Whether you have a sweet tooth, a fondness for fried food, or a weakness for salty snacks, you’ve most likely encountered your fair share of food cravings throughout your life. While cravings can make you feel defeated, they don’t have to derail your efforts to transform your life. Here are some ways to cope with food cravings! 

Be patient. 

If you’re working on improving your diet for the first time in a long time, you may find cravings especially hard to avoid. The good news is that things get easier. As you continue to make healthy eating a priority, your tastes will change and you’ll experience fewer cravings for unhealthy foods. 

Evaluate their source. 

Specific food cravings aren’t always the result of physical hunger. A lot of the time, they’re the result of emotional hunger. Emotions like sadness, stress, and boredom can all lead to food cravings even when you’re not truly hungry. If you think your hunger may be emotional instead of physical, try to address how you’re feeling instead of masking it with food. 

Give it time. 

Cravings may feel urgent, but a lot of them are fleeting. Instead of acting on them right away, try to take your mind off of them. If you’re hungry, eat a healthy snack to satisfy your appetite. That may be enough to vanquish your craving. You could also try doing something to take your mind off of it, such as going for a walk or reading a book. 

Remember your Free Meal. 

Knowing that you can have your favorite treats on a regular basis can be a valuable tool in your fight against cravings. That’s why we built the ability to eat what you like right into the Better Body System. Once you’ve been on the Transformation Kit for two weeks, you can enjoy a Free Meal once a week. Keep that in mind when you encounter cravings and remind yourself that whatever you’re thinking about is never too far away! 

Find a healthy substitution. 

Satisfying your cravings with a healthier option is a great way to overcome temptation. Obviously, if you’re desperately craving a candy bar and you go for a piece of celery instead, it’s probably not going to do the trick, but there are other options! A glass of Chocolate YES can vanquish that chocolate craving, and the whey protein will help satisfy your appetite. You could also have a small portion of dark chocolate, which has more antioxidants than milk chocolate. By finding a healthy substitution, you can satisfy your craving without going overboard! 

We hope these tips will come in handy the next time you encounter a food craving.