Salty cravings: how can I resist my food cravings?

Packet of crisps swallowed in a hurry under the influence of sadness or annoyance, pizza swallowed after a long and tiring day of work… once in a while, it doesn’t hurt anyone. But too often, in the long run, the body cries out for help… and so does the balance! To resist these salty food cravings, you must first understand them, then put in place some advice on a daily basis.

There are several explanations for cravings for snacking, including:

• The attraction for savory products finds, in part, its explanation in thefood education : a mother who eats salt during pregnancy and then breastfeeding influences the food preferences of the child and a family where pleasure rhymes with cheese, charcuterie, fries, sauerkraut, tartiflette… shapes tastes;
• Furthermore, studies have shown that there are of genes which push towards the sweet: in their absence, we are attracted by the salty;
• Finally, salty food cravings are, from a psychological point of view, associated with a need to regain a need for comfort, strength and assurance.

Cravings for salt, like those for sugar or fat, provide a feeling of well-being caused by the release of dopamine in the brain. Another explanation may be a sodium deficiency : A craving for salt can come from a lack of electrolytes (especially sodium).

If the negative consequences of sugar on the body are regularly highlighted, salt and salty food cravings can also, in the long run, have harmful effects on health. And not least…

Salty products are very often full of salt but also fat. In addition to weight gain, they promote phenomena such as:

• Water retention : salt retains water in the tissues: it therefore promotes the accumulation of water in the tissues, which prevents its elimination;
• Hypercholesterolemia: salty foods and saturated fats increase the level of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood;
• High blood pressure : an excess of sodium has the effect of increasing total blood volume and blood pressure;
• Elevated triglyceride levels in the blood: high triglyceride levels in the body increase the risk of cardiovascular disease

Salt is also a appetite enhancer which leads to food overconsumption. But what to do to get out of this vicious circle?

Here are 5 tips to achieve your goal.

These foods, combined with starchy foods and vegetables, satisfy salty beaks. They are, in addition, rich in animal protein which provide good satiation. It is consumed at each meal, adjusting the quantities according to the time of day (small portions for breakfast and dinner, standard portion for lunch).

If the urge really gets too strong, we advance the mealeven if it is only 5 or 6 p.m., by including the desired food : starter dish dessert. Thus, the crack is no longer one: you calm your cravings while avoiding the feeling of guilt. Moreover, when the time for the – real – meal arrives, we will no longer be hungry to share with others: this motivates us not to start our “foolery”.

Cheese, cold cuts and even crisps can be consumed as part of meals, but on an ad hoc basis,in moderate amounts and substituting them for other : sausage or dry ham instead of meat, cheese instead of milk and fat, crisps or fries instead of starches and fats… And we associate with good portions of vegetables to increase satiety.

Salty impulses could intervene more easily in moments of doubt or low self-esteem. In this case, to turn away from food, we are looking for a way to express our creativity, talent or simply our ability to get things done : painting, writing, gardening, DIY or, why not, cleaning or administrative paperwork.

Sport is the surpassing of oneself par excellence. Sports activity gives drive, energy and confidence. It also promotes the secretion of feel-good hormones and helps fight against stress, which leads to snacking. Jogging, swimming… whatever the discipline, we choose what we prefer.

For the quantities, plan 150 g of meat or per day, to be divided between lunch and dinner and 4 tbsp. c. of oil and 150 g of cooked starch (50 g raw) or 60 g of bread per meal.

Your savory breakfast: 1 unsweetened hot drink, 1 slice of poultry ham, 65 g of rye bread, 2 portions of 0% fresh cheese, 1 whole fresh fruit.

Lunch : leeks vinaigrette, chicken with mustard, rice, fruit verrine + yogurt.

Dinner : beef meatballs, basil tomato sauce, Vichy carrots, bread + cheese, baked apple.

Lunch : green salad with vinaigrette, coral lentil curry (cod, lentils, zucchini, curry), fromage blanc, fruit.

Dinner : endive and roquefort salad, potato-bacon casserole, compote without added sugar.

Lunch : radish, turkey skewer with thyme, vegetable pasta, cottage cheese with fruit coulis.

Dinner : zucchini pie without dough, bread, fruit.

Lunch : cucumber with fromage blanc sauce, fillet of sole with avocado, spinach, cheese, fruit.

Dinner : vegetable soup, potato/pepper omelet, natural yoghurt, fruit.

Lunch : filet mignon with herbs, artichoke-mushroom hearts, bread, cheese, fruit.

Dinner : green salad, tuna-tomato tartlet, yogurt, poached pear.

Lunch : duck à l’orange, green beans, polenta, cottage cheese, fruit.

Dinner : ocean salad (iceberg lettuce, grated carrots, tomatoes, shrimp), bread + cheese spread, fruit.

Lunch : red cabbage salad, trout-lemon papillote, Creole wheat, yogurt, fruit.

Dinner : pasta with kale and raw ham, fruit.