Getting Creative With Cravings

Do you ever feel like you're predisposed to craving chicken fingers and ranch rather than grilled fish and asparagus?  Ever shake your head at people who eat healthy because they like it, rather than because they have to lose weight or for their health?  Ever wonder why you can't get as excited about carrots and turkey as you can about Doritos and pizza? Well there might be a genetic reason behind it and I'm not talking about that inherited slow metabolism some of us have been cursing for years. New research is showing that the craving for fattening food might be woven in our DNA.  A group of scientists have recently identified a  gene, CD36, that may show a genetic predisposition to liking foods that are higher in fats.   Depending on what type of this gene you have seems to predict whether your DNA makes you prone to reach for the junk food. You can read more about it here.

So what is a person to do?  Throw up hands in defeat, blame mother nature, and reach for the ranch?  Well, that's one approach, but I believe there is a work around for a lot of our cravings.  When you're trying to lose weight, you have to get creative with your cravings because if you severely deny yourself, eventually you're going to snap and that's never pretty.   Eating right for me is a constant battle...much harder than working out by far.  I try hard to cut the carbs down and keep my calories low and have a learned a few work arounds for the cravings that threaten to throw me off track:

• Chili is low in calories, high in fiber, and helps put a lid on my frequent pizza and spaghetti cravings. 
• Microwaveable edamame in sea salt has been a lifesaver.  Maybe I'm weird, but they sort of have a chip taste about them and really help when I crave salty snacks in the afternoon.
• Quaker makes a chocolate chip oatmeal that is 130 calories per serving.  It's not great on the low-carb scale, but when I have a cookie craving, it hits the spot. Oatmeal has a lot of great nutritional benefits and it takes a far longer time to eat than to scarf down a bunch of cookies.
• 100 calorie snack bags of almonds seem to always hit the spot and help me keep my portion control in perspective. 
• I recently saw on Pinterest an idea for dipping strawberries in Greek yogurt and freezing them and plan to try this out very soon.
• Speaking of Greek yogurt, it is coming a long way in flavor and variety these days.  I have tried some of the key lime-flavored and it tastes a lot like the pie itself.  My new favorite flavor, however, is honey.  I always reach for the Greek yogurt because it has more protein and seems more filling that regular yogurt.
• Laughing Cow cheese has a several different flavors that are really good. One wedge of it is around 35 calories and is great to put on baby carrots.

I'm not a nutritionist and I struggle daily with what I eat, but these are a few tricks that have worked for me so far.  Whether we are predisposed to craving bag things or if we're trying to break bad habits, there is always a work around.  That being said, please feel free to post a comment about the healthy work arounds you've found.  I'm always on the look-out for new ideas!