Fight Back Against Food Cravings

Craving your favorite childhood ice cream cone or a bag of salty chips or pretzels every now and then is perfectly normal. Often, they are situational, but sometimes cravings are your body's way of trying to tell you something. As we've previously explained, a chocolate craving could mean you are in need of more magnesium or Vitamin B. The good news is that if you want to stay strong and refrain from giving in to those hankerings, there are natural means of doing so. The next time that bag of potato chips seems to be calling your name, consider these strategies:

Opt for Spices and Herbs

You may think that satisfying that sugar craving with a small piece of candy every now and then isn't doing any harm. However, refined sugar can negatively impact your blood pressure, metabolism and immune system. Rather than temporarily pleasing that sweet tooth, consider a more permanent and convenient solution such as the herbs and spices found right in your kitchen. Did you know that cinnamon has been found to curb that hankering for sugar? Festive, flavorful and natural, cinnamon is an ideal way to fight back against a craving for sweetness. You can add this spice to your coffee or tea, whip up a tasty raw cinnamon dessert or even sprinkle it over your sweet potatoes. In addition to tasting great, cinnamon is high in trace minerals and antioxidants, two things extremely beneficial for your health. Nutmeg and ginseng are two other sugar substitutes complete with beneficial health-boosting properties.

Get Up and Move

When a craving for sugar, sweets, fatty or processed food hits, it can be overpowering. At times, no matter how much you try to overcome that urge to reach for a chocolate bar, it just won't go away. The best thing to do when this happens is to get up and move. Go outside, talk a walk through the park or distract yourself in another big way. Anything distracting enough to take your mind off the desire will be effective.

Eliminate Tempting Foods

As much as walking around the block can help take your mind off of cravings, it's less likely you'll have a hankering for ice cream if it's not there in the first place. If you are someone who struggles with cravings more often than most, resolve to rid your kitchen and cabinets of anything you shouldn't be eating. Find natural, raw alternatives instead.

Drink Water

Sometimes, modifying the chemistry of your body can help to push back and eliminate certain cravings Dr. Michael Roizen told Reader's Digest. The next time you feel a hankering for something from the Standard American Diet creeping up on you, consume two glasses of water and wait 20 minutes. Often, the water, which can also be accompanied by a handful of raw nuts or veggies, can diminish that need of the body. 

Try a Juice Cleanse

If your body is used to consuming relatively unhealthy foods filled with processed ingredients, refined sugar and simple carbohydrates, you may want to consider giving it a jump start with a juice cleanse. By removing all the toxins from your body, it has the chance to start fresh. As CNN explained, going cold turkey is the most effect way to eliminate unhealthy foods from your diet, especially sugar. The first two to three days will typically be the hardest. After that, the cravings will likely fade and saying no will become easier and easier. Once you've removed unhealthy, addictive foods from your eating plan and replaced them with a diet of primarily raw, plant-based foods that are wholesome and filling, your body will adapt and no longer yearn for those salts, sugars and fats. Give the Hallelujah Diet Perfect Cleanse a try and in addition to fighting back against cravings you'll reap a number of other health benefits as well!