Food cravings impact so many people and can potentially result in making unhealthy choices by impulse. In Element 16 of Your LifeBook, Co-founder and independent OPTAVIA Coach, Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen explains why it’s important to be prepared when confronted with unhealthy food choices.
Uncomfortable feelings can often leave us turning to food as a quick fix. However, it does not have to be like this! We may not be able to control when these impulses come, but we can control how we handle them.
Check out these tips on how to deal with addictive food:
- Pause. Before reaching into the cabinet and making an unhealthy choice, take a moment to pause and ask yourself why. Are you eating because you are hungry? If so, reach for a healthier option. Are you eating because you are bored? Remind yourself that eating will only temporarily occupy you and opt for a different activity that will be more fulfilling.
- Wait it out. Cravings for addictive foods may feel intense in the moment but are typically brief. Rather than immediately acting on your craving for an unhealthy choice, give it a moment to pass, while remembering your personal health goals and reminding yourself that unhealthy choices are obstacles between you and achieving these goals.
- Remove the temptations. The simplest yet most challenging solution to giving up addictive foods is to remove them from your home so when the impulse to make an unhealthy decision comes, you will not be able to act on it. Rather than having a pantry full of unhealthy options, fill your pantry with Fuelings so that healthier choices will be available. Although it can be difficult not to pick up your favorite unhealthy snack at the store, remember that they are an obstacle between you and your personal health goals.
- Use your support system. In a moment of weakness, a quick text or phone call to a family member or a member of the OPTAVIA Community could serve as a distraction while the moment passes as well as remind you of your personal health goals.
Remember, the more conscious you are about what you put into your body, the easier it will be to make healthy choices.
Connect with me, your independent OPTAVIA Coach, for more tips and suggestions on how to deal with addictive food.