Today I wanted to dive into all things cravings to explain why they happen and what are the solutions to buffer them.
Cravings are something that all kinds of high performers struggle with, so you are not alone. I hear it from people on my socials, clients I talk with and with corporate teams I work with in workshops.
Hopefully though, this episode can help put you on the path to putting your cravings behind you.
In this episode I share:
- What exactly are cravings?
- What are the different types of cravings?
- The difference between physical and psychological hunger
- The 4 main factors that drive cravings
- The power of pulsing protein intake on cravings
- Why we can beat cravings by filling up on fibre
- The ratios of colours to include in snacks to combat cravings
- Why consistency is absolutely vital to reduce cravings
- How to handle psychological cravings
Key Quotes
“If you haven’t thought ahead or done some prep, the question becomes what do I feel like for lunch? And it often delivers a very different outcome to what do I have for lunch?”
“Our body and our brain are the clue to what is going on with cravings.”
“You need to eat to perform. It isn’t about what to remove and restrict but about what to include and a mindset of abundance.”
Episode Resources
Jessica Spendlove Website – www.jessicaspendlove.com
Jessica Spendlove Keynotes – JessicaspendloveKeynotes – Jessica Spendlove
The High-Performance Profile Quiz https://jessicaspendlove.com/quiz/
Jess Spendlove Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jess_spendlove_dietitian/?hl=en
Jess Spendlove LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-spendlove-64173bb8/
About Your Host
Jessica Spendlove | Wellbeing Speaker & High Performance Strategist
Jess Spendlove is an international wellbeing and high performance speaker, coach, and advisor. With over 15 years of experience across corporate leadership, elite sport and the military she is known for helping ambitious leaders and teams optimise energy, build resilience, and sustain peak performance.
As one of Australia’s leading performance dietitians and a trusted voice in executive wellbeing, Jess delivers science-backed strategies that empower individuals, teams and organisations to thrive under pressure and achieve long-term success.
Episode Transcript
The following transcript has been automatically generated and not checked for accuracy
Jess (00:01.73)
Team, today I wanted to dive into all things cravings and discuss the science behind why this is happening and most importantly, what are the solutions to buffer them? This is something so many high performing individuals in both sport and business struggle with. So if this is you, you are not alone. I’ve heard this firsthand in a lot of my one-on-one consults, in a lot of the workshops that I run with different corporates and teams.
When I run polls even on my social media, it is something that the majority of people are struggling with either regularly or daily. So if this is you, today we’re gonna get to the root cause and have you walking away with steps and strategies to implement to buffer those. Now, before we get into today’s episode, I wanted to briefly mention the High Performance Profile Quiz. This quiz is designed for motivated, driven, and ambitious individuals looking to pinpoint
profile and get tailored steps on what they need to take for their wellbeing and performance journey. You can take the quiz via the link in my show notes. To get started today, I wanted to share a thought for the week around the interconnected relationship between being prepared, being intentional and also your mindset.
An example I like to use which is really relevant to today’s conversation is thinking about a meal and thinking about preparation. Now, this is universal regardless of whether we are at home, back in the office or on the move. Having something prepared really solves the question of what will I have for lunch. Now…
This doesn’t necessarily have to mean you’ve meal prepped and you’ve got something, maybe you’ve done a little bit of ingredient prep or maybe you’ve thought ahead about where you’re going and what options are available for you. But the reality is, if you haven’t thought ahead or brought anything with you or done some prep, the question becomes, what do I feel like for lunch? Which is a very different question and often delivers a very different outcome to what do I have for lunch?
Jess (02:13.586)
So really thinking about this, the overarching theme and through line here is intention, preparation, strategy and mindset. And on that note, let’s get into today’s episode. So here we’re going to dive deep on the science behind conquering cravings. But I thought a really good place to start is what do we mean by cravings and really dissecting the different types. So often this boils down to understanding the difference between physical
psychological hunger. Now physical hunger it’s a little bit more straightforward it’s really when the body is genuinely hungry and needs fuel. This is often when we tune into our body and it is presenting in the pit of our stomach. We might feel really empty, the stomach might be rumbling, we might start to have that dip in energy.
On the other hand, when we talk about psychological hunger, it is a little bit more complex. This is not necessarily about the body needing food, but maybe in the form of emotions, past experiences or specific scenarios or triggers that are prompting us to eat.
This could also be, you know, behaviours of munching when we’re bored, or giving into stress eating, or just having those social nibbles when we’re out and we’re not really hungry. The thing with psychological hunger, it often appears more instantaneously, and when we cue into our body, so with physical it was in the pit of our stomach, psychological it is more what’s going on in our brain and we’re just thinking about the types of foods. A good question you can ask yourself in this instance if you’re really hungry.
struggling to distinguish between the two is would an apple satisfy me right now?
Jess (04:02.826)
If you are really physically hungry, the response will be yes. But if you were just thinking about food being driven to eat by triggers or desires or just potentially not even giving your body enough of the right things, which really is the topic of today’s conversation, it may present more in that psychological. And in that instance, the answer will be no. I specifically feel like said chocolates, said lollies, chips, whatever it might be that you’re thinking about.
I do think understanding the distinction is really key to navigating and managing our cravings. And with a lot of the types of clients I work with, when we solve the drivers physical hunger, we can really see the difference.
It also goes a really long way to eliminating or reducing some of the psychological drivers as well. So yes, human habits and behaviors can be complex and we’ve developed them over a lifetime. But when we start to give our body and our brain what it needs, we start to nourish it, we start to leverage the power of nutrition. We really do start to silence some of these behaviors that we might be trying to reduce or eliminate.
Today I want to cover off the four main factors that drive cravings that will hopefully give you strategies and tools in your toolkit to leverage to silence and finally conquer cravings if this is speaking to you. Now
The first place I wanted to start, which was a bit of a focus for last, the first episode I ran, which was on the power of protein pulsing. This is gonna pop up quite a bit when I do my nutrition episodes, because there’s just so many powerful reasons why this is a high performing nutrition behavior that every single high performer needs to leverage. I’m going to say it again, protein pulsing is one of the most impactful strategies when it comes to balancing energy,
Jess (05:52.614)
mood, focus and definitely appetite. Protein is known for satisfying and sustaining appetite. When we’re consistently eating protein rich foods, we’re pulsing them across the day, we have that presence of breakfast and it’s snacks.
not just lunch and dinner, that goes a really long way to stabilising our blood sugar levels, to delivering more consistent intake across the day, which in turn then stabilises our appetite control. Now,
Intermittent fasting aside, which is a conversation for another day, and I know is a behavior or a tool that a lot of people, particularly in the corporate world, are dabbling with for different reasons, I really wanna talk about the core fundamental understandings of what is driving some of these cravings and some of the solutions that we can start to embed. So whether you’re intermittent fasting or not, when you are eating, the principle of protein pulsing applies within the timeframe and the meals and the snacks that you’re having.
Now, protein really plays a critical role in appetite regulation, and there’s a few reasons for that. It has a key influence on a lot of hunger hormones, like ghrelin. Now, skip a little bit of that. Now, protein plays a critical role in appetite regulation, and there’s a few reasons for that. One, it is a key influencer in hunger hormones, like ghrelin.
Ugh, fuck. Sorry, Sam. I’ve lost my trailer thought. Now, when it comes to protein and its critical role in appetite control, sustaining and satisfying us, this really boils down to a few key factors. One is the influence it has on hunger hormones like ghrelin.
Jess (07:50.518)
By pulsing our protein intake, it really goes a long way in regulating these hormones and suppressing our appetite. When we’re craving sugar,
whatever form that might be in, that is our brain, the CEO of our body, sending out a message that it needs a hit of food. It needs to lift our blood sugar levels because they’re getting low. Now that can either come from irregular eating, under eating, not providing our body with the nutrients that actually satisfy and sustain us, not drinking enough or a combination of all of the
Jess (08:31.92)
as a key and as a signal to and as a clue that we haven’t got all of those jigsaw puzzle pieces in the right places. The other really interesting thing that is so much research in all different types of populations, adolescents, adults and everyone in between that a protein-rich breakfast helps stabilize appetite and blood sugar levels across the day.
As we mentioned, it also influences those hunger hormones. So by suppressing the hormone that drives our appetite, that is also going to better manage our overall intake across the day. So I honestly cannot emphasize the importance of this principle and the importance of applying this, particularly at the front end of the day. I’m going to say breakfast, but for whoever it is listening, it is your first meal of the day. Protein-rich, minimum of 20 grams.
for style options, we’ve got things like eggs, dairy-based products, we’ve got soy milk, we’ve got protein powders, we’ve got tofu.
any of that and if we’re starting out eating later in the day which definitely need to cover off my thoughts on intermittent fasting on another day we still want to make sure that we are getting that protein rich hit there so if it is more of a snack we still want to be getting that 20 grams and if it’s lunch then we just want to make sure that we’re getting that quarter to a third of the plate and we’re getting it in the various forms whether it’s a plant or an animal based option so things like salmon
Jess (10:07.114)
whatever it might be that you eat, but we need to have that there. And we also then need to have it regularly pulsed at our snacks across the day. So when it comes to this…
really key fundamental strategy that helps conquer our cravings. It’s really about being proactive and not reactive. And so often what is happening at the back end of the day, whether that’s the afternoon crash and burn, whether it’s the cravings in the evening, is a byproduct of what is or isn’t happening.
before lunch or at the start of the day. So you’ve got your goal, 20 to 40 grams of protein for meals, 10 to 20 grams for snacks. Give it a go and let me know if you’re someone who suffers from cravings regularly or daily, has this had an impact for you?
Now the second strategy I want to touch on is that we need to fill up on fibre. Now fibre plays a key role in keeping our hunger at bay. Similar to protein, it’s a very satiating nutrient. It helps fill us up. In terms of what fibre does with our body,
it ensures that our digestive system remains operating at its best. When we consume it and it’s in our stomach, it swells satisfying us and it’s also a key player when we’re thinking about our overall digestive system, regularly opening our bowels, regularly going to the toilet, which really has a key role in our overall health and our well-being. Now,
Jess (11:53.578)
Australian guidelines recommend that we should be consuming about 25 to 30 grams every day yet only 16% of Australian men and 14% of Australian women meet their daily intake of fibre So this means that there’s over 80% of Australian men and women out there not consuming enough fibre Not meeting these requirements which is again why this is such a big player when we will
to think about cravings. Now
In the first episode I touched on the principle all the colours, all the plants, and I mentioned that only 5% of Australians are eating enough fruits and vegetables. So by simply eating more of these, taking the philosophy that if a meal or snack is brown and white it’s not complete, adding to that, looking at ways to boost up fibre, which might look like adding chia seeds or ground flax seeds to our breakfast bowls and
Jess (12:56.54)
or some legumes on a salad or on a meal. And as I’ve also said, making sure every single meal and snack has the presence. And also when we nail that, the ratios of the colors from our fruits and vegetables, that is going to have such a huge impact. So if we can start to increase our fiber, it will go a really long way in satisfying our overall appetite, a long way in regulating our blood sugar levels. It’ll help our digestive system work
But the thing here as well, if we’re starting to dial up our fiber, we need to remember that we also need to dial up our fluids. So a lot of people are getting around dehydrated and if we increase our fiber and we’re dehydrated, that’s actually potentially going to constipate us, which is not the outcome we’re looking for here at all. So fiber, we need to make a fuss about it because there’s such room for improvement for so many people.
many profound health benefits for the point of today’s episode and conquering cravings. Aside from protein, it’s really going to help satisfy you and sustain you, which is going to go a long way in silencing those cravings. Now the third strategy here is consistency is king.
I know I talk a lot about maybe what to eat, what we need to look to add or boost or amplify, but this point is looking at not just what we eat, but also when and how often.
One of the biggest pitfalls I see when it comes to cravings is erratic meal sizes and also erratic timings and both of these things can lead to cravings. As I’ve alluded to before, the brain is the CEO of our body. It likes to consistently get nourishing food to fuel it and to provide what it needs. If it has no consistency, if there’s no routine, if some days it’s under-fuelled,
Jess (15:00.516)
days it’s over fueled, some days it’s starving, some days it’s over full, there is no consistency there and this confuses our body and our brain.
and this when we’re feeling low, when we’re in a phase of under eating or we haven’t given enough of what we need, it sends out that message that I need to have a lift in my blood sugar levels and the quickest way for me to do that is by eating something sweet. So one of the best things you can do here is balance your meal composition by having all of the elements, by looking at the periodizing of your intake which I spoke about in the last episode. So if you haven’t listened,
Jess (15:39.92)
have all those elements, those four elements at each meal, the protein, the colors, the carbs, and the healthy fats. And we also wanna have the guardrails of eating every three to four hours. Because by doing that, we’re being proactive, not reactive. By doing that, we’re nourishing our body and giving it the nutrients that it needs to stabilize our blood sugar levels and to help it perform at its best. And by doing that, we’re satisfying us and sustaining us, and it’s going to go a long way
or silencing or eradicating those cravings altogether.
Jess (16:17.33)
Now, the last point I want to touch on here is a reflection piece for yourself. Are you eating enough? A theme I talk about often is you need to eat to perform.
I know it is confusing and conflicting with some of the information and messaging out there which often leads us to think that we need to remove, we need to restrict, it’s about willpower and dedication and if you’re craving this, it’s because you are not… If you’re craving this, it’s because your willpower isn’t there.
I am here to tell you that is not the case. If you were craving something, that is your body’s way of saying, hey, hello, haven’t had enough of what I need. So we wanna flip the script and we wanna have a strategy of abundance. Now, here’s some signs that indicate there’s potential misalignment when it comes to your energy intake and if you are eating enough. If you have consistent intake every single day, but your activity levels vary, that is a sign that you are not eating enough.
not eating enough and you’re not getting that match correct. Also if you’re not adjusting those ratios that I’ve spoken about previously based on your types of days as well that’s also a sign that you’re probably not getting this match right. If you haven’t listened to the first episode where I dive on dive deep on periodizing your intake as one of those performance principles please go back and read that but
If you haven’t listened to the first episode where I talk about periodizing your intake, I would really encourage you to go and listen to that now because it will help make this clearer for yourself. I guess the one, oh God, this is terrible, this one. I’m starting, are you eating enough again? Now, the fourth point I wanna touch on here is really a reflection piece for yourself, which is, are you eating enough?
Jess (18:17.374)
A key theme that I find myself talking to a lot of high performers about is that a key theme I find myself talking to a lot of high performing individuals about is you need to eat to perform. It isn’t about what to remove and restrict, but it’s instead about what to include and a mindset of abundance.
If you haven’t listened to the first episode where I talk a little bit about periodizing nutrition intake, I want you to listen to that because it will help give you some more information about what I’m about to talk about, which is potential signs of misalignment when it comes to your energy intake. So a few common ones can be someone eating the same thing every single day, regardless of the physical output or the training that they’re doing. The next one is if they’re keeping their ratios and the meal is exactly the same,
of the type of day or output that they’ve got.
A really common sign that can pop up for a lot of people, which I know is a contradiction to what our brain is telling us, is under-eating can often drive some uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms. So things like bloating, things like uncomfortable stomach symptoms, these can often be driven by our brain down-regulating our digestive system because we haven’t eaten enough or we’re not being consistent with our intake.
Jess (19:42.436)
you know, any underlying causes because there definitely can be some things going on there but so many times irrespective of, you know, someone with
Irritable bowel syndrome or not, those symptoms can be exacerbated when there is an element of under eating. So I really wanna drive this point home that our body and our brain are the clues to what’s going on. And when this is happening or when cravings are present or when someone’s saying, oh, I’m just a sweet tooth, I immediately hear that and I’m like, I will challenge you on that. Yes, you may like sweet food, but if you’re craving it regularly or every single day,
you are not getting these four strategies, potentially all of them, potentially some of them, potentially different combinations of them at the different time points. So I really think it’s key with this fourth point here.
that it’s important that you’re actively evaluating and adjusting your food intake based on your output, based on what your body is telling you, based on what you’re learning. This is about being curious. This is about learning strategies and applying them and then listening out for what our body is telling us. Do you have more energy? Is your appetite better controlled? Have you got improved cognitive output or productivity? If you do, they are pretty big
Jess (21:06.528)
are what I call the metrics that matter, which I will cover off in an episode soon for you. So you can be super clear on that. So to summarize here, the four factors that I want you to consider if you are someone that is suffering from cravings regularly or daily, are you pulsing your protein intake? Do you understand the power of protein? Do we know what foods these are in? Do we know what amounts we’re having? So with everything I’ve spoken about here, scan your day
at your breakfast and your snacks because that’s where most people go wrong. Are we filling up on fibre? Are we getting enough fibre in our intake? Are we boosting our meals? Are we choosing higher fibre options like the rice sourdoughs or the brown rice or the quinoa or the whole nuts and seeds or the vegetables with their skins on as a way to boost up? Does every single meal and snack have some colour in it? Are we being consistent or are we being erratic
Jess (22:06.408)
driver because our brain isn’t sure and our body’s not sure what we’re going to get and when and so when we’re in a low or we’ve under eaten it is an immediate trigger to crave and drive for sweet foods as a way to boost our blood sugar levels. And then also are we eating enough? Are we coming from a place of abundance and strategy or are we coming from a place of restriction and removal? Are we keeping our intake flatlined in the same each day irrespective of our
So check in on each of those, consider which one is the most relevant for you and consider taking action on one.
I guess to summarise, cravings are really our body’s way of communicating that you haven’t nailed your dietary pattern across the day. And that may be in the form of the composition, it may be the consistency piece, it may be the timing, or it may be all of the above. If you’re someone who regularly has cravings, I want you to reflect on your current behaviours and really identify one factor to focus on first. If I can give you one piece of advice, often the earlier in the day you focus on the strategy, influence it will have here. I often refer to this as the first domino which you’ll hear me talk about quite a bit. Now, thank you for joining me today. If you’re keen on some personalised support to evaluate your wellbeing and your performance, I have a range of different services which you can view on my website. I’ll pop the link in the show notes below. You can find more information here and otherwise I’ll be back again next week to help you stay at the top.