Now when I say ‘cravings’ I mean the unhealthy, refined sugar, processed, ‘junk’ Food cravings that we all experience sometimes. I mean if you are that lucky person who has a craving for Kale then go for it! But if like the rest of us you crave ice cream, crisps, chocolate and biscuits then maybe this post might help a bit. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t always cope particuarly well with my cravings. occasionally I just completely give in to them and devour an entire pack of Hobnobs…WITH NO REGRETS! But where possible I do try and curb them because giving in too often is going to result in fat gain and as the popular saying goes ‘you can’t out train a bad diet’ and unfortunately I can confirm this is true because I have tried really hard to in the past…

My tips for when the ‘munchies’ strike!

• Have a large glass of water. Not what you want but sometimes when we think we are hungry we are actually just thirsty and this might satisfy you.
• Have healthy snacks to hand! Dried fruit is a sweet substitute to candy and nuts can work as a substitute to crisps. But do weigh both of these out into recommended portion sizes because they are both high in calories. Nutrient dense calories, but calories none the less. For example a serving size of Tesco mixed, roasted nuts is classes as 25g and that 25g contains 165 calories.
• Eat slowly. Apparently it takes around 20 minutes after you start eating for your stomach to realise that is has received food and start feeling full. So eating slowly and chewing well at mealtimes is going to ensure you don’t need to snack as much in between.
• Options hot chocolate. Not a sponsored post (unfortunately) but I find having a tub of Options hot chocolate in the cupboard and having the occasional mug of it (made with water) really helps when it’s an ‘only chocolate will do’ kind of day! It may not be the healthiest drink but it’s healthier than eating an entire family sized bar of Dairy Milk (which I am very capable of!)
• Sugar free jelly. Another low calorie pud option that can satisfy a sweet tooth, especially when sweets are your go-to treat of choice.
• Kale chips. They are no Kettle chip but they are actually pretty good…recipe coming soon.
• Greek yoghurt or Quark with fruit can be a good ice-cream substitute. Again just watch portion size.
• Distraction. Sometimes grabbing a book or painting my nails can be enough to make me forget the munchies altogether.
• Workout your trigger times. Mine are around 3pm in the afternoon and after dinner while sitting in front of the telly. If you know when you are going to start craving a junk food fix then you can work out a suitable distraction. Mostly our trigger times are just out of habit so if you can form a new habit for that time (like having a cuppa or reading a book or a little hiit workout) then hopefully you will be able to stop the association with food.

I hope some of these tips are helpful if anybody has any more ideas then please let me know!

Jess xox

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