When I was younger, I remember my dad saying “Only pregnant women have cravings.” If I said I was craving something he would correct me by saying “You mean you have a taste for it?” and he’d give me that stern look that only a father could give. I assume that he associated me “his baby girl” saying craving with me being pregnant. I LOL every time I think about. Anyway, let’s move on to the real reason you’re here.

Those who know me personally know that I LOVE me some fried chicken. It’s one of the hardest things to resist for me. I never thought twice about why I craved it until I decided to make changes towards a healthier lifestyle. As much as I wanted to resist it was not easy. It plagued me so much that I decided to do a little research. What I found is that your body craves foods for one of two (or both) reasons; you have trained your body to eat what you crave, or your body is lacking something (deficiency).

I’ll get to the “lacking something” in just a moment. But, let’s be real. We all have choices to make. Where you are right now is based on all of your choices you have made at this point in life. When you make the choice to eat unhealthy foods, you are choosing to train your body to crave those unhealthy foods. You have to take control and eat what you know is best for you, instead of giving in to what your body is asking for. Honestly, once I trained myself to eat better my cravings for unhealthy foods subsided (though I do eat some fried chicken every once in a while). Check out the tips below for training yourself to eat healthier:

Tip 1: Find healthy foods that you like. Don’t force yourself to eat things that you don’t like. That’ll just give you ammo to continue your unhealthy ways. But, don’t be afraid to broaden your horizon and try new things.

Tip 2: Read the labels. Become a smart shopper. You should know that “Sugar Free” or “Fat Free” doesn’t mean that the product doesn’t have sugar or fat. These products have substitutes which are far worse than eating the real thing.

Tip 3: Pay attention to the serving size. It’s easy to over eat when you go base on your own judgment. Be mindful of the serving size, and eat just that.

Tip 4: Keep healthy snack on hand. Poor snack choices are always more accessible than those that are better for you. BYOS: bring your own snacks. So when you have the feeling to munch, you will have your healthy choices with you.

Tip 5: Eat more. I know this sounds counterproductive to your goals, but it’s not. Here me out. In an article on Webmd.com called The Truth About 6 Meals a Day for Weight Loss, it states that eating six small meals a day helps regulate blood sugar, control cravings, and keeps hunger at bay.

Now on to the “lacking something” portion. If you are eating poorly chances are you have a deficiency of some sort. A few months ago I was craving egg yolks. I decided to look into it, and here’s what I found.

Read the full list @ http://www.naturopathyworks.com/pages/cravings.php  

Love you guys!