4 Steps to Eliminate Junk Food Cravings

4 Steps to Eliminate Junk Food Cravings

Cravings develop out of an expectation and are associated with the primitive reward centers of our brains. You can think of us humans as having one brain, but two minds. One of our minds is the unconscious mind, which is driven by habit, routine, and the avoidance of pain as well as the seeking of pleasure. The other mind is the conscious mind, which is driven by logic and is goal-oriented and directive. Breaking your unconscious habits is the key to tackling cravings.

The series of events that defines a habit is often referred to as a habit loop. You can remember the habit loop by the three Rs (reminder, routine, reward). There is a reminder event followed by a repeated routine, which ends with a particular reward. And when this sequence (reminder, routine, reward) is repeated over and over, a craving develops, and that craving then ensures the routine will be repeated next time.

Have a junk-food habit that's derailing your diet goals? Attack your cravings using these simple steps:

Step 1: Pay Attention

Start noticing your cravings and paying very close attention to the environmental reminders that trigger them. Some of these are returning home from work, turning on the TV, sitting down at a restaurant, going out on a weekend night with friends, smelling doughnuts, seeing a friend eating a biscuit, having an emotional day at work or a poor night’s sleep, and so on.

Step 2: Hack the Habit

Once you recognize the habit and the craving it creates, try to pinpoint the reward you are really after. Once you do, find a way to eliminate the trigger and/or change the routine so that the reward is the same but the craving that leads to it is different. Here is an example: Let’s say you return home from work and you feel that combination of expectation, desire, and anxiety that tells you a craving has just been triggered. Now, identify the real reward that you are after. Is it relaxation? If so, instead of pouring a glass of wine and eating a wheel of cheese and a box of crackers (which in the end is anything but relaxing), draw a hot bath, light some candles, and take 30 minutes away from the world. Practice this new routine over and over until a new craving develops.

Step 3: Balance the Brain

The brain is a hotbed of metabolic function and the origin of many of our cravings. When it comes to biochemical cravings, you want to try to achieve a balanced hormonal state in the brain. This means balance between the brain’s major stimulating hormone, glutamate, and its major relaxing hormone, GABA. It also means achieving balance between dopamine (a hormone that helps us stay motivated, focused, and reward-oriented) and serotonin (a hormone that helps us feel content, satisfied, and relaxed). There are several natural compounds that can be taken prior to getting cravings or even when cravings hit to stop them in their tracks.

Cocoa powder (1 tablespoon in water)

Branched-chain amino acids (5 to 10 grams)

Tyrosine and 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) in a 10-to-1 ratio (1,000 milligrams of tyrosine and 100 milligrams of 5-HTP)

Each has unique properties that shut down cravings at the biochemical end. When combined with the behavioral component, you have a devastatingly effective solution for craving control.

Step 4: Assess

Cravings can be used as a biofeedback tool and are useful in helping you understand how your metabolism is functioning. Low blood sugar, too much or not enough exercise, missing meals or eating too frequently, sleep deprivation, and other lifestyle factors can impact cravings. Always check in and ask yourself how your cravings have been. You can assess your cravings, along with your hunger and energy, on a 1-to-10 scale (with 10 being strongest or highest). Obviously, you want the intensity of cravings to remain low, preferably less than 5. If this is not the case, then it is an indication that the diet and exercise regimen you’re on is not sustainable.