Word of the Week

Crave

Definition: to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly

Consider this...

It was 12:20 in the afternoon and I simply could not stop thinking about a Subway sandwich.

My favorite is the turkey and ham combo, with mustard, lettuce and plenty of pickles and cucumbers.

Imagining biting into that cool, crunchy sandwich was making my stomach growl in anticipation. And then I remembered what I actually had stowed away in my purse for lunch: a packet of chicken-flavored Ramen noodles.

Delicious? Hardly.

Thinking about the thin noodles that awaited me made my mind wander to everything that I would rather be eating. Warm pasta, pizza loaded with toppings, a fresh crispy salad with egg and chicken, slathered in zesty Italian dressing….

Suddenly my practical side jumped in front of the mental smorgasbord my imagination had laid out for me: but you have noodles ready to go! They are so much cheaper than getting fast food! You don’t need to leave the office to get the noodles because you already have them with you!

Bummed, I decided to listen to my logical side. Reluctantly I prepared my flimsy noodles in chicken-flavored water. They were unappetizing and worse, unsatisfying. I sat at my desk staring at my empty bowl, hungry as ever, still envisioning that delicious sandwich.

The moral of the story? Following your cravings shouldn’t be a bad thing that we feel guilty for - listening to what your body wants is central to the idea of intuitive eating. Listening and following our stomach’s desires prevents us from being stuck in my situation - I ate a whole serving of food without feeling any satisfaction at all.

So next time you crave ice cream, get it. Don’t ignore your body’s craving and deny yourself a treat, even if you have logic behind your reasoning. If you do, you may end up binging later and feeling even worse than if you had eaten the single serving before.

So logic be damned! Enjoy your cravings - no matter where they take you.

As for me, I’ll see you at Subway.