Get some exercise. Exercise can help reduce cravings fast. Put on your workout gear and go for a run or jump some rope. The more you can get your heart rate up, the faster your cravings will go away. Exercising is a good distraction, too.

Remind yourself of your goals. Think about why you want to ignore these cravings. Eat something healthy. If you want to eat something, snack on healthy food, like veggies or fresh fruit.

Reward yourself for eating well. Pick a non-food reward on days that you do well. You could get a mani-pedi, book a spa trip, or get a massage. Or, you could just take a bubble bath or go for a walk around the block. Enjoy a small portion of your craving. Sometimes the only way to beat a craving is to give in a little.

If you want a huge bowl of ice cream, try eating 1 scoop. If you could down a whole bag of potato chips, eat a handful instead. Not giving up unhealthy foods completely can help you keep them off your mind.

Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day. Keep your body full and nourished to diminish cravings. Grown women need about 2, calories per day, while grown men need about 2, calories per day. Try to eat every 3 to 4 hours to curb your hunger and get rid of cravings.

Get enough sleep. Aim for 7 to 9 hours every night. org Organization associated with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics providing advice about food, health, and fitness Go to source Try turning off your devices 30 minutes before you go to bed to fall asleep faster. Cassie Wakin. When you restrict foods inherently, that pendulum swings back in the other direction, which causes you to eat more of that restricted food.

It's better to keep a balance in your life and prioritize healthy portions. We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more.

Claim Your Gift If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. Support wikiHow Yes No. Not Helpful 11 Helpful 7. Marjan Mahallati, RHN, AADP Registered Holistic Nutritionist.

Marjan Mahallati, RHN, AADP. There are many ways to distract our bodies when the cravings strike. Take a walk, listen to music, FaceTime a friend, and get your body moving to increase natural endorphins and get your mind off of the food.

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 8. Claudia Carberry, RD, MS Master's Degree, Nutrition, University of Tennessee Knoxville. Claudia Carberry, RD, MS.

If you are truly hungry, you may want to have a meal. Not Helpful 16 Helpful 6. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Surprisingly, educational websites also ranked in the top 10 for snack, sugary drink, fast food, and sugary cereal ads. Whereas acute sudden stress tends to suppress appetite, longer-lasting chronic stress is associated with cravings for hyperpalatable high-fat calorie-dense foods.

Read more about how chronic stress affects eating patterns. Adequate sleep helps to regulate metabolic functions, and a lack of sleep is associated with imbalances in leptin and ghrelin levels. These hormonal fluctuations may lead to overeating due to cravings for sweet, starchy, high-fat, and salty foods.

Exercise typically lowers levels of appetite-stimulating ghrelin and increases appetite-suppressing leptin and glucagon-like peptide, at least in the short term. A shorter, less intense workout such as a moderate walk on a treadmill for 20 minutes may not have any effect on the appetite.

In women, hormones fluctuate during various phases of their menstrual cycle. When estrogen levels are low and progesterone is high, one may feel increased cravings and less satisfied after eating.

The brain has receptors for estrogen, and higher levels of estrogen are associated with fullness and satisfaction after eating.

In some people, drugs like antidepressants e. These antidepressants interfere with the neurotransmitter serotonin, which regulates mood and appetite.

Another medication that increases appetite is prednisone, a steroid sometimes given to replete low cortisol levels with certain health conditions. Prednisone can promote leptin resistance so that leptin does not work properly to suppress appetite, causing one to feel persistent hunger.

The contents of this website are for educational purposes and are not intended to offer personal medical advice. You should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The Nutrition Source does not recommend or endorse any products. Skip to content The Nutrition Source. The Nutrition Source Menu. Search for:. Home Nutrition News What Should I Eat?

Different areas of the brain make up the reward system, but the key part of the brain related to cravings and regulating appetite is called the hypothalamus. It regulates the secretion of chemicals and hormones related to stress, pleasure, pain, and hunger. The expectation of receiving a reward, not necessarily the reward itself, stimulates higher dopamine activity.

Dopamine release is even larger if the reward is greater than anticipated, which may stimulate a person to seek that experience or substance again and again.

Eating certain foods repeatedly that stimulate the reward region is believed by some researchers to lead to addictive food behaviors or emotional overeating.

Defining a food addiction In his book Hooked , author Michael Moss questions what defines an addiction. Tips to reduce food cravings Aim to eat nutritionally balanced meals. Foods with protein and fiber provide longer-lasting satisfaction.

Avoid long stretches of not eating. Eat a nutritious meal or snack every hours during the day. Waiting too long to eat because you are busy or distracted may only lead to stronger hunger when you do eat and the risk of overeating.

Avoid choosing hyperpalatable or ultraprocessed snacks that are high in sodium, fat, sugar, and calories but low in nutrition. These are the types of foods that trigger the brain reward pathways and cause cravings to eat more.

Choose satisfying, less-processed snacks like fresh fruit, a handful of nuts, or a cup of low-sugar yogurt. Limit environmental cues to eat, such as scrolling through social media posts about food or mukbang online videos of people eating enormous quantities of decadent meals and watching television cooking shows.

In an office setting, detour away from the candy bowls and platters of bagels and treats that may be sitting in the break room.

Food cravings are sometimes learned behaviors that are associated with an event or environment, such as craving potato chips while watching late-night television. Practice mindfulness when sensing a growing craving.

Ask yourself if you are stressed, bored, angry? If so, try instead doing breathing exercises, talking a brisk minute walk, listening to a meditation app or podcast, or playing a few favorite songs.

If you can distract yourself from eating for about minutes, the craving may subside. Learn more about mindful eating. Try other dopamine-inducing activities such as taking a walk in nature on a sunny day, dancing, or watching a funny video and laughing aloud!

References Sinha R. Role of addiction and stress neurobiology on food intake and obesity. Biological psychology. Sinha is on the Scientific Advisory Board for Embera Neurotherapeutics.

For an easy way to introduce tofu in your diet , try adding it to your next healthy stir-fry or in a grain bowl with tofu and veggies. Tofu is high in an isoflavone called genistein, which, according to a study in Advances in Nutrition , has been shown to suppress appetite and lower food intake.

Ever notice how when you eat sushi it doesn't seem to take as much food to fill you up? Well, part of that is because of the healthy fish in sushi, but the other part is due to that spicy green stuff: wasabi! According to a study in the journal Foods , the spiciness in wasabi makes it a natural appetite suppressant and anti-inflammatory.

If you're not a coffee drinker and get sick of water easily, try a natural appetite suppressant tea. Green tea can help you stave off hunger that results in mindlessly snacking.

According to a research report in Appetite , the caffeine and catechins in green tea are the reason. They suppress your appetite and make you feel full.

Packing over 5 grams of protein and 4 grams of dietary fiber in a half-cup serving, oatmeal is a nutritionally rich food you can easily incorporate in your life. The high fiber content helps slow digestion which prevents uncomfortable spikes in blood sugar.

And while oats are also high in carbohydrates, the carbs in oatmeal provide energy and make you feel fuller for longer. According to research in the American College of Nutrition , oatmeal kept participants from feeling hungry for longer than regular breakfast cereals.

They can be eaten alone, mixed in a stew, or tossed in a salad. A study in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism considered the effect on appetite of eating lentils and other beans before meals. Lentils were found to be a better appetite suppressant and resulted in less food intake than chickpeas in the study.

If you're looking for a highly nutritious food that will fill you up for hours, you can't beat green leafy vegetables — they're the ultimate natural appetite suppressant.

Fibrous greens eaten raw or gently sautéed with a little olive oil are a delicious way to keep hunger at bay. A study in Plant Foods for Human Nutrition found that foods that are high in thylakoids, like spinach, kale, broccoli, and mustard greens, are particularly beneficial in reducing hunger.

Each 3-ounce serving of fresh salmon contains nearly 17 grams of protein. Not a fan of salmon, tuna and herring have similarly high levels of protein and omega-3s.

Here's a super-easy way to make anything you're eating a natural appetite suppressant: Next time you have cereal, oatmeal, fruit, or even coffee, sprinkle some cinnamon on it. A research article on the medicinal properties of cinnamon found that cinnamon helps lower your blood sugar levels which helps to control your appetite.

Another protein powerhouse, just one 7-ounce container of plain Greek yogurt contains a whopping 20 grams of protein. In addition to making you feel full, other Greek yogurt benefits include a healthy gut, strong bones, and a boosted immune system. Greek yogurt is better than skim or whole milk at suppressing appetite, according to an article in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.

When it comes to hot sauce as an appetite suppressant, the hotter you can go the better. So get some Tabasco or any hot chili sauce and sprinkle some heat on your burrito, scrambled eggs, or even soup! According to research reviewed in the journal Appetite , consumption of hot sauce containing hot chili peppers will help you stay fuller for longer.

Not only that, the spiciness keeps you from eating too much. With a nutritional mix of soluble fiber and essential fatty acids, flax seeds are the perfect addition to your yogurt, smoothie, or salad. Just make sure you grind them first because the human body can't digest whole flax seeds.

As a natural appetite suppressant, they'll help you stay full and fueled. Although the research on flax seeds and satiety is limited, a review in the journal Phytotherapy Research found that the available studies suggest a potential role of flax seeds in decreasing appetite and hunger.

If you want to keep the hunger monster away, eat a small salad before you sit down for a meal. Since it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to signal to your brain that you're full, starting with a small salad before your meal is a perfect way to get a head-start on that hunger signal.

In a study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics , participants who ate a salad before a meal were less hungry and ate less of the meal than participants who did not have a salad as a first course. A salad can also be a great way to up your veggie intake.

Protein is known as an appetite suppressant, but it seems that whey protein is especially good. A review article on the effects of whey protein on appetite found that consuming this protein supplement in shakes or smoothies is effective a suppressing hunger.

A study in the journal Nutrients on the impact of a high-protein meal replacement on appetite found that consuming a high-protein meal replacement instead of a standard North American breakfast prior to exercise resulted in a greater suppression of hunger both during and after exercising.

Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising.