At the foundation of every craving is an unbalanced diet. Cravings are a sign that either your body has become too dependent on a substance (like salt or sugar) or that your body is missing out on important nutrients. When you fill up on empty calories and junk food, your body will feel like it still needs to eat because it hasn't received any nutrients with your meals. That's why one of the most effective ways to reduce your cravings is to eat a balanced diet.

A balanced diet full of whole, unprocessed foods gives your body exactly what it is looking for. When you receive the same kind of nutrients that are necessary for proper body functioning, you won't have as many cravings. Reduced cravings mean that you won't overeat and you'll naturally lose weight.

The first step is to get rid of any processed foods that are a regular part of your diet. Packaged foods that are processed in a factory have excess chemicals and are normally higher in fat and calories than whole foods. Eating a lot of these types of foods will leave your body wanting more of both the chemicals and food in general. When your diet relies on these type of foods, you will feel full but will literally be starving your body of nutrition.

Vitamins cannot replace the natural nutrients and minerals that are found in fresh, whole foods. In order to reduce your cravings and get back on track with eating better, you've got to shift your diet. One of the easiest ways to tell if you are eating right is to take notice of where you do most of your shopping at the grocery store. If you are concentrating most of your shopping on the outside aisles, then you're eating fresh, whole foods. Most processed foods are found in the center rows of a grocery store. Stick to the fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, meats (if you eat them) and you'll see a reduction in cravings.

In addition to craving more food than you should eat, you may also experience cravings for food substances like salt or sugar. Unfortunately, with these additives the more you eat, the more your body wants them. In order to curb this craving, you're going to need to take steps to remove them out of your diet entirely.

It may be hard at first, and you'll definitely go through a withdrawal period where you experience an intensification of your cravings. Increase your water intake, start an exercise program and keep eating healthy. Chemical additives and excess sugar and salt can sometimes be hard food addictions to break. Commit yourself to eliminating these things from your diet for at least 2 weeks and you'll see a big difference.

The best way to eliminate cravings from your life is to incorporate fresh, whole foods into your diet. Remove harmful substances from your diet and once you get over the initial withdrawal, your health will be better and you won't experience cravings any longer.