Curb winter food cravings

Want to know how to curb winter food cravings? Here’s how, as even the healthiest among us aren’t immune to food cravings. Whether it’s longing for chocolate when you’re down in the dumps, or giving up carbs all week long only to tuck into a big bowl of pasta come Friday night, there’s something about winter that gives cravings a heftier punch. We yearn for certain foods at specific times of the year, thanks to seasonal fluctuations that have knock-on effects on wellbeing. Here’s our rundown of the most common winter cravings with successful strategies to stay healthy.

Bread

Comfort foods are often high in carbohydrates, which make the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin readily available. However, on the downside, too many carbs (especially simple carbs like white bread) cause insulin ups and downs that mess with energy levels and concentration, also making us more prone to weight gain. Swapping to brown bread will help to keep blood sugar levels balanced. Just remember to keep portion size in check.

Chocolate

With the darker days drawing in, some of us are at risk of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a mild form of depression associated with vitamin D deficiency. Reaching for chocolate can make us feel better in the short-term by enhancing tryptophan levels in the brain, which are then converted into serotonin. Once again, the problem lies in over-consuming sugar that can pile on the pounds, so ditch conventional milk chocolate for a couple of squares of dark chocolate (at least 70 per cent) as it’s lower in sugar and higher in health-giving cocoa compounds. Ask your GP to check your vitamin D levels and consider supplementing if your levels are low.

 Steak

If you’re craving red meat this winter it could be an indication of low iron stores. Iron helps to produce red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body, and low levels could lead to iron-deficiency anaemia. Before diagnosing yourself however, get your GP to test your levels. Red meat is rich in iron but should be capped at two portions per week as part of a balanced diet. You can mix things up by adding spinach, lentils and beans into your diet as these are also good sources of the trace minerals.

Sweets

Less sunlight during winter means your brain produces lower levels of the sleepy hormone melatonin, which is released during darkness. As the sun sets earlier during the winter months, your body naturally thinks bedtime is earlier, so you may experience an energy lull late afternoon once the sun has gone down. Sugar is the first thing our body craves when energy levels dip, but try to reach for low GI foods instead of sugary sweets. A couple of oatcakes with nut butter, or a piece of fruit with a few nuts will help pep you up better than sugar, which only provides a short-term fix.

Crisps

When it’s freezing cold, rainy and dark come 4pm, it’s all too tempting to stay on the sofa munching on a big packet of crisps. Winter weather has a tendency to make us lazier, and let’s face it, a pig-out sesh on the couch seems far more appealing than a hardcore workout. The solution? Put the crisps away and recruit a gym buddy. If you’ve got a friend to motivate you, you’ll be less inclined to stay at home chowing down crisps and more inclined to stay fit. A good fitness routine and a healthy diet naturally go hand-in-hand so make a vow to keep active this winter.