Friday, February 20, 2009

Do cravings derail your plans to eat healthily?

Have you ever decided to give up unhealthy snacks like cookies or ice cream, but ended up eating them because of a strong craving? You aren’t alone and it isn’t your fault- blame it on evolution resulting in irresistible forces causing you to eat if you are hungry or if you are losing weight. But you can counter these physiological forces with some simple strategies of your own design.

What you eat for breakfast, whether you sit down at 6 a.m. or scarf it at 10 a.m., determines whether you’ll have cravings in an hour or two, and the same goes for lunch. It’s not necessarily trivial to design meals that you like and that incorporate the healthy fats and protein foods you need for long lasting steady energy- but I’ve found in my work with people of varied sizes and needs that it can be very effective. You probably already know that eggs for breakfast are more satisfying than cereal- you may just need some help reconciling all the nutritional & psychological effects of foods in designing menus that work for you.