Ditch the Junk Food: 7 Tips to Control Your Cravings

It’s 3 p.m. and you suddenly experience that mid-afternoon crash; that feeling of lethargy that can only be remedied with a cup of coffee or a sugary snack. Or perhaps you get a craving for something salty. No matter what it is, millions of folks go through the same thing every day. 

It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that food manufacturers purposely fill food and drinks up with additives so that you’ll consume more of it. Their goal is to find a “bliss point” in which the product has the psychologically ideal amount of salt, sugar or fat to make you feel the same high that someone on cocaine feels. So what can you do to control these cravings and not become addicted? Check out these 7 strategies. 

1. Plan meals and snacks in advance

When Sunday arrives, decide what you’re going to eat for the rest of the week. Make a trip to the grocery store and buy large batches of healthy carbs (quinoa, brown rice, beans) that can be mixed and matched with a protein and vegetable. Every morning before work, scoop up a serving size of each and put it into a container for lunch. Also take along an orange, apple or banana to have as a snack a couple of hours before the workday ends.