Your body craves what you give it. Think about that statement…
You’re not depriving yourself of anything if you get out of the
CRAVE-bad-food—–>EAT-bad-food cycle.
When trying to get out of the habit of eating junk foods, it will take some time, but slowly you will begin to enjoy the taste of things that you may not have before… or that you assumed you wouldn’t (even though you’ve never tried it).
If you begin transitioning into eating better, you will actually learn that those foods that used to satisfy a hunger, or a craving, or boredom, will no longer be able to do that because of how your mind and your tastes have changed. If you never stop having your bag of peanut M&M’s at 3pm everyday, or if you stop but don’t try hard enough to find a healthy alternative, you’ll never find out if there can be something better for you that you will enjoy.
Those salty and sugary snacks can begin to actually lose their appeal. That may seem hard to imagine if you love your Doritos or your Snickers bar habit, but that just proves how mental that challenge really is. The mind can be changed. Cravings can be changed.
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Well, it hasn’t worked for me. I’ve lost about twenty pounds in the last two years by cutting out junk food and eating well but it hasn’t made apples taste better than cookies. The Darwinian explanation I’ve read is that our tastes are a vestigial survival mechanism that evolved in a world of famine. When one doesn’t know when one’s next meal will be it is advantageous to crave high calorie food.
Hi Rose,
You’re definitely right that it is advantageous to crave high calorie foods, especially when we’re hungry or at a calorie deficit. That’s why everyone knows that they’ll buy more food if they do their grocery shopping while hungry!
If we don’t let ourselves be subject to the highs and lows of eating too much at meal time of foods that are high in macronutrients (fat, sugar, carbs) then we are less likely to crave the junk as often. I’m not trying to say we will NEVER crave them.
I used to drink mountain dew for breakfast and easily have a six-pack a day. Since I’ve stopped drinking soda, I can hardly finish one because they seem so sweet, but it doesn’t mean I don’t crave one once in a while. I just don’t want near as much of it.
Thank you for answering! It’s just frustrating for me because there’s relatively little good food I enjoy (like nearly all vegetables. Yes, I’ve tried!) so I end up eating the same few things day after day, while at the same time there is such a large variety of artery-clogging, bum-expanding things I love and must reject. On the whole though, I’m happier than I was. One thing I’ve noticed that has changed is that I’m hungry less often and get full quicker than I used to.
It’s frustrating, isn’t it, when food companies have managed to create junk that appeals exactly to what our minds perceive that it wants. This is why they make millions. I know that knowing that fact won’t make that craving go away completely, but changing the way you think about food can go a long way.
On a related note, you may be interested in some previous posts called Why We Crave Bad Foods and What Happened to Willpower?
My problem is that I love crunchy, salty snacks, like chips/pretzels/etc, and I have no idea what to replace them with. :-/
I’ve been digging something called Dr. Kracker. They are “uber” crunchy, and not too bad for you actually. I love them with hummus.
Also, have you tried making popcorn in a pot? Do you like kettle corn? It’s pretty easy to make, and quite un-bad for you.
Those crackers look very interesting. And I do like kettle corn, or any popcorn, really, but I’ve never made it in a pot–only the bags you do in the microwave.
See, these are good suggestions, but then I think of all the people who are like “OMG THE CARBS!!!” and I’m like, :-/
Brit-that was the first stuff I had to give up when my allergies/intolerances/celiac all hit at once like a brick to the face last year( I could barely get out of bed for about 6 months,bleeding rashes,joint pain ect.Turned out to be MSG,soy,gluten,corn and about 97% of what else is on the grocery shelf)I found a yummy cracker that isn’t horrible for you,called”Mary’s gone crackers”.A few of those and half an avacado with a little sea salt is a good substitute for chips and dip when you can’t stand the craving anymore.Almonds,walnuts,pistachios are also good.Quality dates can satisfy a chocolate craving.Once you stop with the processed food,you won’t want it anymore.
Although brief, this post really hit home with me today. I’ve been having a breakfast of a diced apple (inspired by the BK apple fry vs. real apple post you had, in honesty) topped with pecan bits and alfalfa sprouts lately, and making more veggie-based dinners. For example, the other night I made myself a stir-fry type thing with a zucchini and other veggies that was delicious. Eating more produce has allowed me to get in to the cycle of wanting fruits and veggies more, and liking the taste of things I used to love and crave (fettuccine alfredo, dear goodness) less in comparison. I’ve also rediscovered some fruits, like bananas, for the delicious things they are.
Thanks for letting us know, Catherine! It sounds like you are having a good time searching for new, healthy meals and snacks. I’m not sure about the sprouts and apple though
Isn’t fruit delicious? It’s hard to imagine that I used to almost never eat it, but now I just don’t feel right if I go a day without it.
If you like nuts, I feel that a few types of nuts really liven up a big salad. Walnuts, sunflower seeds, roasted pine nuts (I roast them in the oven). I had a salad recently with a few sugar glazed pecans and it rocked.
This is how I quit and continue to not drink coffee
for the rest I also agree, I’ve lost more of my taste for sweets over the years, preferring fruit
Yeah, this post hits home for me too – I finally no longer get cravings for fast food. When my friends brought me to a fast food place for lunch the other day, I couldn’t even eat the garbage they served me – my tastes had changed to a point where I thought it tasted completely disgusting.
Now when I get cravings, its usually for apples or water.
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I live an athletic lifestyle, with swimming,jogging, and rowing and I still occasionally gain a few extra. I LOVE chocolate but I don’t have it too much is there something I can so to stop liking Choco so much???
Everything single thing in this world works on the principle of sowing and reaping: what you sow is what you reap. (it’s in the Bible) it certainly applies to our eating habits as well, any habit at all that we have, in fact.