8 Ways to Fight Fast Food Cravings ...

Okay, so this one probably looks crazily out of place on a list of ways to fight fast food cravings, but it’s true. Most cravings are a sign of a nutritional deficiency, and by regularly taking a good multivitamin and mineral supplement, you can fight most cravings before they even start. I was so skeptical about this, but it really works!

A whole lot of people eat for emotional reasons: reaching for food that reminds you of happy times or makes you feel better is a totally normal response to stress or sad situations. But it’s not a very healthy response. Try to find other things that will cheer you up and help you through the sad times. Going for a run is really tough when you feel rubbish, but you will 100% feel better afterwards. I’ve always found painting, drawing or crafting to be relaxing, and playing with pets is great for releasing happy hormones. Find something besides food that works for you, and you’ll really see the benefits.

Got a weight-loss target in mind? Fast food cravings can be like a red flag to a bull when you are dieting, and splurging on a huge takeaway has been the cause of more than one bad diet week. Make life easier for yourself by producing visual reminders of your goals. Be detailed about what you want to achieve, and about what those chips or that ice-cream will do to your targets.

Your food diary can be on your phone or tablet, in an actual notebook or online, and there’s even diet groups using social media like Twitter that use this technique. Make a note of everything that you eat and drink in the day, along with the calorie content. If you are targeting other health goals, such as reducing salt or fat, record that too. Not only will you have an accurate record of when you snack, what you snack on and what foods you need to replace or eliminate, but the act of having to record your snacks and meals can work as a real deterrent for grazing. Give it a go!

This is hard, but it’s scientifically proven to work. If you can go cold-turkey and ignore your triggers for as long as possible, you’ll start to want them less and less. Try swapping drive-thru chips for fresh fruit, for example; on days one to four you might be desperate for the fries, but soon you’ll crave the fresh fruit instead. A lot of cravings are simply born from addiction or habit, so if you can break the habit, you’ll lose the craving for good.

If you feel an uncontrollable craving coming on, try sipping on a skimmed coffee instead. It sounds strange, but caffeine can reduce cravings and quench your appetite, without actively rewarding the craving. Even just the ritual of getting a coffee, and the hot temperature, can take your mind off fast food. And if coffee doesn’t work, a nap almost certainly will. Cravings are much worse when we are tired, because we want instant energy. Shut the door and re-energize naturally.

It’s unrealistic to claim that you’ll never eat anything unhealthy again. In the summer, an ice-cream is so tempting! So teach yourself how to indulge. Forget multipacks of calorific candy bars, and instead opt for low-calorie snack packs. 100 calorie CocoaVia chocolate bars are perfect. Buy just one, and enjoy it sometime in the week, before burning off the 100 calories with a brisk walk. If you’ve only got one you can’t spoil your plan, and you aren’t having to avoid all the good stuff, either.

Don’t plan birthdays in a pizzeria if you have a carbs craving, and if you know you’ll be facing up to a big birthday cake sometime soon, try to save the calories elsewhere during the day. At special occasions, cut down on other foods so you can enjoy the bits you love the most, without going crazy. Change your route to work so that you don’t pass a bakery. It’ll make it much easier to fight fast food cravings!

And if you need an emergency way to fight fast food cravings, try mouthwashing, or giving your teeth a good clean. Once your teeth are gleaming, you won’t want to mess them up, and that minty taste will put you off anything sweet. It really works! Have you got a tip for fighting cravings? I’d love to hear it!