Does Eating Whole Foods Actually Reduce Cravings? Celebrity Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar Believes So

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wellness culture on the internet has at the very least taken away the ominous feelings of dread and restriction that people typically associated the word 'diet' with. Mindfulness, healthy living and clean eating are being regularly adopted by many as personal milestones worth reaching. But, when has it ever been that easy to give up on all that we're "not supposed to eat"? If you're living in the constant fear of your cravings derailing any progress you've made on the clean eating front, celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar shares an unlikely hack which she claims can banish cravings once and for all.

Eating More will Have You Craving Less

True, as per Diwekar, as odd as it sounds. In a conversation with Tweak India, the nutritionist to the stars expanded on the psychological aspect behind cravings. "The minute you reduce food to carbohydrate, protein, fat, calories, you begin to lose joy. You begin to second guess every morsel that you're eating," she said, adding, "Your default becomes, make everything less tasty than what it is."The solution? Whole foods. As per Diwekar, it is not about separating the fats and carbs and restricting yourself to the lean meats and an endless rotation of veggies. She explains: "Even when you're drinking milk, (have) the whole fat milk versus low fat milk; when you're eating an egg, (have) the whole egg versus just the egg white; because then you don't crave for anything or any sugar later in the night. Then you're not constantly going hangry..."

Cravings as per Diwekar, largely come from a place of frustration stemming from overt restriction. When you take restriction away from the equation, the likelihood of any panicked compensation also decreases - because you haven't disallowed yourself anything per se. "You can actually eat and taste your food out of a decision and not out of desperation. So even like sugar's a monster, it's only a monster if you ate it out of desperation. If you ate it out of a decision to celebrate something, then it's a wonderful thing to have," she adds.

How Plausible is This?

Simply choosing to drink full fat milk instead of skimmed options or eating the yolk with the egg whites won't help stave off the "harmful" foods and flavours your palette is used to. While having cravings is a bodily response, a lot of how often it occurs is also a matter of psychological conditioning. You can start eating clean with a nutritionist or dietician's meal plan, but taking it past the point of the stipulated number of days or weeks' guidance they offer is a matter of doing a hard mental reset. The equation between eating whole foods and cravings dying off only comes into full force when you've spent some time understanding your body's cues - especially around when it feels actually hungry and when it feels full. Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Readers should consult a qualified healthcare professional or nutritionist before making any significant changes to their diet, especially if they have existing health conditions. Times Now does not assume responsibility for any outcomes arising from the use of this information.