Easy Ways to Curb Hungeritis!

Ever noshed on cheese curls till your lips were Day-Glo orange? Eaten a pint of ice cream when you weren't even that hungry? Snarfed down a stale Snickers bar from two Halloweens ago, after a four-alarm hunt for chocolate? I have. But — whew — I've also found a few things that dull intense cravings long enough for them to pass. And for me to regain a shred of dignity. Try these.

Pop in a mint mouthwash strip. Not only will it make your breath zingy but the flavor seems to erase the taste for sweets. (Brushing your teeth works too but requires a handy sink.)

Take an 8-minute walk. If being mad or sad sends you digging for chocolate, what you may really be craving is serotonin, a brain chemical linked to better moods. Go outside and take a short walk. Scientists say even 8 minutes of fresh air and activity help boost serotonin, so you can skip that chocolate fix.

Chew some gum, chum. A British study has found that people who chew gum 15 minutes after eating lunch crave fewer sweets, and eat fewer snacks, than people who don't. (The type of gum — sugar-free or not — doesn't matter, except to your dentist.)

Try a different kind of chip. When you want the potato kind, reach for a dill pickle chip instead. You get salty, you get crunchy, your mouth gets all puckery-cool, your taste buds snap to attention...and three chips are only 5 calories. Yes, 5! You really could eat the whole jar.

Here's the kicker. Cravings can do in otherwise healthy diets. If curbing them means you maintain your weight and body mass index at a desirable level, it can make your real age as much as 6 years younger. Now that's worth craving.