Recent studies suggest that junk food accounts for about 50% of the average American’s daily caloric intake. Junk food is the umbrella term that describes ultra-processed foods and drinks, such as fast food, soda, candy, packaged cookies, and salty snack foods. Although there is nothing wrong with enjoying ice cream, chips, or baked goods from time to time, junk food should not be a regular part of your diet. Consuming too much of it can be detrimental to your mental and physical health. 

People who consume more junk food have a higher risk of obesity, fatty liver, depression, high blood pressure, heart disease, and certain cancers. You may understand this reality, but the problem is that junk food is so appealing. The brain encourages you to seek pleasurable experiences, such as enjoying tasty food. This natural encouragement is the brain’s “reward” system. When you eat tasty food, including junk food, you activate that reward system and the brain releases dopamine. This rush of pleasure causes the brain to create more receptors to respond to that dopamine rush. Ultimately, you care more about junk food the more you eat it because you have that reward system in place. 

If you currently eat a lot of junk food and want to kick your habit, the methods in this article may be effective for you. The following tips are evidence-based, so experiment with them to see which ones work for you. 

Fuel Your Body Regularly

You may think that depriving your body of calories or being overly restrictive with food will lead to weight loss. This tactic can actually have the opposite effect, causing you to ravenously eat foods, many of which are unhealthy. There is a complex relationship between calorie restriction and the cravings you have. The research, however, shows that skipping meals or depriving the body of certain foods can increase cravings and snacking. Everyone has different caloric needs, but you should aim to fuel your body with fiber-rich, protein-rich, and nutrient-dense meals and snacks. When you provide your body with these types of foods, you will reduce your cravings for junk food. 

Get Enough Sleep

Whether you want to believe it or not, insufficient sleep can cause you to make poor food choices. Additionally, lack of sleep increases your desire for junk food because it is quick, easy, and highly accessible. Studies confirm that lack of sleep, or irregular sleep patterns, can increase your caloric intake, snacking, and cravings for high-fat, high-sugar foods. In fact, just one night of poor sleep can affect your food choices the next day. A 2019 study found that reducing sleep time by 33% (two to three hours of sleep) caused increased hunger cravings, compared to a normal night of sleep. To protect your food choices, get between seven to nine hours of sleep per night. 

Consider Taking Inventory Of Your Pantry

If you have junk food in your house, especially if you know where to find it, you will likely gravitate towards it. Consider swapping out ultra-processed food products with more nutritious options. Junk food that is palatable and addictive is dangerous to have in your house. The research shows that just looking at tempting foods can stimulate the striatum, an area in the brain that regulates appetite and reward from food intake. Looking at cookies, candy, or chips may lead to snacking, overeating, and eating even if you are not hungry. Do a pantry overhaul to see which foods need to go. Stock your counter with fresh fruit instead of keeping candy in your pantry!

Cook More Meals At Home

Not only does cooking at home save you money, but it can also help you cut back on junk food. Stopping at a fast food establishment, although convenient, is not conducive to your health journey. Cooking at home, especially if you meal prep, can help you decrease your reliance on convenience foods. Additionally, meal prepping is a great way to ensure that you always have healthy food options. Many studies indicate that people who cook more have better quality diets, enjoying more servings of fruits and vegetables per day. They also eat less food than people who dine out often. 

Eat More Filling Foods

Struggling with what to eat? It can be beneficial to learn more about how certain foods impact your body and hunger levels. That knowledge can help you devise a better plan of attack for your meals, and may help you cut back on your junk food intake as well. Most junk foods are high in calories, but they don’t fill you up. Ever notice how you can eat an entire bag of chips and still be hungry? That is why it benefits you to eat foods that are higher in protein, healthy fats, and fiber. Consider eating homemade overnight oats or chia pudding instead of grabbing a donut and coffee on your way to work. You can also opt for a fruit and vegetable smoothie to satiate you until lunch!

Grocery Shop Regularly

If you want to make more food at home and stop eating junk food, a well-stocked kitchen makes that task much more doable. Studies have shown that people who grocery shop regularly have better quality diets than people who don’t. Additionally, those people eat much less ultra-processed foods. When you go to the grocery store, make sure to take a grocery list and stick to it. Avoid going to the store when you are hungry because that will cause you to make impulse purchases that do nothing for your health.

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Holiday cookie trays are incredibly addictive. Sprinkles and icing coat sugary creations that have a slightly crunchy exterior and soft and gooey interior. Is there anything better than a freshly baked cookie that is warm and soft on the inside? It’s perfectly acceptable to indulge your sweet tooth every now and again, but reaching for the cookie plate too many times may cause some blood sugar spikes. Instead, make healthier versions of classic holiday cookies, like these vegan snickerdoodle bites.

These snickerdoodle bites have all the nutritional benefits that a healthy snack should have. They offer plenty of healthy fats, plant-based proteins, complex carbohydrates, and a low-glycemic sweetener: maple syrup. You won’t find dairy products, artificial flavors, added sugars, or gluten in these tasty desserts. Just because they are healthy, that doesn’t mean they lack flavor or sweetness. In fact, after sinking your teeth into one of these for your first bite, you may convert to these forever!

If you want to live a little dangerously, go ahead and create a cinnamon/coconut sugar mixture to roll the snickerdoodle bites in after making them. In order to do this step, freeze the bites for 30 minutes after making them. Remove them from the freezer and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place them back in the freezer for another 30 minutes and then remove from the freezer to enjoy. If you store them in an airtight container in the fridge, they will keep for two to three weeks. Store them the same way in the freezer for two months!

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A quick disclaimer: although these cookies do not require baking, they are not raw vegan. That means that you cannot enjoy them if you are cleansing. Sorry, cleansers, but there are many more Full Body Cleanse-Approved desserts to choose from. Just look for the images that have that FBC-Approved tag on them and you can enjoy them.

These vegan no-bake snowball cookies are the perfect holiday treat. They are little balls of chewy goodness, and you can feel much better about eating them than other sugary, glittery holiday cookies. Snowball cookies are usually made with flour, nuts, sugar, and butter. After you bake them, you typically roll them in powdered sugar and then decorate as you please. Some people add a chocolate drizzle, while others prefer to add pecans, chocolate chips, or sprinkles. This recipe does not require any of those ingredients and although they aren’t 100% healthy, they are healthier than the classic version.

There are a few crucial steps to ensure the best no-bake snowball cookies. After you pulse the ingredients together in the food processor, you have to roll them into bite-size balls. Ideally, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to avoid sticking. Place them in the freezer for about 30 minutes to harden before removing them to roll in unsweetened shredded coconut. After rolling them in coconut, place them in the fridge to harden and enjoy when ready. Perfect timing for your upcoming holiday dessert platter!

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These vegan chocolate chip cookies take almost no time to come together. Not only is the Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe simple, but they’re delicious too! You won’t be feeling stuffed or bloated after feeding your sweet tooth. You’re welcome!

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A lot of people see vegan dessert options and look down on them. This is a strange way to view some of the most tastiest desserts you’ll ever find. Vegan desserts often boast incredible flavor and don’t leave you feeling stuffed or bloated. You may not be able to enjoy them 100% guilt-free, but you can feel better about consuming better ingredients.

These vegan chocolate chip cookies take almost no time to come together. The recipe is very simple and makes a small batch of cookies. Simply mix all of the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until you form cookie dough. You may need to add some more oat milk as you mix if you see that the dough is too dry. Add a tablespoon or so at a time and continue mixing until you reach your desired consistency. It should be slightly sticky to the touch. Once this happens, it’s time to cover the cookie dough and allow it to cook in the freezer or fridge.

When it comes time to bake the cookies, you may need to adjust the baking time depending on your oven. Start with the suggested baking time in the recipe instructions, but keep an eye on them after that. They may need more time, depending on your oven. Ideally, the cookies should be slightly crisp on the bottom and soft on the top. They will harden during the cooling process, but you still want that gooey, pull-apart center. Happy baking!

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Raw gingerbread cookies are absolutely delicious and the perfect healthy treat during the holidays. There is no wrong way to enjoy them, whether you gobble them up by yourself, share them with the family, or enjoy them with friends. If you are a fan of gingerbread, or anything ginger for that matter, you will love these gluten-free, dairy-free, raw vegan cookies.

Unlike traditional gingerbread cookies, these are not full of refined sugars and carbs. All those sugars only leave you craving more, so you eat the whole box without even realizing it. It’s only at that point when you feel sick to your stomach. This recipe doesn’t have refined sugars; rather, the dates make these gingerbread cookies perfectly sweet. And you’ll only need to eat one or two cookies before you are full. That is because the walnuts and ground almonds provide you with healthy fats, protein, and fiber.

One thing to note about the ground almonds is that you can grind raw almonds if you can’t find that product in stores. All you have to do is add almonds to a food processor and pulse until you achieve a fine powder. Just make sure you don’t process them into almond butter. Finally, if you feel like getting a little experimental, top your raw gingerbread cookies with some flaky sea salt. You might like the sweet and salty contrast in every bite.

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If you’re wondering whether or not this is possible, it is. The best part is that your body won’t hate you for indulging in this healthy dessert. Quite the opposite, actually! This recipe is rich in health fats and fiber, both of which do not exist in store bought Oreos. Plus, isn’t it strange that Oreos are dairy-free? Well, we think it is, considering that they are a cream-filled sandwich cookie. Makes you think and wonder what’s really in there…

The crazy thing about Oreos is that the original recipe for the cream contained pork fat, which creams up nicely. Nowadays, the recipe contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, not that that is a healthy option either. The primary takeaway is that regular Oreos are very unhealthy and ultra-processed. Even though they may be vegetarian, they are far from healthy. Fortunately, this recipe is made from raw vegan ingredients that provide the body with an array of nutritional benefits. You really can enjoy this dessert guilt-free!

One thing that we should note is that these raw vegan cookies don’t taste like real Oreos, but don’t let that deter you from making this recipe. You still get notes of sweet chocolate and a luxurious cream filling that satisfy your sweet tooth. The sweetness in the chocolate comes from the dates, while the sweetness from the cream comes from the maple syrup. The “cream” is made from cashews, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Pretty cool, right?!

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What makes a cookie delicious? Aside from the flavors, a cookie has to be moist in the center and crispy around the edges. You don’t want the sweetness to overwhelm you; rather, you want just enough to know you’re eating a dessert. These vegan gingerbread cookies fit that description and go beyond your flavor expectations.

Now, when it comes to decorating gingerbread men, we are going to leave this entirely up to you. They taste wonderful without any toppings, but feel free to give them buttons, faces, or clothing. Please understand that the vegan gingerbread itself is divine. Just make sure that you have a gingerbread man cookie cutter before you make the recipe.

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These are very close to being cleanse approved, but the rolled oats and shredded coconut categorize them as simply vegan. These No Bake Pistachio cookie sandwiches pack a lot of flavor in each bite, and you may only need to eat one to satisfy your sweet tooth. We do urge your to sandwich your dough between two sheets of plastic wrap so that the dough doesn’t stick to your rolling pin or cutting board.

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These are very close to being cleanse approved, but the rolled oats and shredded coconut categorize them as simply vegan. These cookie sandwiches pack a lot of flavor in each bite, and you may only need to eat one to satisfy your sweet tooth. We do urge your to sandwich your dough between two sheets of plastic wrap so that the dough doesn’t stick to your rolling pin or cutting board.

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