How to Resist the Temptation of Junk Food

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I have a confession to make:
I have a weakness for junk food. Sweets, candy, chocolate, pizza, hamburgers,chips,ice-cream.

I think many people in the world share the same weakness.
“Approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million obese, and 9 million severely obese. “- Source – American Obesity Association

I do enjoy the taste of it, but I don’t always feel so great after I stuffed myself with junk food. Actually, mostly I feel bad and regret eating so much of it. The reason I regret it is not because I worry that I will turn into a fat slob, because right now I’m still young and thin and have no weight problem at all, I regret it because I know better. I have read so much about nutrition and the effects of sugars and processed foods, and I feel bad that I voluntarily put this junk into my body. It is taxing and stressful for the body, and as you may know, processed foods and sugars are the cause of many conditions and illnesses in today’s society, like diabetes,heart conditions, obesity, cancers and many more.

The problem with addictions, not just food, but many in general, is that at the time when wanting to give in to the addiction, you feel perfectly fine. Take the junk food example. When you are about to pig out of hamburgers and fries, you are not having a heart attack or dying from cancer right in that moment, so the risks and consequences seem far away and unreal, while the short term enjoyment you will get from the food is much higher, so the obvious choice is to indulge.

Another bad habit when it comes to eating that many people have, and that is a big cause of becoming overweight is “Anxiety Eating”. If someone has a stressful job, or a stressful relationship, it can cause some people to turn to eating as a way to lessen the anxiety and stress. They are not really hungry, often not at all, but they find that food, and often junk food, helps calm them down and makes them feel better and takes away the stress. If the stressful conditions remain for long periods of time, all the excess eating can cause serious health problems and obesity.

What I found is that the easiest way not to get tempted into doing something you don’t want, is to remove all conditions that allow you to give in to the temptation.

Sounds really simple doesn’t it? I know, when I buy a shopping cart full of junk food, chips, snacks, chocolates and whatever else is good but bad, I KNOW I’m going to eat it all at some point or another. So I just don’t keep junk food in my house.What I do instead is I’ll buy healthy snacks, things like pine-nuts, almonds, beef-jerky, cherry tomatoes, tuna, soup and other similar things. It’s not the intention that I starve myself, or deprive myself from food that tastes good, I just want to eat as healthy as possible, so when I get the urge to snack or pig out on something, then at least it will be good and nutritious for my body.

I used the example of junk-food because it is a personal weakness that I have, and I would rather cut it out of my life as much as possible. I think many people have the same weakness, so they should be able to relate to this post in some way or another.

I think it is the same with any addiction or weakness. Temptation for things that are bad and that we know we shouldn’t do but when we come into contact with we cannot resist. The same solution replies. Remove yourself from any situation or condition that allows you to be tempted.




5 Delicious snacks – Nature’s Super-foods




There are certain foods that are called super-foods, because as a single item they contain an incredible amount of nutrients and vitamins that can greatly benefit our bodies. Here are 5 of them that are easy to keep in your kitchen and snack on whenever you get the urge to binge on something:

Avocados

Avocados are my personal favourite. They are jam-packed full of nutrients. Contrary to common belief, they are NOT fattening, they actually reduce cholesterol levels and are really good for the heart.

Eat them plain, or with some pepper and salt. Eat them on brown bread. Mash them up and mix them with lemon juice and some pepper.

Almonds,Brazil Nuts and Pine Nuts

Crunchy and tasty and full of essential vitamins,minerals and fibre. Very good for reducing hunger cravings and a few handfuls a week have shown to reduce cancer and heart disease.

Eat ‘em just like that, raw and crunchy.

Bananas

Bananas are great for quick energy. They are NOT fattening and high in vitamin B which is good for the skin and hair, and potassium, which is good for lowering blood pressure.

Eat ‘em just like that, blend them into a smoothie or chop them up into a fruit salad.




Blueberries

Blueberries are the single food highest in anti-oxidants. This is great for preventing cancer, and is said to help with memory and concentration. Besides, they are deliciously refreshing.

Mix them in a fruit salad, eat them just like that or mix them through some plain Bulgarian yogurt.






Salmon

Salmon is delicious!The Omega 3 and essential oils found in salmon are incredibly good for us. Just watch out that the salmon you buy doesn’t come from polluted waters otherwise it may contain traces of the poisonous mercury.

Eat it just like that or put in on a piece of toast.




Green Tea

Green tea contains polyphenols, which could reduce heart disease, cancer and stroke risk. Green tea supports brain health and memory, likely due to a compound in green tea called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate)which is thought to boost the immune system and prevent tumors. I added green tea because I like drinking it, but also because I laughed out loud for literally 2 minutes when Glen told me about his addiction to green tea.

Aim for at least two cups daily.

These are just some very healthy foods that would be beneficial to your health to get into the habit of eating. Use them to replace foods that you normally binge on that are not as healthy or just plain unhealthy.

Another way to resist temptation is to set incentives for yourself. For example you may be tempted to not exercise at all, and prefer to sit at home watching TV. You know you would really love to have a fit and healthy body, but it just seems so much effort to get in your car and go to the gym and work out, while all you have to do is plop down on the couch and turn on the TV to have an evening of entertainment.

As an incentive, take out a gym membership, and pay in advance for an entire year. This may cost you $500 or more, so now every day that you do not go to the gym and make use of this membership, it is costing you money. This is just an example and of course you will have to set incentives that actually mean something to you and will make you want to resist the temptation.

All I would like you to remember from this post is that temptations CAN be overcome or avoided, and you are not a slave to them. You CAN live how you want to live, just take a few simple steps like I have described and it will make a big difference to your life.

Personally I am a big supporter of a raw food diet, meaning eating a diet that consists of as many raw fruits,vegetables,nuts, seeds and protein (salmon or sashimi) as possible. Find out how to live ‘Raw’ with the Raw Food Diet Secrets.