How To Overcome Junk Food Cravings During Quarantine

What is about chocolate, pizza and sweets that make it so hard to stop at “just one”?

You know these foods aren’t good for you in excess, so why do you indulge?

Is it the forbidden fruit mentality? You want what you can’t have?

For starters, your brain loves junk food.

Junk foods are energy dense (i.e. high in calories). Good news if you’re a hunter-gatherer and nutrients are scarce, but bad news in today’s society of endless food at your fingertips.

But what’s happening inside your brain that drive this response?

Stephan Guyenet referenced several studies in an article on Examine.com, which show your mouth and small intestine detect the base materials in sugar, fat, and protein and send a signal to the brain that releases dopamine.

And the more concentrated the nutrients (think junk food) the greater the surge in dopamine.

Essentially, your brain is doing its job by encouraging you to pursue calorie dense foods that would help your distant ancestors stay alive or survive periods of famine. But your brain chemistry simply wasn’t built for the world you live in today.

You need simply take a passing glance at that timely pizza promotion in your mailbox and crave it because the sensory cues are so innate.  Then, with a few clicks on your smartphone, that cheesy delight arrives at your doorstep.

How can you avoid these temptations? Plan ahead. Prepare wholesome meals to bring to work with you so you aren’t starving and accidently on purpose reach for that donut in the lunchroom. Download this handy “Mansformation Cheat Sheet” to set yourself up with a nutrition plan for success. I.E. Opt for a filling quinoa salad with a variety of nutrients over a Unicorn Frap from Starbucks.

Drug-Like Effects

Further still, some junk foods combine calories with drug-like effects.

Guyenet writes about chocolate’s mix of calories and a drug called theobromine. Much like its cousin caffeine, theobromine is a mild stimulant. This drug accentuates fat and sugar’s natural ability to spike dopamine signaling, which in many people results in powerful cravings and addictive-like behaviour.

Do you remember the first time you drank coffee or beer? You likely didn’t love the taste.

But coffee has caffeine and beer has alcohol, two drugs that your brain gets a reward from.

So, in turn, your sensory cues tell you to pay $6 for that Frappuccino and elbow your way through a crowd to get to the bar.

Tips To Manage Cravings At Home During COVID-19 Quarantine

Now, here’s a quick checklist to survive the remaining time in isolation with your health and waistline intact.

If it’s not immediately in your environment, you’re probably not going to eat it: So keep it out. Yes, you may need to stock up on snacks for the kids, but limit exposure to your kryptonite foods.

If it has to be in the house, put up “walls” in front of it. Keep the junk food in less visible and less convenient locations. For example, if you need it in the house for your kids, keep ice cream in the downstairs freezer and hide it under a stash of frozen vegetables if necessary.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, take down the “walls” in front of making healthy food choices. For example, keep a fruit bowl out on the counter, not a bowl of candies. Keep refrigerated vegetables on the front and middle shelves of your refrigerator, and keep more “off plan” refrigerated items near the back (or perhaps in the drawers).

Keep to a schedule of planned dinners you prepare and food prep some lunch essentials ahead of time, particularly proteins and starchy carbs, which can’t really be figured out on the fly.

Don’t buy super-sized portions you might binge on — only indulge in controlled amounts.

If you live with others who bring junk food home, get their support by at least getting them to agree to hide it in a place only they will know to find it.

Prepare your meals as you normally would for your job and have them ready in the fridge, eating meals on the same schedule.

Eat more whole, fresh, minimally processed foods with a balance of macronutrients, protein, carbs and fats so you aren’t “shortchanging” your brain from much-needed nutrients (i.e. limit cravings)

Eat slowly and mindfully. No matter what you eat, slowing down will help your digestive system do its job and also help your brain get the signal from your gut that it’s full.

The best kept secret is not to depend on willpower but to have an alternative option at the ready that meets your goals. Find your go-to healthy meal or snack options and make sure they’re staring at you when you open the fridge or pantry or are offered something you’re trying to avoid. Hey, if you slip up, don’t see fitness so black and white. A few slices of pizza aren’t going to ruin your progress if you see it that way.

 

How to re-program your brain:

  • Eat more whole, fresh, minimally processed foods with a balance of macronutrients, protein, carbs and fats so you aren’t “shortchanging” your brain from much-needed nutrients (i.e. limit cravings)
  • Eat slowly and mindfully. No matter what you eat, slowing down will help your digestive system do its job and also help your brain get the signal from your gut that it’s full
  • Keep temptations out of sight. Easier said than done, but work to control your home environment. Don’t buy Costco-sized ice cream or sweets – only indulge in controlled amounts. I.E. Opt for a kid sized McFlurry on the way home instead of buying a two-gallon pail of ice cream at the store. If tempting, unhealthy foods aren’t within arm’s reach, not only will they be harder to eat, but you’ll be less likely to crave them.
  • Get this handy “Mansformation Cheat Sheet” cheat sheet to set yourself up with a nutrition plan

What’s Next?

Get Mitch’s FREE Mansformation Cheat Sheet NOW… and lose as much as 10 pounds FAST, while greatly reducing inflammation in the process.

 

 

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Mitch Calvert is a Winnipeg-based fitness coach for men and women like his former self. Heavyset in his 20s, he lost 60 pounds and now helps clients find their spark and lose the weight for life.