In this article, I’ll share a few tried and tested ways to stop food cravings.
Around 99% of adults experience food cravings at one point or another in their lives (1).
Based on that, we can probably agree that food cravings are a pretty universal experience.
Several factors can make it more likely for you to experience food cravings as a busy parent.
These make it especially easy to fall into the habit of snacking on nutrient-poor foods after dinner, once your little ones are asleep and you finally have a moment to yourself.
Unfortunately, food cravings often go hand-in-hand with a poorer diet, and a higher likelihood of having unwanted excess body fat (1).
As a registered dietitian, I’ve amassed an arsenal of tips to help you keep food cravings at bay. Read on to discover my 19 favorites.
HOW TO STOP FOOD CRAVINGS AT NIGHT ● As a Vegan Breastfeeding Mom
Short on time? Here’s a quick overview of my 5 personal favorite tips to stop food cravings.
1. Identify the underlying cause
The first step to stop food cravings is identifying their cause.
Many factors can cause you to have food cravings. For instance, you may have conditioned yourself to associate sitting on the couch at night with eating certain foods.
Or you may be using food as a coping mechanism to deal with certain emotions. Or perhaps you may simply not be eating enough during the day, which could be causing you to crave more food at night.
Most cravings are either mental or physical in nature. Mental cravings are often caused by emotions such as boredom, loneliness, anger, worry, or even happiness.
On the other hand, physical cravings can be caused by factors such as too little — or poor quality — sleep, an unbalanced diet or, in some cases, a hormonal imbalance.
Identifying what triggers your cravings is instrumental in helping you pick the right strategy to deal with them.
A great way to do this is to keep a cravings journal. Each time you feel a craving arise, write down the time, place, and accompanying circumstances or feelings you are experiencing at that moment.
Over time, you’ll likely spot a pattern which will help you identify your triggers.
In sum: Cravings can be either physical or mental. Using a food journal to help you identify the underlying cause of yours can help you pick the right strategy to deal with them.
2. Eat enough during the day
Not eating enough calories during the day can cause you to experience food cravings at night.
Studies show that eating too few calories throughout the day can cause you to feel overly hungry come nighttime. In turn, this may make you more likely to reach for high-fat or high-sugar junk foods rather than more nutritious ones (2).
One way to make sure that you eat enough during the day is to practice tuning into your hunger and satiety signals. These are your body’s way to communicate true physical hunger needs.
At first, it may feel a little tricky to distinguish true physical hunger from mental hunger. Although this is an ability we’re all born with, most tend to lose it by the time they reach adulthood. But with a little practice, it can definitely be re-learned.
You should always strive to respond to your body’s signals of physical hunger with food.
To do this, simply eat as much food you need for your hunger cue to disappear – and no more.
As long as your plant-based meals are well-balanced, you can safely rely on your physical hunger cues to regulate your food intake. In turn, this should help you meet both your calorie and nutrient needs, while helping stop food cravings later in the day.
In sum: Eating too little during the day can intensify your food cravings at night. To prevent this from happening, let your physical hunger and satiety cues help you determine when and how much to eat.
3. Eat more protein to stop food cravings
Protein is a nutrient that can reduce hunger and help you feel fuller for longer.
To illustrate this point, one study adjusted participants’ diets to provide either 14% or 25% of their calories from protein. Those in the higher protein group experienced greater fullness throughout the day, and cut their cravings by 62% (6).
According to research, you may get the most appetite-reducing benefits by including around 25-30 grams of protein per meal (3).
In sum: Eating enough protein can reduce cravings and help you feel fuller for longer. Try including 25-30 grams of protein to each meal.
4. Increase your fiber intake to stop food cravings
Just like protein, certain types of fibers may help reduce hunger and cravings (7).
These fibers may also have the added bonus of helping you lose weight by naturally reducing your calorie intake (7, 8).
There are two types of fiber in foods; soluble fiber and insoluble fiber.
Soluble fiber has the ability to soak up water in your gut, increasing feelings of fullness. Because of this, soluble fiber appears to be the most likely to help stop food cravings (9).
In addition to its hunger-reducing effects, soluble fiber also feeds the friendly bacteria living in your gut.
When your gut bacteria feeds on soluble fiber, they produce short-chain fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation in your gut, as well as symptoms of gut disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis (10, 11, 12).
Foods richest in soluble fiber include beans, oats, bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes,, avocados, pears, figs, apricots, apples, and flaxseeds.
On the other hand, insoluble fiber adds bulk to the stools. It also helps speed up how quickly food passes through your gut, reducing the likelihood of bloating and constipation (13).
Both types of fiber are worth including into your diet. However, foods rich in soluble fiber will be particularly helpful in keeping hunger, and thus cravings, at bay.
In sum: Soluble fiber can increase feelings of fullness while reducing hunger and helping stop food cravings. Try adding foods rich in fiber to each of your meals and snacks.
5. Develop new coping mechanisms
We all need to eat to live — that’s a fact.
But food is often more than just fuel. It can also bring us joy or comfort.
It’s no wonder we celebrate birthdays with cake, drink more on holiday or turn to a bag of chips after a stressful day.
Despite knowing this, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of relying on food to help us cope with emotions. This may be especially true of negative ones such as stress, boredom, loneliness, or procrastination.
If you find yourself often relying on food for reasons other than hunger, try identifying the non-physical need that your craving is fulfilling for you.
For instance, has craving chewy cookies while watching your favorite Netflix series become your way to deal with a stressful day?
Or has food become what you resort to when feeling lonely or bored?
Researchers call this a Pavlovian conditioning. Basically, any cue or context that is repeatedly paired with food intake can create a conditioned food craving response (14, 15).
This works in a way similar to Pavlov’s famous experiment in which he consistently coupled the ringing of a bell with feeding his dogs. After a while of doing this, the dogs started salivating at the mere sound of the bell, even when no food was served.
This type of learned association is easy to make, yet harder to break.
Harder, yet not impossible. Studies show that it takes several weeks of active self-control to break this type of learned association. However, once this period has passed, you’ll likely feel much less cravings than before (1, 14).
To successfully achieve this unpairing of your conditioned response, try replacing your food cravings with non-food related activities serving the same purpose.
For instance, yoga or meditation to combat stress, diving into a new book to combat boredom, or a video call with a loved one to cure loneliness.
In sum: Food sometimes serves as a coping mechanism to help reduce negative emotions. If you notice this is the case for you, try replacing foods with non-food related activities serving the same purpose.
6. Professional support can help stop food cravings
Late night cravings are often innocent. But other times, they can be caused by eating disorders such as night eating syndrome and binge eating disorder.
Nighttime eating syndrome causes people to eat large amounts of food after their evening meal. They also often wake up during the night to eat — often consuming more than a quarter of their calories at night (15).
On the other hand, binge eaters eat very large amounts of food in one sitting and generally feel out of control while doing so (16).
These eating disorders are best dealt with by seeking professional guidance. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one tool shown to help (17, 18).
In sum: Food cravings, especially at night, may be caused by night eating syndrome or binge eating disorder. Professional support can help reduce binge eating and help you stop eating in the middle of the night.
7. Reduce your convenience
Convenience is a busy parent’s best friend.
But when it comes to food, the easier it is to see or access a food, the more likely you are to crave it or overindulge in it.
To demonstrate this effect, researchers placed bowls of Hershey Kisses in three different spots. That is, on a secretary’s desk, in her desk drawer or 6 feet (1.8 meters) away from her desk.
Overall, secretaries ate an average of nine pieces of candy per day when the Hershey Kisses were placed on their desk, six pieces when in the drawer, and four if they had to walk to get them (19).
The researchers repeated this experiment with many different secretaries, and the results remained the same.
Translating this into real life means that keeping less nutritious foods hidden away may help reduce your cravings for them.
You can also opt to keep a certain food — for instance cookies — out of the house all-together. The inconvenience of having to go to the store to get some, or having to bake your own likely reduces the likelihood that you’ll fulfill your craving.
You can also make this tip work for you by conveniently keeping nutritious foods such as fresh produce, well within sight.
For instance, by keeping a bowl full of fresh fruit on your kitchen counter, or pre-cut vegetables on your refrigerator shelf rather than hidden away in the refrigerator drawer.
This may cause you to eat more of these foods than if they were hidden away.
In sum: The less convenient it is to see or grab a food, the less likely you are to crave it. Try keeping foods you wish to avoid mindlessly eating tucked away or out of the house all-together.
8. Avoid going to the supermarket hungry
Going shopping for your groceries when hungry is a bad idea.
That’s because supermarkets are stocked with a variety of foods, including ones you wish to stop craving.
Most supermarkets have the tendency to place the unhealthiest foods at eye level, prompting your subconscious to pick them up.
Placing yourself in a situation which requires you to make food choices when hungry is much more challenging for your self-restraint.
In turn, it increases the likelihood you’ll bring a bag of chips or pint of dairy-free ice cream home.
In sum: Eating before doing your groceries can help reduce the likelihood you’ll impulsively buy the less nutritious foods you tend to crave.
9. More sleep can help stop food cravings
Getting plenty of sleep is instrumental to help stop food cravings.
That’s because your appetite is in large part affected by hormones, whose levels fluctuate through your body during the day.
Too little shut eye can disrupt their normal fluctuations, increasing your appetite and intensifying your cravings.
This may explain why sleep-deprived people are up to 55% more likely to become obese than those who get enough sleep (20, 21, 22).
As a busy parent, getting enough, high-quality sleep can be a true challenge.
I encourage you to find a sustainable way for you to get some extra sleep, even if just a little.
Co-sleeping, going to bed an hour earlier, and sleeping an extra hour in the morning while my husband gets the kids ready are three strategies that have worked well for me. Find what works best for you!
In sum: Getting enough sleep can help stop food cravings and keep your appetite in check. It may also help prevent unwanted weight gain. So try investing some time in finding sleep-promoting strategies that work for you.
10. Take a breather
When you feel a craving coming on, try to mentally distance yourself from it.
Oftentimes, taking a mental breather can shift your focus elsewhere and nip your craving in the bud.
You can do this by taking a quick walk around the block, having a chat with a friend or colleague, or jotting down a few items on your to do list.
Distracting yourself for this short period of time can help your mind disrupt your craving pattern. Doing this can, over time, help prevent that craving from appearing in the first place (1, 14).
For best results, try chewing gum while doing this! Studies shows that this can lower both appetite and cravings (23, 24).
In sum When you feel a craving come on, distance yourself from it by focusing on something else. Chewing gum while doing so can be particularly effective at preventing your craving from escalating.
11. Planning your treats can help stop food cravings
Sometimes, despite taking a breather, you may find that your cravings remain at the forefront of your mind.
And the harder you try to avoid thinking about them, the likelier they are to occupy your mind. Psychologists describe this phenomenon as the “ironic process theory” (25).
This theory states that your deliberate attempts to suppress your thoughts only make them more likely to surface.
To illustrate this principle, for the next 30 seconds, I’ll ask you to try thinking about anything other than a pink elephant. Then see how long it takes before a pink elephant comes to mind.
If you struggle to fight or suppress your cravings, you may wish to try planning for them instead.
For instance, try picking one food that you typically crave. Then, plan the exact moment in the week when you will enjoy it.
Every time a craving for that particular food surfaces, simply redirect your mind to your planned moment.
Knowing that you will be able to enjoy that food at some point soon can help calm the urge you feel for that particular food at that exact moment.
In sum Planning your treats can make it easier to redirect your thoughts when a craving arises. This helps keep cravings from occupying the forefront of your mind, effectively reducing their strength in the moment.
12. Drink more fluids
Staying well hydrated is another effective way to stop food cravings.
Oftentimes, we mistake thirst for hunger. So when you feel a sudden urge to eat a specific food, try drinking a large glass of water first.
There’s a good chance that your craving will fade away within a few minutes simply because your body was actually thirsty rather than hungry.
Drinking water before meals or snacks can also create a feeling of fullness.
Even if drinking water doesn’t make your craving completely disappear, there’s a good chance it will help you eat less of the food you crave than you would have otherwise (26, 27, 28).
In sum: Thirst is often mistaken for hunger. Drinking water before eating a food you crave may reduce your craving, or help minimize the overall amount of food you consume.
13. Eat rather than drink your calories
Your body doesn’t register the calories you get from liquids in the same way it registers calories from foods. This means that drinking your calories rather than eating them can cause you to eat more calories than you otherwise would (29).
Whenever possible, opt to chew your foods rather than drink them.
For instance, eat an orange rather than drinking a glass of orange juice. Or eat your plant-based yoghurt topped with oats, nut butter and fruit rather than blending all of these ingredients into a smoothie.
Similarly, eating a soup that contains ingredients that require chewing for dinner rather than one with completely blended ingredients may help you cut down on snacking after dinner.
In sum: Eating your calories rather than drinking them can help you feel less hungry. As a result, it may prevent you from giving in to your cravings.
14. Try meal planning
Some people find that planning their meals ahead of time can help stop food cravings.
That’s because knowing exactly what you are going to eat can help reduce both uncertainty or decision fatigue.
Knowing exactly which foods to buy at the grocery store, and which meal or snack you can look forward to can also make it easier to reduce temptations for less nutritious foods — especially if you’ve planned for satisfying meals or snacks.
In sum: Meal planning is a strategy that may help some people reduce temptations for less nutritious foods.
15. Reducing stress can help stop food cravings
Stress is often linked to cravings.
Stress can influence your eating behaviors and increase the likelihood of cravings – especially if you’re a woman (30, 31, 32).
Research shows that women under stress experience more cravings and are prone to eating more than when they aren’t stressed (33).
That’s likely because stress can raise your blood levels of cortisol, a hormone that can cause you to gain weight, especially around your midsection (34, 35).
It’s not clear why this doesn’t apply as much to men as it does to women. But I for one, can attest to this effect!
So if you’re feeling stressed, it may be worth experimenting with ways to reduce that feeling. Mediation, yoga, taking a walk or having a chat with a loved one are just a few ideas. Find what works best for you!
In sum: Keeping stress to a minimum may help reduce the likelihood you’ll get, or give in to cravings.
16. Eat mindfully
Being mindful of your body’s hunger and satiety signals throughout the day is a good skill to develop, and hang on to. This can make it easier to only eat when you’re actually hungry, and stop when you no longer are.
It can also help prevent you from becoming overly hungry, thereby reducing the likelihood you’ll succumb to cravings come nighttime.
Moreover, eating mindfully — for instance by minimizing external distractions such as the T.V. or computer during your meals and snacks — allows your brain to register that you’ve actually eaten.
This can help you distinguish physical hunger from mental hunger the next time a craving comes around. In turn, this can give you the opportunity to consciously chooce how to deal with a craving rather than impulsively act on it (36).
Studies show that mindful eating is effective at cutting binge eating episodes in half. It also appears to reduce the severity of each individual binge (37).
To eat more mindfully, try actively choosing to enjoy all your meals and snacks exclusively at the dinner table, without doing anything else at the same time.
This will naturally keep you from multitasking or being distracted by your favorite Netflix series!
In sum: Being mindful of your body’s hunger cues and minimizing external distractions while you eat can help stop food cravings. It may also help you you deal with them more appropriately.
17. Limiting variety can help stop food cravings
It may pay off to limit your options when it comes to your nighttime snacks.
According to research, having a wider variety of foods to choose from can lead you to eat up to 23% more (38).
Experts call this phenomenon “sensory-specific satiety.” This refers to the idea that your senses get numbed after being repeatedly exposed to the same stimulus, such as the same flavors, many times.
The wider the variety of flavors you indulge in during a nighttime craving, the more delayed this natural numbing appears to be. In turn, this increases the chance you’ll eat an overall larger quantity of food.
Interestingly, simply thinking there’s more variety may have a similar effect.
In one study, researchers gave participants bowls with ten colors M&Ms and others bowls with seven colors M&Ms. Those given the ten colors to choose from ate 43 more candies, despite them all tasting the same (39).
To make sensory-specific satiety work for you, try limiting your choices to one or two options. For instance, chips, salted nuts, olives or popcorn rather than all four.
In sum: Limiting your options when it comes to nighttime snacking can help you ultimately eat less. For best results, try sticking to one to two flavors at a time.
18. Eating slowly can help stop food cravings
Slowing down when eating is an integral part of eating mindfully. It’s also a great strategy to stop food cravings.
Slow eaters tend to eat less, feel fuller and rate their meals as more pleasant than those with the tendency to eat more quickly (40).
The reason slowing down works is because it allows more time for your body to release hormones that promote feelings of fullness.
Aim to take at least 20-30 minutes to eat your meal or snack. This time will allow your brain to realize that you’ve eaten enough before you reach for that second serving (41).
If you have a natural tendency to eat very quickly, try eating with your non-dominant hand. Putting your fork down between each bite or eating with chopsticks are additional ways that can help you slow down when you eat.
In sum: Eating more slowly gives your body the time to feel full. This can help you enjoy your meals more, eat less, and likely reduces food cravings.
19. Replace cravings with healthier alternatives
Sometimes, you might be craving the properties a particular food offers rather than the actual food itself.
For instance, the crunch of chips, the chewiness of cookies, or ice-cream’s melting properties.
In such cases, replacing the food that you’re craving with healthier alternatives offering the same properties can help reduce that craving.
For example, swapping those potato chips with kale chips, roasted chickpeas or homemade popcorn are some more nutrient-rich ways to get your fix.
You can find a few ideas of such nutrient-rich alternatives to the most common cravings in the printable below.
In sum: Replacing your food cravings with more nutritious alternatives offering the same properties may help successfully reduce your initial food craving.
To sum it all up
If you’re like most people, you have likely experienced food cravings at one point or another.
The tips above are meant to help stop food cravings, or help you deal with them in a more beneficial way.
Keep in mind that cravings are unlikely to completely disappear forever, even if you try all of these tips. But giving the tips above a try are likely to help you feel them less frequently, and less intensely.
Do you have an effective way to deal with cravings that I haven’t mentioned yet? If so, please consider sharing it in the comments below so we can all benefit from it!
Great article. Sleep well and don’t skip your breakfast and you will be able to suppress your appetite for a longer time.
https://beautyandhealthlife.com/how-to-stop-overeating/