Have you ever had a craving so strong that you feel powerless over its desires? Have you found yourself mindlessly walking towards said craving and indulging without any thought of what you are doing?

I know I certainly have, whether it was a packet of salty chips or a sugary block of chocolate. But one day something in me changed, almost like a cartoon light bulb moment. I began to notice these cravings, but didn’t understand why I was feeling like these foods all the time.

Growing up I was quite the fussy eater. I was often referred to as a “meat and potatoes” kid due to my minimal fruit and vegetable consumption.

When I began a self-awareness journey many years ago, I began to realise that these cravings were a pattern based on my previous actions. Knowing which actions produced which cravings has allowed me to either control cravings or to know which foods to avoid.

My belief is that most of my cravings for salty and sugary foods stemmed from a lack of minerals and nutrients in my diet of “meat and potatoes”. Since changing my diet to include much more vegetables and fruit, I experience very few cravings for unhealthy foods and actually enjoy the sweet or savoury treat that much more when I do indulge (even in small portions!)

As my journey has progressed and I discovered more about nutrition, I can see the importance of proper nutrition in any diet.

While I’m not a vegetarian or vegan, I do agree that a plant based diet is one of the healthier alternatives for most individuals. I firmly believe this, and all you need to do is take a look at all of the common diets of today such as veganism, paleo or even keto. The main staple of all these diets is vegetables!