Eczema Cravings
How do you beat your daily cravings?
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It is amazing how cravings control our lives everyday. You can't resist a hot coffee in the morning, with a delightful chocolate muffin and add some chocolate sauce for good measure.
It is too easy, and it seems the more we resist our cravings, the bigger the temptation. When we don't get our cravings, we get withdrawal symptoms and start to witness rebellious behavior towards ourselves. Our cravings make us feel better about ourselves, and it is a very vicious compulsive cycle that you need to eliminate yourself from.
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Your cravings don't have to be about food. You could crave scratching your skin, even though you don't feel itchy, you are addicted to the feeling. Scratching makes you feel better if you feel stressed or sad, the same way chocolate makes you feel better.
When you have your craving, your brain gets a blast from the craving within seconds. Once the craving hits your brain, it reacts exactly like a drug. The craving stimulates the brain's pleasure areas, the same parts that release feel-good feelings or drinking a cold glass of water on a hot day.
How to beat your cravings?
- When you have a craving for chocolate, think of 30 chocolate bars and imagine how sick you will feel, and what affects it will have on your eczema.
- Set a time when you have a small amount of your craving. For example, have your craving every week and then expand your set time to 2 weeks and so on.
- Dehydration increases your temptaion to indulge in your cravings, and you must drink plenty of water. Water also fills you up and is very good for you.
- Imagine someone else with your craving ten times worse than you have it.
- Substitute your cravings for healthy alternatives. For example, instead of drinking coffee in the morning, drink herbal tea or warm goats milk with honey.
- Try to distract yourself from your craving, by chewing gum, watching a movie, talking to a friend. Cravings usually last for ten minutes and then they vanish.
- Have proper meals throughout the day. Try to squeeze in breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you miss a meal, have a few pieces of fruit. Avoid any binge eating in between meals.
- Don't buy your cravings, ignore the sweets aisle. Out of sight, is out of mind.
- Willpower: if you want to quit something bad enough, you can!
- Hypnotherapy
What are the alternatives?
Craving |
Alternative |
Sugar |
Honey, sweet fruits like red grapes |
Meat |
Quorn, raw vegetables |
Coffee |
Herbal tea, hot goats milk with honey |
Alcohol |
Smoothie, glass of water, natural fruit juice |
Dairy Products |
Goats cheese, milk, cream, rice milk |
Starchy Foods |
Cooked pumpkin and squash, brown rice |
Chocolate |
Fruit |
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