With the holidays upon us, the buzz is all about enjoying ourselves without overdoing it. A delicate balance, and no small task as fabulous foods now begin to taunt our senses and the holiday party train is en route to our hips!
“
Crave for a thing, you will get it. Renounce the craving, the object will follow you by itself.”
~ Swami Sivananda
One way to curb the intensity of cravings is to know where you stand in terms of the calories you consume. We’re all very good at deluding ourselves on the amount we eat and drink, so it’s helpful to dose in a little blunt truth now and again.
There are several calorie and nutrition databases to help. Calorie King was the first on the scene. With the advent of smartphone apps along came “Lose It! and “CalorieCount” among others. CalorieCount caught our eye because of their e-newsletters. A recent one brought to light two additional studies on food cravings:
- Carnegie Mellow University found that we’re better at staving off our cravings when we “vividly” imagine the food of our dreams rather than scarf it down without a thought. The truth is, savoring and relishing our favorites is often as easy from a mind’s eye point of view as it is in true form.
- McGill University in Quebec, Canada found that the intensity of cravings can also be reduced by redirecting your focus toward other joys. Imagine your favorite place, time or activity, and food cravings ease up — i.e. take “a vacation in your mind,” says CalorieCount.
If neither if these work, and the craving still follows you, have a taste by golly — emphasizing attentive savoring alongside restraint. It’s better to savor some and account for it in your total calories, than to deprive yourself.
So, fuel up on your food reality, getting straight about where you stand; and then get mindful yet carefree about what excites you in life.