Calorie-free ways to cut your food cravings

| 2 min read

How to cut food cravings
Do you often get taken over by an overwhelming desire to eat something super specific and unhealthy, like a gooey chocolate chip cookie or some crunchy salt and vinegar potato chips? Instead of giving in, try a few of these tricks. You’ll cut down on those cravings without taking a single bite.
  • Sleep more. A recent study from the University of Chicago found that when people had a restless night, they showed impaired activity in their frontal lobe and more activity in brain areas that respond to rewards. A result? They wanted to indulge in unhealthy food the next day.
  • Turn your thoughts elsewhere. Australian researchers experimented by having participants who were craving a treat to imagine the sight of a rainbow or the smell of eucalyptus. By changing what they were thinking about, the cravings diminished.
  • Make a fist. According to researchers in Singapore, clenching your muscles briefly can give you an instant willpower boost—enough to overcome a sudden urge to hit up the vending machine.
Photo credit: bunchofpants

A Healthier Michigan is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit, independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
No Personal Healthcare Advice or Other Advice
This Web site provides general educational information on health-related issues and provides access to health-related resources for the convenience of our users. This site and its health-related information and resources are not a substitute for professional medical advice or for the care that patients receive from their physicians or other health care providers.
This site and its health-related information resources are not meant to be the practice of medicine, the practice of nursing, or to carry out any professional health care advice or service in the state where you live. Nothing in this Web site is to be used for medical or nursing diagnosis or professional treatment.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other licensed health care provider. Always consult your health care provider before beginning any new treatment, or if you have any questions regarding a health condition. You should not disregard medical advice, or delay seeking medical advice, because of something you read in this site.