In my husband’s extended family, there is an Aunt Roanne.  Yes, Roanne, named after her parents’ neighbor’s girlfriend.  We sometimes refer to her as “Crazy Aunt Ro.” The reason?  She is always the life of the party, has a personality bigger than life and impossible to resist, introduces her third husband John as her “current husband” despite the fact they’ve been married for almost 20 years, brings her dogs to every family gathering, and shows up for a week at the cabin with enough food to feed 20 people instead of the two people she brought.  She’s a gem.

As a reader of this blog, Ro asked me to talk about food cravings.  Tricky topic.  Some people crave sweet, some salty.  Are cravings related to monthly hormonal changes in women?  Are they real or a factor of boredom, anxiousness or nervousness?

No matter the answer to any of these questions, the trick for Roanne and for all of us is learning how to manage these cravings so they don’t sabotage our eating habits on a regular basis.  Here are some ideas to do just that:

1. You’ve heard it before, but I’ll say it again.  Drink water.  If you’re feeling hungry or are caving something, you may actually be thirsty.
2. Don’t underestimate the power of sugar-free gum, especially if your craving is a sweet one.  Sometimes just giving your jaw and mouth something to do will make the craving subside.
3. Give in to the craving, but in moderation.  My favorite candy is Dots.  When I’m craving them, I don’t eat the whole box.  I eat one of each color, and my craving is satisfied.
4. Analyze the craving. Food is a complex issue.  We eat when we’re nervous, bored or worried.  So before giving in to the craving, seek to understand it and then determine what will really help.
5. Journal about it.  Tracking what you eat is one of the most effective ways to manage your eating habits.  By journaling your cravings – time of day, type of food, what happened prior to the craving – you can more effectively manage it.
6. About 3:00 pm every afternoon, I crave something sweet.  Since I know this about myself, I plan it into my day.  To satisfy this afternoon craving, I choose a sweet fruit like blueberries, a calorie-controlled protein bar, or a warm coffee with sugar-free flavoring.  This way, I’m not adding a bunch of calories into my day.

Do you have ideas for managing cravings you can share with my Aunt Ro?

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