Stop Overeating: 5 Key Nutrients to Curb Cravings

That’s why I came up with the #FreshFitnFIVE with all of my clients. See, it started as a way to show friends how to make a “smart” smoothie, to make it easier for them to remember the five ket ingredients to feeling satisfied longer, avoid the cravings and energy crashes, and still ENJOY IT. And as a result of creating satisfying meals (and balancing your blood sugar which affects a lot of hunger hormones), you’ll find you will stop overeating too!

I realized these 5 nutrients, the #FreshFitnFIVE, went a lot further than just a smoothie though. I realized that the #FreshFitnFIVE could be applied to every meal as a way to SIMPLIFY healthy eating. To make it easier to still fuel your body well, while not living a life chained down to restrictions and rules. To honor a lot of background “sciency” principles that I know as a registered dietitian affect your hunger and fullness, without you having to learn all the background science! To finally stop overeating and the feelings of frustration and defeat that come along with it.

Including these 5 nutrients at every meal will help you balance your blood sugar and hunger hormones, which in turn, will overall help you curb your cravings, stop overeating, meet daily protein goals, feel an increase of energy, and simply feel satisfied after meals!

1. Protein

— Including protein in at every meal will help you feel more satisfied (than a meal with just carbs, for example), help balance some of your hunger hormones, and support building lean muscle mass (and replace that with fat!)

— Examples: Protein Powders or Greek Yogurt in smoothies, chicken, fish, grass-fed beef, turkey, and eggs for meals, and greek yogurt, protein bars, turkey and cheese roll-ups for snacks.

2. Healthy Fats

— Healthy fats are vital for many processes in your body, including your metabolism!

— Examples: Avocado, nuts, nut butters, chia seeds, flaxseeds, etc.

3. Smart Carbs

— Carbs are your body’s main energy source, don’t fear that you have to eliminate them! Simply choose smarter ones on average (versus heavily processed or refined), and pair them with a protein or a healthy fat to slow digestion (and keep blood sugar levels stable!)

— Examples: Frozen fruit in smoothies, whole fruit, oats and whole grain/sprouted breads, brown rice, quinoa, winter squashes, veggies, etc.

4. Fiber

— Fiber is necessary to keep things moving if you know what I mean! And we want to keep bowel movements regular, so that we don’t keep that stuff inside of us. Fiber also just helps us feel more satisfied, which is why carbs that have fiber in them (raspberries, apples, oats), versus ones that don’t (white bread, refined grains/breads, sugar-packed cereals), will definitely leave you feeling more satisfied and with less cravings for more, than ones without fiber.

5. Boosts

— Boosts are something I added in simply because I think healthy eating should be FUN and TASTY. Boosts are things that don’t add too many empty calories, but add flavor, and possibly even extra nutrition!

— Examples:  Cinnamon and Ginger Powder (anti-inflammatory), Maca Powder (Hormonal Balance), Tumeric (anti-inflammatory), Vanilla Extract/Liquid Stevia/Cocoa Powder/Cacao Nibs (just for flavor)

Putting it all together? Think about a Strawberry Peanut Butter Smoothie. Here’s how you would put together all of the #FreshFitnFIVE

— PROTEIN: All-natural vanilla protein powder (whichever you prefer: vegan, whey, egg white, etc)

— HEALTHY FAT: Peanut Butter (and/or Chia Seeds/Flaxseeds)

— SMART CARB: Frozen Strawberries

— FIBER: Handful of Spinach (Chia Seeds also count as as fiber!)

— BOOSTS: cinnamon, ginger, liquid stevia, dash of sea salt

— Blend all together with unsweetened almond milk or water, and some ice if you’d like to make it thicker!