There are so many reasons diets don’t work, but one of the biggest is that they deny us things we love. That might work for a little while, but eventually our cravings get the best of us and we “cheat,” indulging in the cookies/chips/glass of wine—whatever our guilty pleasure happens to be. Once we’ve fallen off the wagon, we slip into the shame spiral, the diet is officially over, and we’re back to square one.
So what’s the solution? Don’t diet; crowd out. Like most genius ideas, crowding out is amazingly simple: work healthy, whole-food options into your diet to leave less—and eventually no—room for foods that are void of nutritional value. In other words, satisfy your cravings, but with foods that nourish you rather than deplete you.
The crowding-out approach works because unlike diets, it’s not about deprivation. Once your mind is set at ease that you can still eat your treats, you’re more likely to find the incentive and determination to stay the course and eat balanced, whole-food treats.
Here are a few of our favorite ways to crowd out cravings—plus some recipes from the B3 Kitchen to help you satisfy cravings the healthy way!
WHEN YOU’RE CRAVING: Coffee
CROWD OUT WITH: Green tea
WHY: Green tea still gives you a nice bit of caffeine, but without the spike and crash you get with coffee. It’s also packed with antioxidants and has been shown to improve blood flow and stabilize blood sugar.
WHEN YOU’RE CRAVING: Potato chips
CROWD OUT WITH: Kale Chips or Roasted Chickpeas
WHY: Both of these delicious snacks will satisfy your craving for salty and crunchy, but unlike potato chips, they’re full of only whole-food, nourishing ingredients.
WHEN YOU’RE CRAVING: Cookies
CROWD OUT WITH: The B3 Cookie
WHY: Packed with delicious things like cinnamon, vanilla extract, and oats, these have the familiar and comforting flavors you crave in a cookie, but with coconut oil instead of butter and coconut palm sugar in place of refined sugar, they’re so much more nourishing.
WHEN YOU’RE CRAVING: Chocolate
CROWD OUT WITH: barre3 Chocolate Truffles or Chocolate Pie
WHY: It’s not the chocolate that’s bad for you—it’s all the things that get added to chocolate. Our truffles and chocolate pie give you your chocolate fix in a wholesome, healthy way.
WHEN YOU’RE CRAVING: Ice Cream
CROWD OUT WITH: Our Coconut + Maca Shake or our Rosewater Berry Smoothie Bowl
WHY: Icy and sweet, these desserts have everything you love about ice cream, but none of the stuff you don’t.
WHEN YOU’RE CRAVING: A cocktail
CROWD OUT WITH: Our Liquid Gold mocktail or our Ginger, Mint + Honey mocktail
WHY: Just like “real” cocktails, these drinks are festive and full of flavor—but because they have zero alcohol they’ll keep you sharp and energized all evening long.
WHEN YOU’RE CRAVING: A fun Friday-night dinner the whole family will love
CROWD OUT WITH: Tacos! Root Veggie Tacos with Cilantro Salsa Verde or Chicken Tacos
WHY: These recipes give you a healthy way to serve up everyone’s favorite crowd-pleaser. Colorful and festive, they’re made with nourishing, whole-food ingredients you can feel good about.
WHEN YOU’RE CRAVING: A sinful breakfast
CROWD OUT WITH: Dark Chocolate Donut Holes or Baked Apple Donuts
WHY: These look and taste just like the treasures from your favorite donut shop, but because they’re made with a balance of protein, fiber, and healthy fats and sweetened with dates and maple syrup instead of refined sugar, they won’t give you the unwanted sugar spike and crash.
