Do you want those McDonald’s cravings to lift and those constant calls from crispy cream to stop? Then go nowhere because I have a couple of tricks within this article that you can employ to assist you in overcoming your fast food cravings. The desire for these ‘foods’ are nationwide spread and there has been a documentary on them called supersize me. There is a book also named fast food nation a must get to give you more insight on how bad the problem is,

I have dubbed it the ‘fried chicken and chilly fries epidemic’; and yes I too am a recovering addict so I know what I’m talking about and I’m here to assist you every step of the way.

The Root of Fast Food Cravings

Lets then start at the root of the problem of fast food cravings, fast food is awesome, it tastes good and the is a chemical reaction that occurs as we consume it which makes us feel good. It’s easy and accessible with the advantage of being friendly to the pocket: let’s face it the McDonalds cheeseburger is about $1.00 lower than the average GDP in America.

A kid with no set income can afford it. So we know it’s cheap and affordable but is it healthy….the answer is no, health and fried food are two parallels that never meet.

But why with this knowledge do we continue consuming. Well like researchers have said once you have a hard time putting down those fries and can’t resist the call of that fried chicken (like you can’t the call of a siren) then you have a problem…yes you are officially an addict. Fast food cravings is a problem you have, and you need to address it ASAP.

In the words of the author of fast food nation on average the American citizen eats about the equivalent of three burgers and four orders of fries per week. The fast-food cravings ‘epidemic’ has hit so bad that even though some of your favourite outlets have tried offering healthy alternatives like the vegetarian burger they haven’t been substantial proof that these alternatives are truly healthy.

Here is an example; you go into taco bell an order their salad which contains about 840 calories and about 53 grams fat or you hit MacDonald’s and try cut down by ordering small fries which contain about 211 calories and roughly 50 grams fat and here is the kicker, their super fries weighs…wait for for.. an amazing 612 calories about 28 grams fat.

So ask yourself is really healthy and does cutting down really solve the problem? A friend of my usual jokes that those fried chicken nuggets cravings will be the death of him.

A study was conducted to see which was healthier your typical hamburger or fried chicken sandwich. Answers favoured the chicken sandwich and I bet you agree as well. Well sorry to burst your bubble but the latter is healthier because the fried chicken sandwich has more calories and fat per ounce than the burger. Yep, even your trusty fish sandwich is guilty of this deceit.

Tips and Alternatives You May Use To Fight Fast Food Cravings

An alternative route you could take to help maintain those fast food cravings would be a turkey burger and a veggie burger: but as mentioned before they are not a 100 per cent alternative: this is just to help you get by (Like they give a cigarette as an alternative to a cocaine or heroin addict) they will taste more or less the same and will help satisfy those looming cravings.

They are dipped in less saturated fat and have been known to be a great source of protein. Another tip would be for you to enquire if they use trans free oils as more and more restaurants are using that alternative which is a healthier option.

Get to say no to those super-sized fries and be one with the kiddy fries, at least so to satisfy your desire whilst at the same time keeping their protein levels in check. A couple of restaurants are offering sweet potato fries; a healthier alternative to your normal ones.

Another tip would be to tell them to ease up on the mayo; this will reduce your calorie intake level by half on each sitting. Basically consume everything in moderation, this will help a lot. You can handle those fast food cravings that way, until the time you can kick them to the curb.

Value of Calories and Fat in Your Favorite Fast Food

Another method to help you would be a scare tactic: unfortunately, though this one is true, the following are the calorie and fat values of some of your favourite fast foods:

Whopper about 660 calories and 40 grams fat
Whooper junior roughly 400 calories and 24 grams fat
Double whooper ranging with about 920 calories and 59 grams fats
Hamburger has about 320 calories and 15 grams
So next time those shakes attack you and you are overwhelmed by those cravings before you tell that intercom your order reflects on the above numbers.

How to deal with those fast food cravings would be the internal use of self-convincing and reprogram, towards much healthier alternatives like fruits and vegetables… I know not that appealing but you need to put in the effort. Use talking to yourself to acquire a love for fresh foodstuffs that are prepared well.

Deal with the negative self-talk, for instance like the childhood mentality of I don’t like vegetables, replace that thought with ‘I love fresh food’. It won’t be a breeze at the beginning but hang in there and act as though it’s true (in the words of Yoda believe in yourself). With patience and time, your thought pattern will become your reality.

I hope this article will be of much assistance in battling the fast-food cravings. It has been compiled for your benefit fellow addict and feels free to share it with friends on twitter.com or Facebook, which you may feel are going through the same battle. On leaving, make a resolution (it doesn’t have to be a new year’s resolution J ) to drastically cut down on your visit at your nearest fast food joints and say NO to supersized meals. With acquired self-discipline we can have it our way: ‘Yes we can”

Summary

Fast food cravings are a worldwide problem affecting a large number of people
To deal with your cravings try cutting down on the amount of fast food you consume per sitting
The average American consumes roughly three hamburgers and a serving of four packets of fries per weak
Use self-programming to help you defeat those cravings that keep creeping up on you

Additional Information

There are about thirty thousand restaurants on the globe, every single corner has a restaurant just calling you and teasing those fast food cravings you have. There is no escaping it. Your kids are targets and they are being moulded to future loyal customers through your happy meals.

Read More: Curb food cravings