Advertising Disclosure
Introduction
Have you ever observed yourself roaming around the kitchen or refrigerator after having your meal or even at some odd time?
Well, you must understand that these are the very initial symptoms of craving.
Cravings cannot be healthy and good for your body, but with a few mindful eating freaks, you can turn them into one of the best habits you have.
There are different snack options available on the market that are both healthy and unhealthy.
Now it’s all up to you what you choose for your body. Cravings can be one of the worst enemies for those who are on a diet or planning to lose some weight.
That’s where it becomes important to understand the importance of choosing healthy snack options.
It not only keeps you full but also gives you immense benefits without compromising your taste buds.
In this blog, we will be looking into all the possible aspects of craving and the importance of choosing healthy snacks so that you can understand their core importance from a positive perspective.
What are food Cravings?
Most often, we confuse the terms food craving and hunger. Both of them are entirely different, and one needs to understand this before putting anything into their stomach in the name of hunger.
A food craving is something for a particular food type, like some kind of snack, pasta burger, or noodles, that your body is craving, while hunger is entirely different.
Hunger is not bound to any particular food; instead, you need a completely balanced plate of nutrients so that your body can survive the mechanism.
Most people misunderstand hunger as food cravings and end up eating junk food and unhealthy diets to keep their tummies full.
This is a very common problem that is seen in every other person and, most of the time is ignored quite easily.
If you are feeling hungry after 1 to 1.5 hours of having a meal, this means that it is not hunger that is knocking; instead, it is a food craving, and that’s where the real challenge begins: to put something healthy inside your stomach.
The body takes at least 4 to 5 hours to digest a single meal, and in the middle of these, several cravings take place inside our body, which is not a healthy sign for the metabolism of our body.
What are the Strategies to avoid cravings?
Sometimes it becomes very difficult to avoid food cravings, and we end up putting extra calories and unhealthy foods like pizza, chocolate cake, and ice cream inside our stomachs, which not only ruin our diet but also harm our metabolism.
There are several small and healthy habits that you can include in your day-to-day lifestyle to avoid these cravings and lead a healthy lifestyle. Some of them are mentioned below:
- Try taking enough calories for the entire day. If you lose count of your calories, your body starts craving a certain food type that is hard to resist.
- Many diets are very restrictive, which can lead to certain cravings inside our bodies, and this will make this journey more difficult. So try taking diets that are healthy so you don’t have to compromise on your taste buds.
- The best way to keep your cravings in check is to control your sugar levels, as they are directly responsible for making you feel hungry or crave a particular food type. So try eating a plate that is full of nutrients, fibers, carbohydrates, and especially proteins.
- Most of the time, people become so conscious of their diet that they do not allow their bodies to enjoy their favorite meals and resist having them. This is the point where your body starts craving that particular food, and it becomes hard to control that craving. Try having your favorite food once or twice a week so that you don’t end up putting all the junk inside your stomach.
- When your blood sugar level fluctuates, you start craving carbohydrates, and food sources like chocolate, ice cream, sugar candies, and many others. Try to balance out your blood sugar level so that you can control these cravings.
What are the Healthy Snack Options?
While talking about food cravings, how can we ignore the healthy snack options that are on our minds? Let’s be a little practical and think that it is possible to cut down on cravings completely.
The answer would be no. That’s where we put our creativity, knowledge, and mind together to create some healthy snack options that will not make you feel guilty after you have them to satisfy your cravings. Some of the options are mentioned below, which you can try.
Kale chips: These are filled with immense health benefits for our body as they are rich in antioxidants and help protect against the free radicals that we get from different types of food sources. Just pair it with olive oil and sprinkle on some salt and pepper, and one of the most healthy and delicious snacks is ready.
Mixed nuts: These are a perfect balance of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and healthy fats. Just a small bunch of mixed nuts, and you are filled for the next few hours.
Cottage cheese and fruits: One cup of cottage cheese consists of 25 grams of protein, which is a very high amount and satisfies the craving healthily. You can combine this with fruits like papaya, pineapple, and other fruits of your choice, which will add fiber to the whole snack.
Dark chocolate and almonds: Dark chocolate is a rich source of antioxidants that help protect our bodies from different types of oxidative stress caused by free radicals. Almonds, on the other hand, are a rich source of healthy fats that are beneficial for our bodies.
Apart from these, there are several other food options available, or you can create some of your own by combining healthy ingredients.
Tips for Healthy Eating
Eating healthy is not the tedious task that people make it sound. All you need to do is be conscious while having your food regarding its nutritional value as well as quantity so that you do not end up overeating.
Some of the steps regarding healthy eating are mentioned below:
- Add more fiber to your diet, as that helps keep you full for a longer duration of time.
- Try to cut down on sugar and unhealthy fat as these do not help keep the sugar level stable; instead, they create more fluctuations.
- Try to eat breakfast at the proper time and do not try to skip it.
- Eat less salt, especially when you are over 20 years of age.
- Try to add more salads, nuts, and fruits to your diet, as they are rich in antioxidants and help you stay full.
- Try to make a fixed eating schedule for yourself so that your body gets habituated to the routine.
- Last but not least, keep your body hydrated and drink the proper amount of water every day.
Conclusion
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is much easier when you are ready to accept changes in your day-to-day routine. With these small changes, you will see several differences in your body as well as your life. A few of them have been mentioned above, but just having healthy food is not always enough.
Regular exercise, workouts, and keeping a check on your meals and their quantity are equally important. Learn about your cravings and try to control them with some healthy snack options instead of going with unhealthy food.