I can resist everything except temptation…. An overused quote, but sadly true when cravings hit. So what’s the alternative to satisfy your hunger and rewire the brain when a craving for something really unhealthy hits.

Most people would say that cravings hit when they are tired, emotional or stressed so trying to avoid these situations helps avoid the cravings hitting in the first place, similarly not eating for long periods of time can suddenly hit the body in the form of an immediate craving for something, often in the form of a perceived need for rubbish food, that’s a real danger zone when you are soo hungry you would eat absolutely anything .We also can have our brain wired to think about flavours in a certain way e.g. I’m craving salt means I need a bag of crisps or a big plate of chips, I want something sweet means I have to reach for the tin of roses (and don’t stop after 1!)..

So what is the alternative when craving hits… Here’s a few of my favourites, I’d be interested to hear what cravings you have for something unhealthy and how you satisfy it.. keep it clean please 🙂

Sweet
If I get a craving for something sweet, I reach for a square of really good
quality dark chocolate. It is quality over quantity that counts and the rich intense flavour helps satisfy any craving without the huge unhealthy dose of sugar normally delivered in other sweet treats. Green and Black’s, Valrhona all do the trick for me.

A plate of Chips
You will have to trust me on this but the answer is a plate of delicious kale! Sprinkled with some sea salt after cooking is a delicious way to kick away that craving for a plate of chips. I devoted a special post to Kale quite a while back which you can read here…. And a bonus is that it cooks really quick so you wont be tempted to head for the chipper waiting for it to cook.

Salt
A stash of your own slow roasted nuts sprinkled with salt will fulfil that
craving. A direct hit to the taste buds since the salt is on the outside. Roast your own, low and slow to ensure they are best quality and avoid the peanuts. If you are reaching for a bag of ready salted nuts, go for the ones containing walnuts, brazils, pecans and just a handful or 2 should do it.

Soo hungry you’d eat anything
This is what I call the red alert situation where everyone else is in danger too if I don’t eat quickly. I usually reach for a mixed berry and protein shake in these situations – great source of antioxidants from the berries, delicious flavour so easy to take in and an immediate hit of protein and low GI carbs to satisfy the hunger.