Kill cravings in 8-14 minutes

Today on The Martha Stewart Show, Martha and her healthy initiatives consultant, Dr. Brent Ridge talked cravings. They discussed the reasons for cravings:

Genetics -- an ancestor's need to get their hands on calories.

Habits -- you traditionally eat sweet cereal in the morning, so when you wake up ......you crave sweet cereal.

Emotional correlation -- It's a birthday and birthdays are happy times, so you crave cake.

Pica -- A pregnant woman's odd and dangerous desire to consume non food items like soap, soil, or starch.

Physical need -- You are low on iron, so your body craves steak. This is the craving you should give in to!

If you are craving unhealthy food and truly don't want to give in to it, Dr. Ridge suggests you distract yourself for eight to fourteen minutes. He says that's the time our bodies take to kill a craving. Go for a walk, do some laundry or chat on the phone. Fourteen minutes is survivable!