Commonly Craved Foods

Potato Chips

Commonly Craved Foods in the United States

• Chicken wings
• Cheeseburger
• Chocolate
• Hamburger
• Ice cream
• Peanut butter
• Pickles
• Pies
• Pizza
• Potato chips
• Pretzels
• Soft drinks

Got a Craving? Forget Moderation!

Got a Craving? Forget Moderation!

Chocolate

Just a tiny taste of a treat and you’ll be able to put the craving out of your head for good, right?

Nope. Leave the ice cream carton in the freezer. Put the bag of mini chocolates down. Don’t even look at them. In a study, just one taste of a treat triggered more indulgences a mere 25 minutes later.

Read more at RealAge.com

Chew More, Weigh Less?

Smoked almonds

Next time you grab a handful of nuts to snack on, count to 40.

A recent study revealed that when people ate a small serving of almonds, 40 chews quelled hunger better than 10 or even 25 crunches of the same amount of nuts.

Read more at RealAge.com

The Sugar That Staves Off Hunger

Grain products: rich sources of complex and simple carbohydrates

Sugar is sugar, right? Maybe not. Turns out that there is one type of sweetener that helps fill you up, while another leaves you craving more.

The two sugars in question: glucose and fructose. Glucose appears to quell hunger, and fructose seems to ramp it up.

The sugars may affect your appetite differently because of the unique ways in which they affect malonyl-CoA, an important appetite-suppressing molecule in the brain.

Most dietary carbohydrates contain glucose. Foods high in carbohydrates include breads, pastas, beans, potatoes, bran, rice and cereals. The primary food sources of fructose are fruits, vegetables, and honey.

Read more at Realage.com

Put Your Thirst First!

by Denise Austin
Who doesn't love sugary drinks? I definitely do! Soft drinks, sweetened coffee drinks, and some fruit juices might not seem like much when you're drinking them, but they can add hundreds of calories to your diet — and your waistline! The diet versions are a little better, but only a little. They're still crammed with sodium and chemicals. Their sweet taste can even trigger cravings for other sweets!
Remember that you can have a can of soda or your favorite latte! Just be sure to consider these drinks as treats and not an everyday part of your eating plan. To quench your thirst, try herbal tea, seltzer flavored with lemon or lime, or the most sensible drink of all — refreshing water!

Eat Right!

by Denise Austin

Best Bets for Healthy Snacking
Snacking is not a dirty word for dieters if you're careful about what you reach for! I can think of loads of nutritious, low-calorie foods that can help you feel full and boost your energy without ruining your day. Stick to a sensible serving size and you're good to go! Here are some ideas to get you snacking healthy!

• Cut up veggies with hummus
• Sliced fruit with nonfat Greek yogurt
• A few almonds or walnuts
• Low-fat cottage cheese
• Air-popped popcorn
• Hard-boiled eggs
• String cheese
• Baked tortilla chips with salsa
• Homemade smoothies or fruit shakes

Try a few of these snacks this week, and a few more next week. Constantly switch things up so that you don't get bored — and you'll be all set to handle your next snack attack!

Try the Camera-Phone Diet

Could your camera phone help you lose weight? One study seems to suggest so.

When people in a small study snapped a picture of everything they ate for 1 week, something interesting happened. They took better stock of their meals -- and ate less or ate more healthfully because of it.

Read more at Realage.com