- 8/10 Brits Feel Powerless Against Their Cravings -
Research revealed today shows that a staggering 81% of Brits feel they are in danger of losing control of their cravings and that many are indulging in cravings that they know could damage their health. According to a study by Wrigley, of the 1,500 Brits surveyed, over a quarter (26%) admit to giving in to their cravings on a daily basis, with 40% facing a cravings crisis when boredom kicks in and a further 27% finding it difficult to control cravings due to their stress levels. Following the research insights, Wrigley has worked with Dr David Lewis to provide Brits with some top tips on how to best take back control of their cravings.
Many of those questioned in the study have potentially unhealthy cravings, over three-quarters (76%) confessed to regularly mindlessly munching excessive amounts of snack foods, and over a third (34%) stating they had strong cravings for an alcoholic drink after their working day. Furthermore, despite regularly being told the dangers of smoking, an alarming 32% of Brits confessed to constantly craving cigarettes. Crazier cravings exposed by the study included strong desires for pickled onions, seaweed, cockles and even washing up liquid! One person confessed to driving 100 miles in the middle of the night to get their favourite fast food fix and another travelled all the way to France in order to buy a hotdog from their preferred vendor.
The research found that women were worse than men for being unable to control their cravings, 85% said they regularly succumbed to cravings, compared with only 70% of men. For the majority, the time of a cravings crisis was later at night with almost half, (48%) stating they regularly gave in to the midnight munchies.
A proportion of those questioned are trying to take small steps to better manage their unhealthy cravings. 40% tried to distract themselves by taking a walk and one in ten (12%) Brits chewed sugarfree gum to help stop mindless munching on snack foods and lower stress levels. Sadly, 6% of Brits felt so controlled by their cravings that they thought that there was nothing they could do to combat them. One Brit admitted he was so overcome by his curry craving he ate nothing but curry for three days to try and rid himself of it!
Dr David Lewis commented, Stress and boredom can lead to many cravings getting out of hand and becoming a problem. With Spring around the corner, its the perfect time to spring clean our cravings some we need to manage, others, like smoking, we need to kick. Simple solutions like taking a walk or chewing gum can help to manage cravings like mindlessly munching on snack foods and help to beat the stress and boredom that can make things difficult.
David Lewis has the following top tips to help you to take back control of your cravings:
.Spring clean your cravings! Write down what you are regularly craving and be honest with yourself about which are bad for you and which have got out of control
.Identify when youre most susceptible to loosing control and take action! Go for a walk, drink a glass of water, or call a good friend as a distraction
.Deal with the craving triggers and find ways to manage them. If youre stressed a simple thing like chewing Extra chewing gum can bring relief as it stimulates certain areas of the brain
.Set a deadline to control or kick your craving and tell someone about it. Often once weve told another about a craving it seems instantly more manageable
.Celebrate your successes along the way!
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