Crazy Cravings!

Whenever it’s that time of month I get my period I always crave unhealthy foods. For example, I will crave candy, fast food and chocolate which totally wreck my eating healthy plan. I have tried dried fruit instead of candy, and nuts instead of potato chips, but it doesn't work.

Sometimes it gets hard to concentrate in school or at home while feeling these cravings. Also, if I do have fast food or something I have cramps and don't want to work out extra. Please help!

-Craves A Ton

Hey girl,

I can totally relate to your situation here. Cravings can be such a pain especially when you’re already dealing with all those cramps! But, don't sweat it! There are so many ways that you can totally deal with all those temptations and enjoy yourself.

First off, whenever you’re craving chocolate, why not find something that’s healthy with a li'l bit of chocolate in it? For example, try chocolate flavored yogurt (don’t go near the pudding though!). If you look in your local supermarket, you'll see all different kinds of yogurts that are low-fat and low-sugar (usually called the “light” kind). It's healthy, satisfies your sweet tooth and is a great alternative to a candy bar.

Bonus about this? Research shows that cacao, the main ingredient for all those yummy chocolaty snacks, is actually good for you as an antioxidant. The only catch is to find snacks with high cacao percentages and low sugar.

Let's talk about the fast food issue. It's def a tempting choice for a meal because it’s created to be, well, delicious! Whenever you’re craving a big fat burger, don’t head to the nearest drive thru! Go home and make your own healthy burger instead. When you make your own food, you control the amount of sauce and saltiness that most restaurants use excessively. You also have the power to put more nutritious ingredients like fresh veggies in your burger.

You may think that juicy patty isn’t good for you but meat actually contains lots of iron that you lose from letting out blood during your period. When you create you own meal you’re avoiding real fast food...for something healthier with the same great taste!

Lastly, when you are crazy for candy, you’re probably craving sugar. The easiest way to solve this problem? GUM! It’s known that chewing gum helps you forget about your hunger (or unhealthy cravings in this case) and with all those different kinds of flavors it shouldn’t be a problem to fight off temptations.