It's not hard to resist, once you know some simple, yet useful techniques.
Commercialised food items are seldom healthy. That is because they are optimised solely for taste and not their nutritional content or their impact on our health. I like eating them too. These food items have an unnaturally good taste owing to additives and special cooking methods which can rarely be recreated at home. Their unique flavour is the primary reason why we crave for these unhealthy food items. Resisting these cravings is not easy. These cravings are one of the most significant problems our clients struggle with during their weight loss and health management programs. Here are a few methods we teach them that help them to avoid eating unhealthy food.
1. Yoga Techniques
Yoga is not just about exercise; it is much more; It is a way of life. Patanjali writes in his yoga sutras that “Yoga is the process of gaining mastery over the mind” and this mastery can be achieved through Yoga by anybody. You must make yoga a part of your daily routine. Yoga will bring clarity and discipline to your mind and encourage you to make healthy choices. This cultivates discipline which makes it easier for your mind to be more disciplined in other areas of your life.
Some yoga practices that you can do are Anuloma Viloma, Prandharna, Pawanmuktasana and Yoga Mudra. Perform Pawanmuktasana safely if you have knee or back pain, and done lean too much on either side. Yoga Mudra requires some flexibility to perform, but you can also do it in Vajarasana or Ardha Padmasana if you cannot sit in Padmasana. For Anuloma Viloma and Prandharna, do not force it if you have a cold or blocked nose.
2. Time Your Food
If you do not want to eat outside, then carry food with you or eat well before leaving. The logic behind this is that if you have already eaten, then the craving for unhealthy food can be easily resisted. Alternatively, you can choose other healthy options also, if available. This is an effective method that can be easily applied by everyone. It is recommended that you eat fibrous food items, and those that prolong satiety.
The best fruit sources of dietary fibre are Apples, Bananas, Oranges and Strawberries. Strawberries are seasonal, but the other three fruits are available all year round. Apple peels are the prominent sources of fibre, but you have to be very careful to get apples that are not waxed – and remember to wash them thoroughly to clean off the pesticides. Avoid oranges, if you have a cold or fever.
3. Mindfulness
One of the biggest reasons why our brain does not understand why unhealthy food should not be eaten is because the consequences are far away and difficult to imagine, compared to the immediate pleasure that eating that food item will give you, but mindfulness can change this. Be aware of how the unhealthy food item that you want to eat will affect your body – think about its fat content and the damage it will cause to your cardiac health, and think about how additives in it will affect you. Meditation promotes mindfulness, so make it a habit.
Interesting Fact: A research paper has calculated that a man who is 35 years who is just 5kg overweight old loses approximately 35 minutes of his life every day!
4. Noticing the adverse effects
Despite all this, sometimes you may fail to resist our cravings, but don’t worry, you can turn this into a positive situation. Every time you fail to keep your cravings in check, instead of worrying, become aware and start noticing every change in your body and become aware of any adverse consequences such as discomfort in the stomach, headache, a cold, or inability to concentrate. This helps your brain break down the old connections that encouraged such behaviour and build new connections ones against it.
5. Practice
It is difficult to wake up one day and stop eating all your favourite food items. This is a process that takes time so don’t worry if you fail. Just remember not to give up, and that failure is a part of the process. Every time you make a healthy choice, it gets easier for your brain to make it again. This sparks an upward cycle that encourages more healthy decisions, positive development and discipline.
So these were some of the techniques that will help you resist cravings. Remember and follow these. Read them repeatedly to remind and encourage yourself. Good Luck!
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