Crowding out

I have learnt something about myself since I started on this wellness journey. I want the things I can’t have. I have slowly been making improvements on reducing the not so healthy things from my diet without too much drama. However whenever I make the conscious decision not to have a certain type of food or drink ever again… I NEED IT! The cravings become so intense that I think about it and want it every day.

 

Take coke for example… I used to be the world’s biggest coke drinker. I’ve even been known to have it for breakfast. Last year I had my coke usage down to special occasions. I wouldn’t buy it at the supermarket or service station or for BBQs or dinners at friends’ houses but I could have it if we were going out for dinner or drinks or to the movies. This was totally doable! I even started to notice coke became less appealing and where before I used to scull a glass and want more, now I could barely get through a whole glass!

 

So naturally as my wellness journey progressed and as my taste buds started to change I made the decision to cut out coke. “NO MORE COKE!” I told myself. But almost the next day a massive craving hit and before long I wanted it every day again.

 

This has happened with wheat, sugar, dairy, meat, and many other things I have tried to take out of my diet. Declaring something banned does not work for me! So I decided to try the crowding out approach. It seemed pretty straight forward and I wondered why I hadn’t thought of this before.

All you need to do is ‘crowd out’ the not so nourishing foods by concentrating on putting the nourishing foods into your diet. When I eat as best as I can 90% of the time, it really doesn’t matter so much to me if I have that glass of coke when I really feel like it, or a bit of ice cream on the weekend. I know I am getting the nutrients I need.

 

Tips on crowding out:

• Eat as many super foods as you can so you get bang for your buck nutrients!
• Make alternatives to curb the cravings to help reduce the amount of not so nourishing foods you end up consuming e.g. cacao balls, oven baked coconut chips, raw desserts.
• Drink vegie juices and green smoothies. Again, you are getting a tonne of nutrients at once but they can also be surprisingly filling!
• Ask yourself why you are having those cravings? Do you really want that chocolate or are you bored/lonely/sad? Sit with your emotions and dig deep to find out what’s really going on!
• Drink loads of filtered water. Sometimes you think you’re hungry, but you are actually just thirsty.
• Notice how you feel after eating the not so healthy food... chances are you aren't feeling great! Remember how terrible you feel to help prevent you eating it again next time.

Crowd away!
Have you had success with crowding out? Post your experiences below :)