The more healthy whole foods we choose, the less we crave sugar & processed food! Seems easy enough to eat more vegetables & fruits but our brains crave that dopamine “feel good” sensation we get from processed foods like refined carbohydrates & sugar. So on top of our brains craving those bad for you foods, many company’s packaging on processed food is designed to trick us into thinking it is good for us when it is actually full of chemicals, artificial ingredients, and some type of sweetener. This makes it difficult for us to switch to a sustainable healthy eating lifestyle.
Instead of changing their diet for the long term many people try to go on a “diet”. Most diets fail because people feel restricted because of what they can’t have. A lot of times this results in a strict diet then binge eating because of feeling deprived. And many people end up yo-yo dieting where they go on a diet then fail then repeat this cycle until they feel defeated and give up. It is frustrating and I know because I have been there. Diets for many of us just don’t work and I have found that just like this article says; the more healthy food we eat, the more we will crave healthier food.
There is no reason to drastically change our diets overnight. To achieve long term lasting results, start slowly. Choose to add in one new vegetable or fruit today! Then just keep adding in more vegetables and fruits everyday. Don’t think of it as what you can’t have but think of it as an adventure of all these things you can have!
Next time you go to the grocery store just pause for a moment in the fruit & vegetable section and take in all the possibilities and choices! Or even better, check out a local farmers market! Everyday we make choices. The more we choose healthier options, the more our bodies will start to crave healthier food!
~Crystal (September 5, 2014)
Check out this article by Appetite for Health to learn more about training your brain:
http://www.appforhealth.com/2014/09/train-brain-crave-healthier-foods/