My tips to overcoming hunger strikes and cravings
How often do you find yourself feeling really hungry way before lunch time or craving that sugary snack at 3 in the afternoon? What do you do then? Can you ignore it and still focus on your work or anything else you were doing? Or do you run to the kitchen / vending machine / nearby coffee shop to satisfy your craving?
Have you ever wondered why you feel really hungry or crave sugar on some days more than the others? Of course, sometimes it can be a result of a skipped breakfast or a very small lunch. But I know it is the case for me and there has been quite some research supporting the fact that we can mistakenly feel hungry or crave snacks when we are a) thirsty, or b) bored.
Understanding a real cause of why you feel a certain way is really the key to deciding how to deal with it. If this is news to you that feeling hungry can be related to feeling bored, just observe your behavior and hunger spikes in the next few days. It is likely that on the days when you are very busy at work, juggling multiple priorities or having a fire drill, you can run much longer without even thinking about food. But when you are having a slow day, you are more likely to catch yourself thinking of what you are going to eat for lunch or dream of a cookie.
My personal tips for fighting hunger or cravings
1. Drink water. Most of the time we are tricked by our bodies to think that we are hungry when in fact we are thirsty. Drinking plain water is great for hydration and making you feel fuller.
Remember, from the hydration point of view, drinking coffee or tea is not the same as drinking water. Coffee or tea (except for pure herbal tea) actually has the opposite effect - it dehydrates your body. After drinking a cup of coffee or tea you need to replenish your body with at least the same amount of plain water.
2. Get up and take a walk or talk to someone. Want a cookie at 3 pm? Get up from your desk and walk to your colleague or step outside and take a 5 min stroll instead of going to a vending machine. Most likely you just need a distraction from what you were doing, not a snack. If you always got a snack around this time before, you've developed a habit. Your body craves something sweet at this time just because it knows it's the "snack time". If instead you distract yourself by going away from your computer or desk and just talk to someone or walk a little bit, most likely you come back to your desk perfectly fine even without eating a cookie.
Craving sugar is a habit. But it's also a result of the bacterial process that happens in our stomachs as a result of consuming sugar. When we eat sugar, we feed a specific bacteria type in our gastrointestinal tracks, called Candida yeast. These bacteria thrive on sugar. And the more sugar we eat, the more Candida yeast we grow. And, in return, these bacteria demand even more sugar, creating cravings. It is a cycle, which, however, can be broken.
If you can keep yourself away from sugar (or significantly limit sugar intake) for just a few days, your gut environment becomes less attractive for Candida yeast bacteria. And eventually good gut bacteria overtakes the space in your stomach. But when you have the case of Candida overgrowth, it is important not only to minimize sugar, but also to feed your body with the right bacteria by eating, for example, vegetables, probiotics or fermented foods. You will notice that when you do that (limited sugar + sources of good bacteria), you'll see significant reduction in sugar cravings already after just a few days.
3. If you are really hungry (even after drinking water and taking a walk), take a healthy snack. If you feel hungry, imagine eating something healthy, like an apple. If that doesn't look attractive and your brain is asking for some carbs or sweets instead, then you are not hungry, you just have a craving. If you were really hungry, you would eat anything! Here are some of my go-to healthy snacks: piece of fruit, raw nuts, boiled egg, celery or apple slices with peanut butter. If you eat dairy, you can also consider, for example, a piece of cheese or unsweetened yogurt with some berries.
Summing it all up
Before you jump off your chair and run to the kitchen every time you feel hunger or craving, take a moment to think why you are feeling it. Are you really hungry, thirsty or just bored? Is it a habit that you want to get rid of? Don't let your body trick you every time into thinking that you are starving and you really need that cookie in order to function. Stay hydrated, be active and feed your body with the wholesome, nutritious foods, and you won't let your cravings rule your day.
How do you fight your cravings? I would love to hear your tips and success stories here!