What are 10 easy tricks to stop cravings for food?

These have all been tested in research:

1) Tap your forehead (distraction)

2) Change how you think (MRI scans show that people who think about the ill effects of poor eating, increase the activity in the part of the brain responsible for self-regulation.

3) Play a computer game for 3 minutes (based on Elaborated Intrusion Theory)

4) Imagine colours, smells, sounds which will ground you in present time.

5) Surround yourself with pictures of food (The Instagram Diet).

6) Go for a walk (or any physical activity).

7) Eat protein rich breakfasts.

8) Chew gum.

9) Sleep well (frontol lobes which help provide self-control are less active in the sleep deprived)

10) Pay attention to your emotions.

What is the Instagram diet?

A study by Dr Ryan Elder found that looking at pictures of a particular food, can make that food less enjoyable to eat.

The more pictures of a certain food one looks at, the less pleasure one gains from eating it.

The implication is that if one craves, let's say chocolate, to spend time every day looking at pictures of chocolate. Eventually the cravings to eat and gain pleasure from it will diminish.

The old saying: "Out of sight, out of mind" no longer applies.

Can imagining eating a specific food decease a craving for it?

A study found that imagining eating a specific food, let's say ice cream, can decrease the cravings for that food.

This idea is counterintuitive, as most people think that to suppress thoughts of a particular food, will eliminate cravings for it.

The key is to imagine eating a specific food, rather than thinking about that food. Imagine the feel of smooth ice cream in your mouth.  Imagine your favourite flavour, like chocolate....or the smell of strawberry ice cream. Imagine the coldness of ice cream  with your first spoon full.

Eating the food you crave, in your mind... with your imagination...will  decreases the motivation to eat that food, and also creates boredom with it.