Everyone experiences vulnerable cravings moments in their diets, where you can’t get the thought of sweet pudding, salty chips or oily pizza out of your mind. Sound familiar?
Sadly, the foods you often crave are the very foods that will undermine your hard work exercising and eating healthily.
However, it is possible to limit the frequency of cravings so you can stay more focused and on track towards your goals. Eating these foods will certainly help:
When you’re having sweet cravings:
- Greek yoghurt with fresh fruit: high in protein, greek yoghurt will help to keep you fuller for longer so you won’t be tempted to indulge in more sweets
- 2 medjool dates: these are super sweet, high in fibre and high in potassium – meaning they should satisfy your sweet tooth whilst also aiding in digestion and regulating blood pressure
- Apple with nut butter: sweet, crunchy AND creamy, adding a nut butter like almond or natural peanut butter will up your protein and healthy fat intake
- Banana ice cream: THE easiest recipe to whip up whenever your sweet tooth calls! Simply throw a frozen banana in a food processor and blend until smooth. Serve immediately as soft serve – YUMMM!
When you’re having salty cravings:
- Roasted chickpeas: drain and dry a can of chickpeas, season with a sprinkle of sea salt, pepper and olive oil and bake in the oven for 30-40mins. A delicious crunchy snack full of amazing nutritional qualities including high protein, fibre and iron
- Air popped popcorn: add a sprinkle of sea salt and this is a minimally processed, whole grain snack to curb your salty cravings
- Olives: apart from being super tasty, olives are a great source of dietary fibre and vitamin E whilst controlling blood pressure and eliminating excess cholesterol in the blood
- Tamari almonds: high in fibre and protein, tamari almonds have all the great nutritional benefits of natural almonds with the salty flavour of tamari (gluten free variation to soy sauce)
When you’re having carb cravings:
- Grainy wholemeal/rye toast with cottage cheese and sliced tomato: top with a drizzle of lemon juice and cracked pepper to curb your cravings for starchy food
- Oven baked sweet potato chips: nothing beats chips, right?! So baked your own version with sweet potato and a sprinkle of sea salt
- Egg white oats: packed with protein and healthy complex carbohydrates, oats cooked with egg whites will satisfy you for many hours. Top with your favourite fruit and a light drizzle of honey
