Diet

The best tips and tricks against cravings!

Definition - What is Cravings?

Cravings is a sudden urge to eat something sweet, salty, or fatty.
It is a signal from the body that it is lacking essential nutrients. Cravings can have different causes. In addition to a lack of nutrients, physical and mental illnesses can be responsible, but also hormonal changes such as diabetes mellitus, bulimia or pregnancy. If you know the cause of personal food cravings, you can get it under control with a few tricks.

What are the typical causes of food cravings?

Cravings can have harmless causes or be the cause of possible illnesses.
Cravings often occur when there is an energy deficit. This means that not enough energy has been taken in with food and the body is signaling that it needs nutrients. Long breaks between meals or many snacks in between meals that provide little energy are often responsible for this. Physical and mental exertion can also cause an increased need for nutrients, which the body then tries to meet with cravings. Lack of sleep and habits like chocolate after meals or watching TV can also cause food cravings.
Physiological conditions such as pregnancy, breastfeeding and growth phases in adolescents also often cause hunger pangs. In addition, cravings can also be a signal for metabolic disorders.
A constant feeling of hunger and binge eating can be signs of diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, liver or metabolic diseases. If the cravings are particularly bad and cannot be brought under control with changes in diet, a doctor should be consulted to rule out a physical illness as the cause.
Cravings can also have psychological causes. A falling serotonin level (happiness hormone) promotes food cravings. Conditions such as frustration, boredom and stress can therefore also cause cravings.

What can stop cravings?

How to deal with sudden cravings depends on the cause.
If you suffer from cravings because you haven't eaten for a long time, you should satisfy the hunger and eat something. It is important that you should avoid sugary and fatty foods. Here it helps to combine foods rich in protein with slowly digestible carbohydrates (whole grain products) and to eat them slowly.
This will keep you full longer. One should concentrate on the meal, be aware of it and eat slowly to encourage satiety.

If the cravings are caused by another cause or a diet that you actually want to stick to, a different strategy can help. A ravenous hunger attack only lasts a quarter of an hour on average, so you shouldn't give in to the need immediately in this case. It helps distract yourself with some activity until your hunger subsides. Brushing your teeth or chewing gum can also help stop acute cravings. Sugar-free varieties with a peppermint flavor are best.

Also read: Lose weight through a change in diet

How can I prevent food cravings?

Most food cravings can actually be prevented! Proper nutrition plays a major role in this.
You should not miss a meal in the daily routine in order to keep the insulin level in the blood constant. As a result, the dreaded cravings usually do not even arise. It is also essential to drink plenty of fluids. You should drink at least 1.5 to 2 liters of water throughout the day. Sufficient fluids inhibit the appetite and additionally stimulate the metabolism.
To prevent food cravings, it is important to eat the right thing. This means that breakfast should be nutritious. A balanced breakfast contains fiber, vitamins and protein. A good foundation prevents snacks in the morning. If the body needs more nutrients, fruit, nuts, quark or grainy cream cheese should be used instead of chocolate bars. The main meals should be high in protein and contain complex carbohydrates, such as whole grain products, as these are particularly filling for a long time.

Cravings are often caused by bad everyday habits. You should pay attention to a balanced and healthy diet and incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Stress, frustration, and boredom encourage the desire to eat, while a walk or exercise can have a positive effect on thoughts.

Can I suppress cravings completely?

In order to completely suppress food cravings, you have to pay a lot of attention to your diet, combine the foods and eat and drink regularly.
Avoiding industrial sugar is a tip. In contrast to fruit sugar, glucose (grape sugar) is stored in muscle cells and fat cells. Industrially added fruit sugar (fructose) has to be converted by the liver and is related to the hormonal balance of insulin and leptin. If the liver has to permanently convert industrially processed fructose, it becomes less sensitive to the hormones. Therefore, one should avoid industrial sugar and fructose.
It is best to eat at the same time regularly to avoid cravings completely. The foods should contain filling fiber; unprocessed plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables and legumes are ideal.

Everyone should eat according to their individual calorie needs. If you eat enough and do not go hungry, you should avoid cravings. Sufficient sleep, exercise and plenty of fluids throughout the day also help suppress cravings. Diets should be avoided and stress reduced. A healthy lifestyle with the right and regular diet can completely suppress the dreaded cravings.

You might also be interested in this topic: Lose weight without hunger

Which home remedies can help against cravings?

There are a few tricks for preventing food cravings.
First of all, you shouldn't go hungry, zero diets are taboo. After all, a full stomach does not report any hunger signals to our brain. Regular, balanced meals keep blood sugar levels constant and prevent food cravings. If you suffer from an acute hunger attack, a banana or a large apple can dampen hunger.
Drinking a cup of mate tea in the evening can also help you stop feeling hungry. To prevent cravings, you can also chew dried sage leaves several times during the day. Other home remedies for cravings include a glass of milk with a dash of Maggi or a banana with low-fat quark.
Glutamate-rich foods such as Asian-spiced foods or high-fiber raw foods can also help. You can eat your fill of peppers and carrots. You can also dampen hunger pangs with sauerkraut (raw or cooked).
Lots of fluids, for example 250 milliliters of water every hour, fill the stomach. If you long for something sweet, you can brush your teeth or chew sugar-free peppermint chewing gum. Acupressure is also said to alleviate cravings.
One possibility of applying pressure with the index finger for 30 seconds on the skin furrow between the nose and upper lip. Other acupressure points are the skin below the lip and the skin on the cheekbones under the eye.

Read more about: Tips on how to best lose weight!

Homeopathy against cravings

Homeopathy supplies globules for the self-treatment of food cravings that are not of medical origin (such as diabetes mellitus).
Points of attack are, for example, the blood sugar level and emotionally induced cravings. The homeopathic remedy Aristolochia Clematitis is available for people who are emotionally poor and have a tendency to feel chubby. Globules with Lycopodium are said to counteract the craving for sweets, especially at night.
Datisca cannabina or natrium muriaticum can be used for diabetic cravings. These remedies are not a therapy for diabetes mellitus, they should only have a positive effect on food cravings. People who alternately suffer from cravings and poor appetite can try Ferrum phosphoricum in the form of globules.

Homeopathic remedies should be recommended by experienced doctors with the additional designation homeopathy. In contrast to alternative practitioners, they can decide whether conventional medical methods are necessary or alternative medicine is indicated.

Situation-dependent cravings

Why do I cravings while on a diet?

Diets restrict the menu in order to reduce body weight. Different diets have different concentrations of macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats). In order for a diet to be successful and lead to weight loss, the energy supply is severely restricted. This means that in most diets, fewer calories are ingested with food than before the diet. The body's energy balance is unbalanced, it consumes more energy than is supplied to it.
This effect is used in diets to induce the body to break down the body's own fat tissue and use it as an energy supplier. Diets often lack nutrients in the body. The lack of nutrients causes food cravings. The body wants to signal that it lacks vital nutrients. Many diets involve a low-carb and low-fat diet. This is why there is often cravings for sweet or fatty foods.

Find out more here: What is the best diet?

Why do I often crave sweets?

Cravings for sweets are particularly common and are often associated with blood sugar levels. If the blood sugar level drops, we get hungry. The faster the blood sugar level falls, the more intense the cravings become.
The consequence is that the body wants to increase the blood sugar level again. When the blood sugar level is low, our body particularly prefers sugar (glucose). Sugar cravings are a simple solution for our bodies to quickly raise blood sugar levels. This is because many carbohydrates are broken down particularly quickly in the body and get into the blood, where they normalize the blood sugar level again. Especially with longer breaks between meals and diets, the blood sugar level drops quickly and there is a craving for sweets.

Find out more about the topic here: Hypoglycaemia

Why do you feel cravings during pregnancy?

Food cravings occur in around 85% of pregnant women. It is known that during pregnancy, some women experience new cravings and aversions for foods that they normally do not know about themselves.
During pregnancy, there can be absurd cravings for nut nougat cream with pickled cucumber or rollmops. The reasons for cravings during pregnancy are hormonal changes and fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Similar to the sense of taste and smell, the hormonal balance changes during pregnancy, which also affects the metabolism.In addition to changes in physiological hormones, pregnancy hormones are released. The hormone beta-hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is said to be responsible for absurd cravings during pregnancy. As a result of these changes, food cravings often occur and usually go away in pregnant women.

Read more about the topic here: Diet in Pregnancy

Why do I often have cravings during my period?

Many women have severe food cravings during their period.
This is because there are hormonal changes. The estrogen and progesterone levels drop in the blood, but the happiness hormone serotonin also decreases before the days. This condition occurs days before menstruation. The body tries to compensate for this deficiency with food cravings. Sweets like chocolate promote the absorption of tryptophan in the brain. The happiness hormone serotonin is ultimately formed from tryptophan, which is why it is also said that chocolate makes you happy.

Why do menopause cravings occur?

During the menopause there are fluctuations and changes in the hormonal balance of women.
The estrogen level decreases and the hormone fluctuations affect the fat distribution and blood values. From our mid-30s, our metabolism begins to burn less energy and the basal metabolic rate continues to decrease during the menopause. Fewer calories are burned. This is why many women during menopause suffer from food cravings and weight fluctuations. To prevent cravings, it is important to eat healthy and exercise regularly.

Find out more about the topic here: Menopause hormones

How does night cravings come about?

In the so-called "night eater syndrome" (NES), sudden, excruciating cravings appear at night. This can be so strong that it wakes you up from sleep. Most people with nocturnal food cravings have a disrupted eating rhythm. Those affected often eat too little during the day and try to control their food intake. This can easily lead to a nutrient deficit that manifests itself in the form of food cravings. Anyone who wakes up at night and has excessive cravings that it is not possible to fall asleep without snacks should urgently change their eating habits. Eat about 5 balanced meals a day and never miss any meal.

Every meal should contain some fruit or vegetables, some protein and not too many carbohydrates, and carbohydrates should be avoided in the evening. Avoiding fatty, high-calorie foods, like chocolate or chips, can help. So that you don't even get the idea at night to quickly fetch them and eat them. Anyone who wakes up and gets up plagued by hunger at night should learn to reduce stress in the evening. Fights in the evening should be avoided, as should brutal films and work stress. It can help to try relaxation techniques like yoga or autogenic training. If you eat a balanced diet and do not go hungry, you can prevent cravings well. A stress-free environment in the evening also helps to fall asleep deeply.

Can cravings also be an indication of a deficiency symptom?

Cravings are a signal that the body is lacking nutrients. Often there is a lack of macronutrients such as bald hydrates or fats and the blood sugar level drops.
Micronutrients such as vitamins can also be responsible for cravings. Cravings for liver, butter, sardines, french fries or chips can indicate a micronutrient deficiency. There may be a lack of sodium, vitamin D, vitamin B1, or vitamin B6. If there is such a deficiency, food cravings and other deficiency symptoms such as muscle cramps or headaches can occur.
If you have cravings for nuts, whole grain products and tomatoes, adding the trace elements zinc, vitamin C and vitamin B6 can be helpful. Cravings for bananas or berries can be a symptom of a deficiency in magnesium, potassium, vitamin C and other vitamins. Cravings can therefore definitely be an indication of a deficiency symptom. In the case of a lack of nutrients, this symptom is often accompanied by other complaints (typical deficiency symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, etc.).

You can find out more about nutrient deficiency here: