We can feel weak to the call of our cravings.

We try to remain strong. We tell ourselves that this time around, the craving isn’t going to win. Then, because we’re thinking about it for so long, we succumb.

Shame. Defeat. Start Over.

Here’s the weird part: if you actively change the craving (e.g. going from processed foods to real food, soft drinks to water, candy to fruit), your body will then crave the new food.

I remember being addicted to soft drinks… addicted. My mom would find empty cans of Coke under my bed as a teenager and after I moved out, I didn’t buy a case because it would be gone within a few nights. Instead, I had to satisfy my craving one bottle, or can, at a time.

Leaving a case of Dr. Pepper in my home during my twenties was a bad idea. Sometimes, it would be gone before you made your way out the door.

Fast forward and I’ve all but curbed my soft drink addiction these past five years (once a blue moon I still enjoy a Stewart’s Lime Soft Drink with my neighbour). I replaced the craving with water and tea and have no desire to have any in the house. Even if it’s in the fridge, I won’t touch it.