Truth be told, following a healthy diet isn’t easy, especially for people who have been eating unhealthy foods all their life.
Many people who started eating healthily usually have waves of cravings for junk food after a couple of weeks or months (1). What’s more, some of them may start to feel like they are being deprived or are missing out.
These negative feelings will ultimately weaken their willpower and increase the odds of them succumbing to their cravings.
But the good news is that this can be prevented.
It may interest you to know that there are some practical tips that will make it easier for you to eat healthily and not feel like you are missing out.
Before we explore these tips, we are first going to be looking at an important thing you must do before making the big decision to eat clean.
Why do you want to improve your diet?
Regardless of the nature of your weight loss goals, you must brainstorm one or more reasons why you want to achieve them.
Doing this won’t only make you focused but will make it easier for you to make wise choices that will help you accomplish the goals you have set.
For example, if your goal is to eat healthily, your “why” or your motivation could be any of the following:
- So that I can become more confident
- To get into my wedding dress
- So I can look more attractive
Keep this list handy so that you can make reference to it when you are down, unmotivated, or want to take actions that will sabotage your weight loss efforts.
Effective tips that will help you stick to your diet without feeling deprived
Get rid of the unhealthy foods in your home
After crafting a comprehensive diet plan, the first thing you should do is to get rid of the unhealthy foods in your home.
Ignore this, and you are going to face endless waves of cravings when you are at home. Even worse, you are going to feel like you are missing out.
Several studies have shown that people who stock their homes with unhealthy foods are more likely to derail from a healthy diet, overeat, and become obese (2)(3).
Always remember that you are mostly going to feel deprived when you see junk food.
You can make your weight loss journey easier by inspecting every part of your home and getting rid of the junk foods you find.
If you live with your family or you have a roommate, you should tell them to hide their junk food or keep them away from open areas like your kitchen countertops.
Carry healthy snacks
As you likely know, preparation is one of the keys to weight loss success.
When it comes to dieting, preparation doesn’t only mean preparing healthy meals you will eat at home, but it means preparing things you will eat when you aren’t home.
When you are at home, you are in control and in a better position to determine what and when you will eat. However, when you are not at home, your options are limited. In fact, you may not even have the liberty to be picky about what you eat.
You can make things easier for yourself by preparing some healthy snacks you will eat when you are hungry or when you crave unhealthy foods.
One study shows that high protein snacks can help reduce appetite and cravings for unhealthy foods (4).
Below are some examples of high protein snacks that will banish your cravings for unhealthy foods:
- Peanuts
- Hardboiled eggs
- Cheese
- Greek yogurt
- Almonds
Eat high protein foods in the morning
Do you know that the food you eat for breakfast can determine if you will have cravings during the course of your day or not?
If your breakfast consists of foods that are high in carbs, you are likely going to feel hungry and start to crave unhealthy foods after a while. The obvious reason for this is that they are low in fiber and aren’t very filling.
Several studies have shown that a high protein breakfast offers a lot (5) (6). Eating protein-rich foods in the morning will help prevent your blood sugar level from spiking, make you feel fuller and less likely to overeat, and help increase your metabolism (7).
One study in obese women also found that a high protein diet can make one eat less. The participants of the study who ate 30 grams of protein in the morning felt more satisfied and didn’t eat during the remaining part of their day (8).
Have a partner
As previously mentioned, sticking to a healthy diet is difficult, especially if you are doing it on your own.
You can make things more fun and exciting by having a partner or workout buddy (9) (10). Your partner can be a family member or a close friend.
After going through the data from some 3000 couples, researchers found out that if a partner made positive lifestyle changes, the other is more likely to follow (11). So if you are married, your wife or husband can be your workout buddy.
Before choosing a person as a workout partner, it is wise that you do a little digging to see if the person you want to choose is on the same page as you.
What to eat when you start craving unhealthy foods
Most people following a healthy diet will likely have cravings or even feel like they are missing out when they are hungry.
Below are some foods that can quell your cravings and help you focus on your goals.
Fresh fruits
Eat fresh fruits when you are having sugar cravings.
Besides being delicious, fresh fruits are loaded with nutrients that can improve your health and help you lose weight. Fruits are rich in antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, fiber, and so on (12) (13).
Besides taking your mind off your cravings, fruits can also reduce the risk of you developing chronic health conditions like heart disease (14).
You can keep things interesting by blending your fruits into smoothies. You can also add dark chocolates or nuts to make your smoothies taste better.
Don’t limit yourself to popular fruits. Step out of your comfort zone and try out different types of fruits.
Greek yogurt
Greek yogurt is creamy, delicious, and healthy.
Even more, it is high in protein, low in sugar, and rich in B vitamins, calcium, and some bacteria that can improve your gut health.
Several studies have shown that the nutrients in Greek yogurt can improve our bone health (15) (16).
Add fruits toppings or nuts to your Greek yogurt to make it more nutritious and healthy.
So, the next time you crave ice-cream or something similar, try eating Greek yogurt.
Exercise good judgment when eating Greek yogurt so that you don’t overindulge and ultimately gain weight.
Hot drink of beverage
Do you crave unhealthy desserts after your meal? If yes, you should consider drinking a hot beverage like tea, coffee, or espresso after eating.
These hot beverages are low in calories and rich in powerful antioxidants that can improve your health.
It may interest you to know that drinking some of these beverages can make you feel fuller and less likely to overeat.
One study shows that coffee boosts the production of peptide YY, a hormone that reduces our hunger level and make us feel fuller (17).
Cottage cheese
Cottage cheese are nutritious and low in calories.
Even more, they are loaded with protein, vitamin B12, calcium, and riboflavin (18).
Since it is an excellent source of protein, eating it will make you fuller and even lose weight.
Several studies have shown that eating high protein foods like cottage cheese can make one eat less and lose weight (19) (20).
Vegetable chips
Try eating vegetable chips the next time you have cravings for potato chips.
Vegetable chips are made from fiber-rich plants like seaweeds, parsnips, and kale.
Keep in mind that some vegetable chips on the market are just as unhealthy as potato chips, as they are high in salt and calories.
Be sure to inspect the ingredients of a vegetable chip before purchasing it. Or better still, you can make it at home by following this recipe.
The bottom line on avoiding unhealthy foods and eating healthy without feeling deprived
As you journey towards your weight loss goals, you are going to face a lot of challenges.
Regardless of how disciplined you are, you are going to have cravings for junk food or even feel like you are missing out.
What you do when you experience these feelings will determine if you will be able to achieve your weight loss goals or not.
Resist the urge to dwell on what you are missing. Instead, think about why you are following a healthy diet.
After you have done that, take quick actions to quell your cravings. You can do everything from eating something healthy or doing something that is exciting and distracts you from your cravings.
