Especially when you want to eat healthily, it comes up more and more often: The cravings for fatty and sweet foods.
This trick is supposed to help.
Almost everyone knows it: Cravings *.
A sudden hunger or a
strong craving
for certain foods - unfortunately often those that are rather unhealthy with a lot of
fat, salt and sugar
.
This is of course very inconvenient when you
want to
lose weight
.
Have you ever failed on a diet or did not change your diet because your hunger was too great?
Then the
2-minute trick
might be something for you to take on the cravings for fast food next time.
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Reasons for Cravings and What to Do About Them
Perhaps your body is trying to tell you that you have a
nutritional
deficit with this feeling
.
This can be the case especially after strenuous physical or mental exertion or after long meal breaks.
Do you have a big appetite for burgers or red meat?
For example, this could indicate an iron deficiency or you need a lot of protein.
The
craving for sweets combined
with a feeling of tiredness and fatigue could mean that your blood sugar level is too low and your body is trying to get quick energy in the form of sugar.
What you can do against food cravings
: Eat a
balanced diet
to avoid
nutritional
deficiencies and prevent
food cravings from
occurring in the first place.
Healthy foods that will keep your body energized for a long time include whole grains, legumes, and vegetables.
Avoid snacking in between, especially of "empty calories" such as
chips and chocolate
, which drive blood sugar up and quickly drop it again.
If you are hungry between main meals, it is better to use nuts or fruit.
Cravings can also indicate diabetes or an overactive thyroid.
If you do not feel hungry after eating enough or if you notice any other symptoms, you should consult a doctor.
Also read:
Healthy snacks: How to satisfy hunger in between meals without chocolate and cookies.
This 2-minute trick is designed to stop cravings for fast food
Researchers at the University of South Florida have published a study in the
Journal of Research Marketing
that shows that
craving for unhealthy fast food can be stopped in just two minutes
.
A key element here: the
smell
.
The study participants were exposed to various scents, on the one hand from unhealthy foods such as pizza and cookies, and on the other from healthy foods such as apples and strawberries.
The result: the participants who were exposed to the pizza smell for 30 seconds wanted to eat a pizza immediately.
However, if you had the
scent
in your nose for
more than two minutes
, you would rather eat an apple afterwards.
The researchers explain the phenomenon by the fact that the smells associated with a stimulant
activate
the
reward system in the brain
, which in turn reduces the urge to actually consume it.
Lead author of the study, Dr.
Dipayan Biswas, a marketing professor at the University of South Florida's College of Business, said in a statement, “The smell of the environment can be an effective way to resist cravings for luxury foods.
Indeed, subtle sensory stimuli such as smells can influence the eating habits of children and adults more effectively than restrictive measures. "
So the next time you get cravings even though you want to lose weight: Try this trick and sniff unhealthy fast food for two minutes - in the best case scenario, you will lose the desire and instead your brain will crave something healthy instead of fatty and Sweets.
(mad) * Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
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