• There’s a big difference between cravings and hunger pangs. When you’re hungry, you’ll eat anything. Cravings are very specific. People crave a certain type of food, like chips or chocolate — and within that category, even a particular brand.  Harvey Weingarten, Ph.D.
• Losing weight,  Cravings, Addiction,  Over-eating, Food,  Gluttony,  Addiction

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1.  Switch what you’re eating  

• You crave what you eat, so if you switch what you’re eating, you can weaken your old cravings and strengthen new ones. The first few days are always the hardest, and you probably can’t completely eliminate your old cravings. But the longer you avoid your trigger foods, the less likely you may be to want them. In fact, you’ll probably begin to crave the foods you eat, a real bonus if you’ve switched to fresh fruit.   Marcia Pelchat, PhD

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2. Eat regular, balanced meals  

• Eat full meals. If you skip meals — out of fear that you’ll gain weight or out of the hope that you’ll lose faster — you’re more likely to overeat at meals you do eat, and even more likely to fall prey to mindless snacking in between. Joanna Dolgoff, M.D.
• Eat well-balanced meals. Include protein, carbohydrates, and a small amount of unsaturated fat in each meal. A meal plan such as a low-carb diet that avoids some foods can put you at a deficit for certain nutrients and cause cravings. Yale Medical School
• Don’t get too hungry, and don’t skip meals. If you’re still hungry between meals, have a meal or a snack every three or four hours. This can keep you from getting so hungry that cravings and hunger set in at the same time. Yale Medical School
• Balance

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3.  Aim for moderation instead of abstinence  

• Stop labelling foods as “bad” or “forbidden.” It is not the food that is the problem; it is the quantities you choose to consume. Allow yourself a little of your favorite foods once in a while and make them special.
• If you try to avoid a lot of your favorite foods altogether you’ll be more likely to binge and eat much more than if you’d allowed yourself small portions of them all along. By making better choices — rather than following a diet that omits particular foods or relies on packaged meals — it’s likely you’ll get fewer, less powerful cravings. Jennifer R. Scott
• Moderation

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4.  Learn to manage stress  

• Experts stress the importance of variety in your diet. There appears to be an inverse relationship between the amount of a certain food you eat and the frequency that you crave it. Cristen Conger
• If you tend to reach for a certain type of food whenever you feel stressed, you are actually training yourself to crave this food when under stress. Studies suggest that these cravings can occur up to 24 hours after the stress- response system is activated. Joanna Dolgoff, M.D.
• Since stress is a huge trigger for cravings, learning to deal with it could potentially save you hundreds of calories a day. Paula Dranov
• Stress management

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6.  Get to the emotional root of the issue  

• Psychological factors can also influence the intensity and nature of our food hankerings. Studies on mood have found that our emotional state normally has a greater impact on cravings than hunger. Cristen Conger
• Many people, however, use food as a distraction from uncomfortable feelings, such as stress, boredom, depression, or sadness. Becoming aware of what triggers your cravings can help you to determine the negative emotion behind the urge, and help you take action to address your emotional needs in a positive way. Yale Medical School
• If cravings linger, get at the root of them. Have you been too restrictive? If you suspect so, plan your meals differently, including more variety and more foods you enjoy in your diet. Is there something going on in your life that’s making you anxious, angry or stressed? If that’s the case, face the issue head on. By being proactive and making yourself aware of why you may be craving a certain food, you may just make that craving disappear. Joanna Dolgoff, M.D.
• Emotions

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7.  Exercise  

• Frequent exercise will help to control food cravings. Our mood often influences what we eat and how much of it. The act of exercise reduces stress hormones such as cortisol and increases mood boosting ones such as endorphins.
• Exercise

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8.  Have variety in your diet  

• When our meals are monotonous — the same day after day — we’re practically guaranteed powerful cravings. That’s true even if your diet is nutritionally adequate. Marcia Levin Pelchat, Ph.D.
• Experts stress the importance of variety in your diet. There appears to be an inverse relationship between the amount of a certain food you eat and the frequency that you crave it. Cristen Conger
• Diet

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9.  Have substitutes ready  

• Drink two glasses of water and eat an ounce of nuts (6 walnuts, 12 almonds or 20 peanuts). Within 20 minutes, this can extinguish your craving and dampen your appetite by changing your body chemistry. Michael F. Roizen, MD.
• Reach for fruit — Keep fruit handy for when sugar cravings hit. You’ll get fibre and nutrients along with some sweetness. Joanna Dolgoff, M.D.

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10. Destroy the temptation  

• If you’ve succumbed to a craving and bought a box of cookies or some other trigger food and start to feel bad while eating it, destroy it. “Don’t just throw it away; run water over it, ruin it. You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment that you’ve licked your binge. Caroline Apovian, MD
• Temptation,  Self-control

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Disarm your cravings with the 5 Ds  

• Delay—wait 10 minutes
• Distract—concentrate on something else
• Distance—do not keep temptation on hand; make yourself leave your environment to get the food
• Determine—think about how much you really want it
• Decide—know how much to eat; if you choose to eat something you crave, remember to enjoy it

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