Food Cravings
by
Larry Lindner, MA
You have gotten to the movie theater late and just found a place to sit when suddenly you have to have hot, buttered popcorn, even though you know that if you get it, you will miss the first 10 minutes of the feature. It is time for your menstrual cycle to begin and nothing will satisfy your midnight hunger, except chocolate ice cream. So you head out to the local convenience store on a snowy night. Some food cravings are so strong that you will go out of your way to satisfy them. However, studies have not clearly identified what cravings are and how they influence what we eat. Understanding CravingsTheories abound as to what causes food cravings, but no one theory has been proven scientifically sound. Some common reasons people believe they have cravings include:
Dealing with CravingsCraving and indulging in a specific food from time to time will likely not result in weight gain however, cravings that are frequent may. Weight gain occurs from sustained increases in food intake over time. It is best to give in to cravings once in a while. Denying yourself the foods you enjoy will create unnecessary stress, which sometimes results in bingeing on the foods that you have been denying yourself. If you feel as though your cravings are getting out of hand, try these tips:
Lastly, if you feel your cravings have gotten out of hand, consider keeping a food diary. Share this information with your doctor to discuss changes that you may want to make to your diet to improve your overall health. RESOURCES:Eat Right—Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
http://www.eatright.org Food Insight—International Food Information Council Foundation
http://www.foodinsight.org CANADIAN RESOURCES:Dietitians of Canada
http://www.dietitians.ca Government of Canada—Health
http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca References:Controlling cravings. Nutritionist Resource website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL) Updated February 15, 2016. Accessed October 2, 2017. Emotional eating: How to cope. University of Rochester Medical Center website. Available at: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=4517. Accessed October 2, 2017.
Food cravings and diabetes. Joslin Diabetes Center website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL) Accessed October 2, 2017. Last reviewed October 2017 by EBSCO Medical Review Board
Michael Woods, MD
Last Updated: 10/15/2015 | |
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