Ask Your Fit Body Coaches

Happy FriYay FitFam!
Coach Jake here,
Today I wanted to talk to y'all about something we ALL struggle with. That is finding healthy alternatives to some of our favorite unhealthy snacks or drinks. For me personally I have a hard time resisting sweet drinks like sodas or sweet teas that our loaded with sugar! My alternative for these is having a flavorful sparkling water! This allows me to still get the carbonation sensation and still tastes sweet even though there is no sugar and usually 0-10 calories which is an added plus! These also work AWESOME as cocktail mixers! So swap out the sodas and sugar filled mixers for one of these bad boys and your body will thank you for it!

Great article about cravings by Precision Nutrition....

Use Cravings to Improve Your Nutrition

Even the most health-conscious, intentional eaters sometimes make food decisions based on factors other than pure nutritional value.

Sometimes you just want something salty… no wait, crunchy.

No wait!

Salty and crunchy.

Match your craving to a nutritious snack.

Cravings are marked by a strong desire for a specific type of food. Depending on your mood or palate, you might crave something sweet, savory, creamy, crispy, or all of the above.

Often, the object of a craving is highly processed and nutrient poor. While satisfying in the short term, it does little to regulate your appetite in the long term.

But what if you could satisfy your craving AND give your body a nutritious boost?

Coach Jarrett Brumett, CSCS, PN1, created a list of snack ideas that fit directly where the above two goals overlap. (see post picture)

To use it, find the flavor/food quality you’re craving in the first row, then choose from the list of snack options below it. (Or come up with your own!)

Take it further: Notice when cravings hit.

Cravings are normal—and often fun, when mindfully indulged.

But if you notice cravings are derailing your (or your client’s) larger health goals, investigate whether cravings are happening for reasons other than pure physical hunger.

Just like Pavlov’s dogs and the bell that made them salivate for food, us humans can be “triggered” to crave food through unrelated cues in our environment.

An image of the cycle starting from a trigger, something happens in our internal/external environment, then to behaviour, we execute a behavior based on the trigger, and finally to a reward, we get rewarded for the behavior.

When you experience food cravings when you’re not physically hungry, bring awareness to your triggers by asking:

♥️ What am I feeling?

⏰ What time is it?

👯‍♂️ Who am I with?

🗺 Where am I?

🤔 What thoughts am I having?

Keep a journal and look for patterns.