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I crave ice cream, especially when its oozing with nuts, fudge and marshmallows. For my sister, it's a big bag of crunchy jalapeo chips. We all have that particular food that we crave, but our cravings don't have to get the better of us.

Cravings are actually a good thing. Whenever you have a craving your body is sending you a important message about the foods it needs. Take salty foods for example. Cravings for salty foods often indicate a craving for minerals. Salt contains 60 trace minerals, but common table salt and the salt in most of the processed food we eat has been stripped of its most of it minerals. The best way to get minerals is from leafy green vegetables. So the next time you crave salty foods try a helping of leafy greens and see if your cravings for that bag of chips disappears.

How about that nasty sweet tooth? Because excess sugar contributes to obesity, diabetes and various other health concerns it is especially important to get these cravings under control. Again, similar to the salty cravings trying a healthier, sweet alternative will often get rid of the craving for a mid afternoon candy bar. Certain vegetable have a deep sweet flavor, try bringing a bag of carrots to snack on during the work day. Your local health food store will also provide many alternatives to the usual sugar and fat laden treats.

Most statistics will tell you that 75 percent of Americans are dehydrated. Many of our craving are simply dehydration. Don't forget that is you feel thirst are already dehydrated. The best thing you can do to get rid of cravings is to drink water. Before snacking try drinking a glass of water and you may just find you aren't hungry any more. Water also help to maintain a healthy weight, it is a great way to clean the toxins out of your body, help with metabolism and keep your skin clear and glowing.

And finally, try eating smaller and more frequent meals. Pack snacks that you can eat mid morning and during the afternoon. Healthy snacks include whole wheat crackers, yogurt, vegetables, dried fruit, nuts and seeds. Incorporating small snacks into your daily routine will keep cravings at bay and prevent you from binging on surgery, fattening snacks.

So this coming week try some vegetables before the chips and before your afternoon snack down a cup of water. And I'll be sure to reach for some carrots before I pull the ice cream out of the freezer.

Learn more about this author, Aubry Hoffman.
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