HOW TO STAY FULL & KEEP THOSE CRAVINGS UNDER CONTROL AT WORK

New year. New you?

Now that your summer break is over and your back into your normal routine will you continue your resolutions? If you don't make changes to your routine chances are that you wont. Its the perfect time to break your bad habits and start the new year fresh. Developing new healthy habits that will help you to maintain this healthy new you for the long term gain!

The biggest things that I have been coming across with clients is that people struggle with what to eat at work when they crash in the afternoon. It is this time of day when they reach for the sweet nasty chocolate bar or the packet of chips.

Many people don't keep these sorts of foods at home, so why are they around the workplace?

If we consider the amount of time that we spend at work I think it is so important to have adequate supplies available to make good food choices available for you. I understand that it is harder, as you cannot control what others bring into the work environment but at the end of the day you have the ability to bring in healthy nutritious foods to snack on.

Now, what to snack on?

This is the exciting bit because it is really up to you. Whatever foods you like there is a healthy alternative.

You enjoy a chocolate hit after lunch? Reach for a chocolate smoothie, a couple of raw dark chocolate squares, a trail mix with some cacao nibs* throughout.

Enjoy your chips? Make your own vegetable chips! Thinly slice a selection of root vegetables (my favourite are beetroot and sweet potato), drizzle coconut oil and season with sea salt before slow cooking them…yum!! (you can also cheat and buy these veggie chips but making your own is more fun)

No matter what you like there is always a healthy substitute. But there is a little bit more to it than just substituting. If you have a big problem with overeating, cravings, and always being hungry at work then you also have to look at your eating habits throughout the entire day

Pump up your protein levels

Not having enough protein in your diet will make you feel hungry very easily. Increasing your protein in every meal that you eat will help to stabilise your blood sugar levels, and in turn help to stabilise your energy levels and prevent cravings. You should be eating 1g of protein per every kg of body weight. Eg if you weigh 50kg you should be eating 50g of protein.

Besides meat, other sources of protein include eggs, yogurt, nuts, seeds, beans and lentils.

Always have protein with a sweet snack

If you love fruit, great! Go for it! Just pair it with some nuts or a small amount of yogurt to prevent it from spiking your blood sugar and give you the slow release of energy that your body needs.

Be prepared

This is the most important point, which is why i have left it for last. Preparation is the biggest way to beat those cravings. Or at least to make sure that you have a healthy option when you do give into the cravings. Making up big batches of protein rich snacks such as protein bliss balls is the best way to make sure you make good healthy choices. Other ways would be to have some nuts in your car, ready for when you get hungry, taking protein smoothies with you to work. All of these things will help to keep you full, and keep those cravings under control.

Other ways to help sugar cravings would be to look at supplementation. Studies have shown that Magnesium, cinnamon, gymnema and chromium may be useful in helping to reduce sugar cravings.