How to fight cravings!

Did you know cravings can be spurred not only by hunger, but a lot of other factors as well?

Tiredness, fatigue, stress and boredom are your cravings’ cousins. These need to be dealt with before you reach for that unhealthy quick fix. Although it may be hard to pinpoint the exact cause of your cravings, most can be attacked in the same way! Having a million things going on at once happens a bit too often for myself. Sometimes the simplest resolution is the most effective. Take a seat and relax for a few minutes. Read, write, listen to music, workout, have a nap or go for a walk. You may think that fatigue and tiredness can be cured through some energy dense food, but it depends on what you're putting in your mouth. Processed and quick and easy snacks can actually make you more sluggish than you were to begin with! Natural sources of energy such as getting a bit of sun on your face, a light stretch or workout are great.? Crisp fruit and veggies to snack on or even a big glass of water infused with lemon can provide you with your much needed wake up call. Boredom is notorious for slowing down progress too when it comes to food,. But, at the end of the day, sometimes food and fun go hand in hand. Food has this crazy ability to bring people together and add to all kinds of social occasions!

Follow these simple tips to make social snacking better for you:

• Prep your own popcorn for the movies - minus the preservatives, fake butter and overload of salt!
• Provide snacks with a short shelf life for guests - fruit, veggies, homemade dips, bakery bought bread and nuts
• Keep snacks as natural as possible - look for labels with words such as natural, preservative free, organic, raw, non gmo (but, make sure these labels count and they haven't just been added by companies to up the price of their product)
• Keep sweeteners such as honey and maple syrup in your pantry rather than sugar
• Make homemade versions of your favourite snacks so you know exactly what ingredients are going in your food

AND, if you're just hungry and those cravings need to be satisfied, have a snack and don't feel guilty. Remember that the less processed, the better, and that snacks are just that and to watch your portion sizing.