If you're anything like me, there comes a point where you just really want to eat something. You may open your fridge, take a quick glance inside, and find that one item you know you shouldn't eat but crave immensely. It happens to me on a daily basis, and it's disconcerting because I want to have a healthier diet, but I always seem to give in to my craving of the hour. This led me to wonder just what exactly a craving is, like what exactly makes my body desperately want that Publix fried chicken currently sitting in my fridge.
While a craving, obviously, is a powerful yearning for something, it is also a warning from the body that something is lacking in the system. One person even claimed that it's a psychological need that is connected to emotion and desire, but haven't we all been told to never listen to WebMD? In this instance, however, I can see how it makes sense. I love consuming sugary foods when I'm in a particular mood, but while I turn away from a nice bucket of ice cream, I definitely turn towards an excessive amount of virgin piña coladas. Yum!
However, I noticed that we really can't change our psychological make-up. I highly doubt that, no matter how hard we try, we can just switch off the part of the brain that's telling us to get up and walk to the fried chicken, ice cream, or even Mug Root Beer. So, thinking about the two reasons a person would crave a particular item, if we can't change the one, then why not try the other?
What's great is that there are a lot of articles out there that give somebody the opportunity to know what healthy alternative a person could eat to satisfy a craving. Heck, I found an entire article dedicated to telling why we crave the foods we do, what is lacking partially or completely from a body to cause it to eat something it knows it shouldn't. I actually linked it above, but you can click here also to check it out. Apparently that fried chicken I'm craving for breakfast (don't you judge me) is due to the fact that my body want healthy fats, and good, healthy alternatives would be avocados, almonds, and cashews. I think I have almonds in my pantry, so I'm going to have some of those. And maybe some eggs. Eggs are healthy, right?
If you delve into the Eat This, Not That website, it goes into deeper details with specific foods that you might be craving and what a good alternative would be. For every college student like myself, Ramen is on the list. I basically live off Ramen despite the unhealthy aspect of it, but instead of Ramen I could have a cup of minestrone soup. I like soup. Although, they recommend low-sodium soup. Blech. I need my salts to survive. Maybe eventually I'll get to the point when I can willingly enjoy low-sodium soup, but I highly doubt it. You know what else they have on the list? Ice cream, cake, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies. If you want to eat healthier, this is definitely the place to start.
Women's Health Magazine also offers a selection of foods to eat instead of overindulging on salts and sugars. It's not as long as the others, but it definitely gives some good advice.
While I'm totally missing the taste of fried chicken, I can see that these articles I offer do have some truth to them. While the almonds taste incredibly healthy and nothing like the fatty deliciousness of fried food, I don't have that deep, insatiable craving for something I know I shouldn't eat. I also know it's going to take a lot more than just one sitting to fix my diet to something healthier, but that's part of being a healthier person. What's the saying that secretly every person despises? No pain. No gain.
Do you have anything else to add to this article? Want to motivate me and everyone else with a success story? Then leave a comment below! Good luck on that healthier diet! I know I'm going to need it.
