Cravings and Snack Ideas

Cravings are annoying, frustrating and just plain mean.  So many times I've just been sitting around, keeping to myself, and all of the sudden my head says "something sweet?" or "something salty?"  Sometimes it's because I get stuck in the Food & Drink category on Pinterest and some of the recipes and pictures on there are enough to make you hungry after a giant Thanksgiving meal.  It's so crazy how visual stimulation can trigger hunger to the point that you feel like you can't fight it.

The point of this post is to show one thing I did find helpful on Pinterest - a "Craving this - Eat that" chart, and also to give you a list of things I like to snack on that are readily available and require little to no preparation to eat.

First, the chart:

via Pinterest

I think these hit the nail on the head, or at least come really close.  For instance, I honestly have not had a craving for bread/pasta/other wheats since I started eating more protein.  True story.  Another true story - I can usually beat any craving with cheese.  String cheese, Jarlsberg Swiss, cheddar, mozzarella...I love it all.

Here is a list of my 'go to' snack foods when I get a little hungry during the day.

WATER - I think the statistic is something like 80% of the time you 'crave' something, you are actually thirsty.  So the best thing to try first is a few swigs of H20 and see if that takes care of the pang.
Almonds (Kroger makes excellent flavored almonds that can be found in the produce section - I love the sea salt and vinegar ones and the honey chipotle kind). About 20 almonds are 6g carbs and 6g protein.
Cheese - any cheese.
Cottage cheese - I don't know why I don't consider this a 'cheese' even though it is...maybe the texture?
Greek yogurt - I'm a texture person so I can't eat a whole Chobani in one sitting anyway, but most of the ones with fruit on the bottom are higher in carbs than the plain vanilla kind, so keep that in mind.
Sundried Tomato & Basil Wheat Thins - a handful of these is about 10 carbs and a great salty satisfaction.  (note: I bought these last week and still haven't had a craving for them so the box is unopened...yay me!  but they are so good...)
DARK chocolate - I'm talking 70% cacao or more.  I got 88% and a 72% with mint, both at Whole Foods.  Just a little bit (literally, a square or two) will kick any sweet tooth in the face, and it's so good!
Fruit - berries are best for snacking.  For me, apples, pears, mangoes are all great, but a whole fruit is 30 carbs, so I usually half the fruit, put the other half in a baggie and suck the air out, pop it back in the fridge and eat it the next day.

I will say that in my own experience with the low-carb, high protein, a lot of the time I'm just not hungry.  I still eat what I'm supposed to, but I just don't get cravings for things like I used to.  I used to want ice cream every night after dinner. The hubs ate Sorbet right in front of me the other day and I didn't care one way or the other.  It was amazing.

If all else fails, give in to your craving, but just a little bit. Give your body what it's saying it needs, but mind your portion.  We all have to indulge sometimes, and holding yourself back from a constant craving may only lead to a total binge.  You can always make up for a little indulgence at the gym :)

Do you have any snacks you run to when you have a craving for something??  Share them, we can all use new ideas!