If you always ‘need’ something to eat or drink after dinner, let’s see how I can help.
One option could be that I come over to your place and watch out for you. I’d simply block you from grabbing that glass of wine at night, or those crisps, cakes or whatever funky stuff you’re compelled to eat or drink.
But that’s a seriously expensive weight loss service. Plane tickets, taxi fares, etc. (LOL)
Therefore, let’s try something more sensible.
Cravings, especially those after dinner, mainly occur due to the following reasons.
They could be:
1) You’re a little bored.
That can happen. Try to do something else besides eating and drinking. Maybe watch an exciting movie, paint your nails, call a friend. How about eating a few frozen blueberries or even a pickled cucumber? They are probably not what you had in mind, but they are great ‘craving interrupters’
2) Could you be genuinely hungry?
If you drastically reduced your calories during the day, or you aren’t balancing your meals you’ll be fairly hungry at night.
Even after eating a decent dinner. Because by that stage your hunger hormones will be quite cranky if you’ve eaten the portion sizes of a 10-year-old.
Trying to appease those pesky hormones with one good meal at night, like an apology, often doesn’t do the trick.
Therefore eat well-balanced filling meals throughout the day, including dinners. But if you are still hungry, see if you can eat a small healthy snack.
Think unsweetened soy yoghurt with berries, or a sugar-free banana and oat cookie.
Or make up some of these favourites of mine: lemon protein balls.
Have a couple of those with a calming herbal tea and see if that hits the spot.
Because going to bed on an empty stomach doesn’t support a good night’s rest.
4) Did you get into a habit of overeating at night?
You perhaps got into a bad habit and now you’ve created a routine. Easy to do, you know. It can take a little work to un-do this. Retrain your unwanted habit to form new better habits. And during the month of August 2022, that’s exactly what we are doing in our Vegan Wellness VIP Club
We are working on healthy habits and using mindfulness exercises as support.
5) When you are nutrient deficient, you may experience hunger and cravings
When you give your body nourishing, well-balanced foods, they can help your cravings to subside.
Eating foods and meals that don’t cause unnecessary blood sugar spikes and crashes can assist with hunger control.
Always add vegan protein-rich foods to your meals, because they’ve been proven to keep you fuller for longer.
Craving alcohol? Swap it out. Give your body a delicious green juice instead.
I get you. It’s not the same. But stick with it. The new habit might take a few weeks to ‘lodge’ itself into your mind….and from then on you will be craving a delicious healthy juice instead.
In addition, when you regularly crave alcohol or certain foods, you might be deficient in Chromium, Magnesium or Tryptophan.
Do you want to know which foods contain those?
CHROMIUM, it’s a trace element and small amounts can be found in
- Broccoli
- Nutritional Yeast and Brewer’s Yeast
- Sweet potato
- Corn
- Oats
MAGNESIUM
Magnesium helps to calm the nerves and it’s a very common mineral deficiency. Some sources state that over 80% of people in America are deficient in magnesium.
So where do we find magnesium?
- Dark leafy greens, like spinach, kale and chard
- Raw cacao
- Raw cashew nuts
- Almonds and Pumpkin Seeds
- Black beans
TRYPTOPHAN
Tryptophan is an important compound. It’s the precursor to serotonin in the body, the hormone that’s responsible for happiness. Foods that are high in tryptophan give you the building blocks you need for balancing your hormones and feeling better plus it plays a role in restful sleep. Find it in…
- Tofu
- Oats
- Beans
- Lentils
So now you’re better set up to beat those pesky cravings, especially in the evenings.
Need more help? Contact me on my Facebook group page. I might be able to give you some more tips.
See you there.
Yours in Health & Skinny Jeans,
Nicki Kelly
Vegan Wellness Coach