Cravings – by Freda Coetzee – May 16, 2025

How To Manage Cravings This Winter

Cravings can be a diet’s worst enemy. And they seem to become much worse during winter! Cravings gets worse as it gets cold, you just want to dig into a juicy burger. Or have a pizza while watching a movie on the couch under a blanker. But the last thing we want to think about is eating a healthy chicken salad. So what can we do? It can be extremely difficult to withstand a craving, so a much better option is to satisfy the craving with something similar, but just healthier. But first, let’s look at WHY we get cravings… Why do we get cravings? It is mainly due to the body begging us for a sugar or carbohydrate boost to pick up its energy levels. This happens because we have become so dependent on sugar as our main source of energy since we get it in through most of the foods we eat. Our body’s no longer feel the need to burn stored fat as energy because they know their next sugar-boost will come soon. What are the most common cravings? And what can I eat instead? Ice Cream: Ice cream is a classic pitfall for any diet – on movies and in real life. A single serving of vanilla ice cream has about 230 calories. And who stops after a single serving? Rather Eat: Frozen yoghurt has less fat and half the calories. And these days you have an unlimited flavour selection! Potato Chips: These can be an absolute pest. Once you’ve had one, you can’t keep your hand out of the packet. A small packet of potato chips has more than 150 calories. This can really become a problem when you are watching your favourite show on TV with a big bag of chips and a bowl of dipping sauce. Rather Eat: Celery or carrot sticks. Hummus or pure avocado makes for great dip selections. It is the best healthy alternative for TV-watching snacking. Chocolate: Men might start pointing fingers and saying that women are the ones guilty of scoffing down copious amounts of chocolate to feed their cravings. But we know that these men also secretly snack away on a slab of sweet, chocolaty goodness now and then. Rather Eat: Dark chocolate. It is simply as a treat. Make sure it has at least 60% cocoa – the more the better. Also, stick with 1-3 small squares per day. Movie Popcorn: Air-popped popcorn is a great, healthy snack that is very low in calories. But the stuff they make at the movies is the opposite of healthy. It is popped in unhealthy oil and butter. A large tub of popcorn at the movies can get close to 1000 calories. Rather Eat: As mentioned above, air-popped popcorn is a fantastic snack. Use natural spices and herbs for flavouring. Pizza: We all love some good Italian pizza. But pizza loves adding calories to our diet. A slice of pizza can range from about 250 – 350 calories, and maybe even more depending on what you put on it. Rather Eat: Make your own pizza at home using a whole-wheat base. Add some healthy veggies and a bit of meat. Also, go for low-fat cheese on top. Pasta: Another favourite of Italian descent is a big bowl of rich and creamy pasta. Although some pasta sauces can be quite unhealthy, the biggest problem is that we put it over a big heap of refined white pasta. The carbs in this will send your calorie-count soaring. Rather Eat: Whole-grain pasta and a vegetable-based sauce. French Fries: It can be very difficult to order food at a restaurant and say no to some good old French fries on the side. However, these contain enough calories to form an entire meal on their own. Rather Eat: Rather behave yourself and take the side salad or fruit if available. Salted and Roasted Nuts: It is important to remember that not all nuts are good nuts. Nuts that have been salted and roasted can very easily start piling up the calories. And as with chips, they can be a little bit addictive once you get started. Rather Eat: Raw almonds, walnuts and pecan nuts are much healthier, but are still quite high in calories so keep track of what you eat. Coffee: Coffee itself is very low in calories. The problem comes in when we start adding sugar, full cream milk, cream, and even whipped cream to our morning java. In the end, you can be sitting with a mug containing about 400 calories. And won’t even make you feel full. Rather Eat: The best option is to drink coffee with no milk or sugar. If this is a bit too much for you, opt for non-fat milk or soy milk and still steer clear of the sugar. The 3 O’clock Snack Attack: If the snack machine always calls to you in the mid-afternoon, you may be experiencing a between-meals drop in blood sugar. Unfortunately, a pack of chocolate chip cookies is just a short-term fix – and a high-calorie one at that. Rather Eat: Eat snacks that combine a protein with a whole grain, such as reduced-fat cheese on whole-wheat crackers. Healthy snacks can actually ward off food cravings and help you stick to your diet. So what can I do to stop cravings? Eat Healthy Snacks Cravings usually set in between meals as you are starting to become hungry again. Eating small, healthy snacks in between meals can help lessen the cravings. Make sure that your snack is no more than about 200 calories. Good options are fresh fruit, a hard-boiled egg, or fresh veggies like sugar snap peas. Go for a Walk It is common knowledge that you should get enough exercise along with a healthy diet if you want to stay in shape. But what most people don’t know is that a short 10-15 minute walk when you get a craving can help make it go away. Just make sure not to walk past the vending machine. Low-Carb Diet Although many people are sceptical about low-carb diets and refer to it as a “fad”, studies have actually shown that people who have been on them for 1 – 2 years have far fewer cravings than they ever had. This includes cravings for sweets and carbs, as well as fatty foods. The Manna Solution Cravings don’t have to ruin your diet. You can conquer them with Manna Blood Sugar Support and a low-carb diet. If you struggle with food cravings, try the Manna Diet. It lends itself to a low-carb roadmap that can help you eliminate the bad carbs and sugar from your diet and beat the cravings. By taking the Manna Blood Sugar Support supplement with each meal, it will help to control blood sugar levels, which in turn will curb cravings and help to suppress appetite. How does Manna Blood Sugar Support work for cravings? The Manna Blood Sugar Support supplement is the organic and natural way to help balance blood sugar levels. It does this by slow-releasing the sugar from the food we eat into our bloodstream. This means that it helps prevent the blood sugar levels from soaring through the roof after you have eaten something, and then also obviously helps avoid the subsequent sugar crash. This helps your body to avoid the need for the pick-me-up from a sugary snack that we know as a craving.  Manna Blood Sugar Support is uniquely formulated, natural and organic supplement which helps Maintain even blood sugar levels, keeping you more satisfied after a meal, which means that the same meal can take you much further and help you to eat less, which can help with natural weight loss. Control cravings, helping you stay away from sweets and unhealthy food and lose weight easily. Keep energy levels constant, giving you the energy to do your day to day tasks even when on a diet. When taken with food, Manna Blood Sugar Support gels with the food in the stomach to reduce the glycemic index of the food and drink you consume by up to 43%. It, therefore, helps to prevent blood sugar levels from rising too high.