, fruit on cereal, or even smoothies are all palatable at this time of the day. Mixed varieties of fruit are often eaten in desserts in dishes such as fruit salad, which is healthier than fruit cocktail as this is made from canned fruit and includes added sugar, syrup and many additives that preserve the canned fruit.  Fruit salad is made from fresh fruit and the fruits natural juices, although some people do sprinkle suagr into the mix but it really is not needed. To make your own fruit salad follow the steps: Choose any varieties of fruit you would like, cut them into bite sized pieces, put them in a bowl and add a little water or fruit juice.  You really don’t need a lot of liquid.  I usually put mine into th
Post a Comment
Read more

M IS FOR MUSHROOM

  M is for mushroom . It is so simple to make and will impress your guests or family.  Follow the suggestion to cook mushroom: Chop slivers of bacon and sprinkle them over the top before cooking.  Mushrooms are so versatile they have a variety of uses in cooking, from raw sliced mushroom in salads to tasty additions to stews and casseroles.  There are also a wide variety of mushrooms available with different tastes and textures.   Things beginning with M that are not automatically thought of when considering food and eating include: maid of honour, a small tart whose base is made of creamed butter, sugar, egg, salt and baking powder and filled with a variety of ingredients including flavoured milk curds, and jams mixed with cherries or almonds, marigold, both petals and leaves should be eaten, in particular added to salads such as purslane, cucumber and marigold salad – add chopped leeks, basil and any other herbs you have that suit your taste, lemon or lime juice, olive oil and salt
Post a Comment
Read more