How Much Power Do Cravings Really Have?
Last week, I offered some ideas on what healthy snacks you can gift yourself when that “kuchisabishii” feeling comes over you. But another approach is - pausing. How powerful are cravings? And can we completely control them?
Have you sat in a craving?
When a craving occurs - chocolate, wine, cake, pretzels - what is your reaction? Do you simply give into it, thinking it’s the only way to get it out of your system? Do you punish yourself and wish you didn’t have those cravings? Do you feel shame? Frustration? Do you take it as an opportunity to have a healthy snack instead, like I suggested last week? Today, try this: it doesn’t sound like the most fun exercise, but stay with me. Sit in it. Just stop, feel the craving, and investigate it. Why must you have that right now? Will it feel good afterwards? Are you excited about having it and enjoying it? Or will you feel sad afterwards because it wasn’t how you planned to eat today? There are no right or wrong answers here, I just want you to be aware.
Just to be clear: I don’t suggest you should feel shame or sadness from eating anything. And whenever I suggest healthier versions of something, that is not to say that an unhealthier option is forbidden, or bad, or never okay. I just want to help you feel good in your body. And the way to get there can look different every day.
The concept of intuitive eating is that you allow your body to tell you what you need. Though I’m not an expert on this topic, I really do like it and subscribe to it in the way I understand it. I do believe that if we remove all shame and “shoulds” of eating, we will let our bodies have what is good for it, most of the time. I really think that the shame or taboo of certain food and snacks makes it more desirable. But I also believe that this desire is short-lived. I have even experienced it. Many times. Two of my vices, red wine and crisps, can pop up in my head out of nowhere. And at first, it feels like I have to have it. I have all sorts of reasons for it too. “I’ve had a long day” “I need a drink!” “I have to snack on something salty”, and so on. But when I pretty much stopped drinking, I was forced to investigate that desire.
Let’s look at wine as an example. When I sit in this craving, I investigate what it is about it that I think I need. Is it a drink? More often than not, when we “need a drink”, the answer is in that statement. We need to drink. Water. We are thirsty. Yup, it’s that simple. Chug a pint of water and ask yourself again if you need a drink. If it’s been a stressful day, the “needing a drink” feeling might actually be that we need to sit down, take a breath, lean back and let out a big sigh. It’s not really about the alcohol at all.
And in this same way you can investigate each craving. When you “need” chocolate - do you need some energy? Something for your blood sugar? Or maybe it was just an idea that popped into your head and will leave as soon as it came. Maybe you can sit down for a minute and journal what was going on in the moment the craving came to you. You might discover some interesting connections!
That is often what I find. When we are strong enough to stop and not give in to our cravings immediately, they go away much faster than you’d think. My wine cravings? If I tell myself I’m going to ask myself again in 5 minutes (that’s it!), I am usually over it.
Have chocolate. Drink a glass of red wine. Grab a slice of leftover cake. It’s all good! All I want to recommend, is that you try an exercise that reminds you that you are in charge, and not a helpless passenger to your cravings.
What is your most common craving? How do you react when it occurs? Post on Instagram and tag me @TheFromScratchBody and use the hashtag #TheFromScratchBody so I don’t miss it!
