22 summer 2019
By Jessie R. Shafer, RDUNCOUPLE YOUR CRAVINGS
Are cravings due to nature or nurture? According to researchers, they’re a little bit of both. For
example, maybe you always crave pizza on Fridays because when you were growing up,
Friday was pizza night — it was the end of the week and everyone was relaxed and happy.
Therefore, pizza, Friday and good feelings were lumped together.
The good news is that if you can uncouple the food from the feels, you can dissipate your
cravings, according to Martin Binks, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Nutrition and
Metabolic Health Initiative at Texas Tech. One way to do this is through mindfulness and being
more present when you’re eating. Put your fork down between bites. Note how the bite tastes
and feels in your mouth. Chew thoroughly and experience the sensations. You also can replace
your craved food with something else, such as a cup of tea or a healthy snack, and while you eat
it, create a new food memory by noting who is around you and what you smell, hear and see.Chill out and burn up
In the summer, drinking cold
water to cool off is a no-brainer,
but recent research shows that
it also can temporarily boost
metabolism up to 40 percent:
Drinking 48 ounces of cold water
daily can cause you to burn an
extra 50 calories per day, whichmight not sound like much, but
over the course of a year, that
adds up to 5 pounds! Researchers
theorize that you expend extra
energy to bring cold water up to
body temperature, which is why
you don’t experience the same
results from warm or hot water.fuel RESEARCH SAYS
To tell
the tooth
A new German study showed
that those who ate an anti-
infl ammatory diet not only
had reduced instances of
gingivitis and gum bleeding
but also lost more weight than
the control group. According
to researchers, the weight loss
is likely a bonus side eff ect of
the diet, which emphasizes
fruit, veggies, nuts and fi sh
while minimizing added sugar,
trans fats, dairy and other
animal products. Tighten
up your own tooth health
by choosing richly colored
produce such as red grapes,
sweet and hot peppers,
blueberries, blackberries,
cherries and dark leafy greens,
which are replete with anti-
infl ammatory compounds
such as resveratrol, capsaicin
and quercetin. Also, opt for
healthy fats from avocado,
olives, extra-virgin olive oil
and nuts, which contain anti-
infl ammatory
omega-3 fatty
acids and
carotenoids.