I sure do. And it'll hit me randomly, even after eating the healthiest meal. I'll eat a great salad but want to 'finish it off' with some ice cream. Urgh. But when we are eating clean, it’s so important to master these urges and find healthier ways to ‘indulge’. Here are a few of my tricks:
THE SWEET TOOTH
Not to be limited to just after a meal, we get these cravings when we’re stressed, when we want to celebrate…yes, pretty much any time of the day. Instead of eating processed sugars, try these options:
- Frozen Fruit: eat a few frozen chunks of mango, strawberry, or bananas and it will feel like you are cheating! It really is not much different from sorbetto…plus there are no added sugars and you are getting your serving of fruit!
- Protein Shakes: get a high quality protein and make a delicious smoothie out of it: just add some ice, berries, cinnamon, and a splash of light soy milk for a creamy, ‘sweet’ concoction.
- Greek Yogurt and Berries: Greek yogurt is more dense than regular yogurt and will fill you up. Add the berries for all their great nutritional qualities and an added sweetness!
- Unsweetened Apple Sauce: sprinkle on some cinnamon for a healthy treat!
THE URGE FOR SALT
I'm really disciplined on my sodium intake, and I hope you are too. However, sometimes we just want something salty…but instead of opening that bag of potato chips, try these options:
- Hummus and Pita Chips: try making the hummus yourself to eliminate any processed ingredients.
- Salsa: add it to your egg-white breakfast wrap, fajitas, or brown rice bowls for extra flavor. Or have some with organic blue corn chips – but watch your portions!
- Unsalted Nuts: a little handful of almonds, walnuts, and cashews will help – they may be unsalted but somehow they do the trick!
- Smart Balance Popcorn: or any organic kind – just watch your portions!
- Parmesan Cheese: sprinkle the low fat kind on your salad for an added ‘salty’ taste
RESEARCH RECIPES
“The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook” by Tosca Reno has a whole ‘dessert’ section with recipes for clean-eating treats. Or, do what I do and browse on the web for healthy recipes posted by other clean-eaters. You will be amazed to see how many people blog about their favorite healthy dessert recipes!
MASTER THE MIND
At least when it comes to cravings! It’s important to realize that most of our cravings are nothing more than what our mind tells us they are. If we are battling an urge, even after trying a healthy alternative:
- get some fresh air! Go for a walk, taking deep breaths in and out to calm our minds down and enjoy nature
- drink lots of water
- socialize with a good friend or loved one
- write your feelings down in your food journal
BE A CHEATER, ONCE A WEEK!
An exciting part about maintaining a clean-eating lifestyle, is that you can indulge in a ‘cheat’ meal once a week. Not only will you be able to satisfy your food cravings, you are giving your body a little extra energy for your workouts the following week. For those of you who are just starting a clean-eating diet, you may need a cheat meal twice a week. But once you are on track, you will feel satisfied with one a week! Just remember to set a 1-hour time limit – no buffet benders!
Hope this info helps. I know sometimes it's hard to get chocolate off the brain...just keep your goals in mind…once you start feeling your body getting leaner and stronger, you will be that much more motivated to keep eating clean!
