Key Takeaways

Junk food cravings are driven by biological and psychological factors, including evolution and taste buds.
Common unhealthy habits include skipping breakfast, stress-induced bingeing, and eating out of boredom.
A proven way to avoid junk food cravings is by substituting it with healthier options.
Planning meals by being mindful of what, when, and how much you eat can improve overall health.

Have chips, cookies, soft drinks and candies been your snacking buddies for most of the year? While snacking can be a part of a healthy diet plan, it is crucial to be mindful of what you eat, how much you eat, and its effect on your health. So, plan your New Year’s health resolutions around ‘healthy snacking’ over consuming junk food.

Tanvi Gulati, a nutrition expert, is here to help you mentally push yourself to fulfill your health resolutions. Today’s mind hack will help you ‘junk the junk’ by suggesting ways to avoid junk food.

Stay off processed foods, fried foods, white sugar, and other unhealthy eating habits you tend to cultivate in the daily hustle-bustle of life so you can stick to your New Year’s health resolutions. Avoid giving up on this year’s resolution by using expert advice in fitness, nutrition, and mindfulness.

What you need to know:

Reasons why junk food causes cravings
Unhealthy snacking habits to look out for
Best healthy snacking options during the day

2023 Health Resolutions_Activ Living Community

Reasons why junk food causes cravings

Junk food cravings are common and can be difficult to resist. These cravings are not just about hunger but are driven by several biological and psychological factors. Understanding these underlying reasons can help explain why junk food cravings are so frequent today.

The evolutionary reason

Over the years, humans have switched to a sedentary lifestyle, which involves eating junk food. Consuming junk food is rewarding as it releases dopamine, reinforcing the craving cycle. This evolutionary programming makes resisting junk food difficult, even when healthier options are available.

Tastebuds

Junk food is always visually appealing and makes our taste buds tingle. Its artificial flavors and ingredients trigger sweetness and saltiness, making the food almost irresistible. This trigger causes frequent cravings and excessive consumption of junk food. Over time, it is also said to dull the sensitivity of taste buds, creating an endless cycle of junk food cravings.

Unhealthy snacking habits to look out for

While jotting down your New Year’s health resolutions, list the unhealthy snacking habits you want to eliminate. Here are a few everyday habits that you might relate to:

Skipping breakfast entirely while running late in the morning.
Bingeing on high-calorie snacks while stressed.
Omitting low-calorie snacks from your healthy diet plan.
Snacking to distract yourself or to get rid of boredom.
Getting tempted by snacks offered by people.

However, snacking is also essential to maintain hunger levels, especially when the gap between two meals is high. You can substitute high-calorie, fattening options with healthy snacks to stay fit.

Best healthy snacking options for the day

Food cravings don’t come invited. You can feel like popping a snack at any ungodly hour of the day. A well-nourished body will lead to fewer temptations throughout the day. Try these alternative snacking options that prevent you from derailing your health resolutions throughout the day!

Steer clear of morning temptations

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If you are among the ones who end up skipping breakfast, healthy snacks can be quite a savior. So, prepare your healthy breakfast a day in advance with delicious munchies like these on the go:

Snacking On Dry Fruits_Activ Living Community

Herbal drinks: Don’t suppress your hunger with tea or coffee in the morning. Instead, opt for healthy herbal drinks, like cinnamon or ginger lemon tea, which can help boost your metabolism.
Mixed nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, etc.): They are portable and perfectly balance fiber, fats and protein.
Greek yogurt and berries: These are easy to whip, sweet in taste and balance the nutrients, proteins and antioxidants.
Fruits: The most uncomplicated snacking option, you can just bite on fruit in the morning. Rich in minerals and fiber, you can consume a fruit salad while traveling, working or doing any other chore.
You can also consume rolled oats, crushed nuts, few sliced fruits with low-fat milk for a nourishing breakfast. You can also keep a box of dry fruits, nuts, or seeds on your office desk.
Consume a glass of buttermilk, coconut water, or even a bowl of raw vegetable salad to satiate your mid-morning cravings.

Steer clear of afternoon temptations

An insufficient lunch or tiring afternoon triggers you to slide into the snacking world. Try substituting this slump with one of these low-calorie snacks:

Ensure your lunch plate has 50% vegetables (raw or cooked), one source of good quality protein (dal, paneer/tofu, eggs, chicken, fish) and complex carbohydrates (chapati, rice, khichri, or daliya). If the urge to eat something sweet pops up, consume 1-2 dates, a few dried figs, a piece of dark chocolate, or some jaggery to beat the cravings.
Roasted chickpeas: A powerhouse of nutrients, you can carry them around for weeks and enjoy a casual post-lunch snack anytime.
Hummus with vegetables: A variation of chickpeas, hummus is rich in plant-based protein and fiber. Paired with vegetable slices, it can put your hunger pangs to rest.
Makhana: High in nutrients and antioxidants, makhana is a preferred snack in a healthy diet plan for weight loss.

Consume a healthy dinner

When you have eaten a balanced diet throughout the day, ensure you consume a light dinner preferably 3 hours before you hit the hay.

Opt for dal roti, rice and dal, and khichri. You can stir-fry these meals with paneer or boiled eggs.
Another healthy dinner option is a bowl of fresh vegetable soup with quinoa or chickpeas.

Beat the midnight cravings

It is ideal to avoid any snacks after dinner. But when hunger strikes, some healthy options you choose include:

Chia pudding: For your sweet tooth, you can mix chia seeds with any dairy or non-dairy milk of your choice, peanut butter, and a sweetener. Refrigerate them and snack on them to satisfy dessert cravings.
Air-popped popcorn: This popcorn variation is made by popping corn kernels using heated air. You can put the kernels in a brown paper bag and heat them in a microwave. Air-popped popcorn does not require added oil or flavorings and is served without high-fat ingredients like salt or butter. It is the perfect healthy snack for late-night movie marathons.

Once your snacking habits are under control, you can see changes in your lifestyle. These healthier options can provide you with a boost of nutrients while preventing excessive intake of fats between meals.

Stay tuned to the Activ Living Community. Keep up to date with the latest health tips and trends through expert videos, podcasts, articles, and much more on nutrition, fitness, mindfulness, and lifestyle conditions like Asthma, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, and Diabetes. Activ Living ke saath sahi sehat ki shuruat ABHI karo.

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