Food cravings:
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- May 9, 2019
- 3 min read
When you're craving a Food, Maybe You Need to Just Eat It
Instead of fighting off food cravings, try listening to your body. Learn more about food cravings, what causes them and how to respond.
The other night, my partner and I were discussing dinner options. "I'm craving a burger," I said, implying I'd rather get takeout than cook at home. The burger had been on my mind for at least two hours, and while I eat red meat occasionally, it's not my favorite.
So, when I do crave something like a burger, I know it's a signal to heed. Maybe my body is low on iron, maybe I haven't had enough protein recently, or maybe that's just what my appetite is asking for. In any case, strong food cravings are not something I ignore. And you shouldn't either.
Here, we take a closer look at what causes food cravings and what to do about them.
What is a food craving?
Food craving is defined as the strongest desire to eat certain type of food mainlky sweet and salty. We mainly have cravings when we get in mood.
And here comes what should I do indulge them, ignore them or substitute them with healthier choices.
Why do we have food cravings in the first place?
A food craving is a sign from the body that you're missing something—whether that be balanced, adequate nutrition, or a particular nutrient.
Your body knows when there isn't enough energy or nutrients coming in, and this is the message it sends to fix that.
Food cravings aren't always so simple or easy to reason with.
Cravings comes with low energy intake or once you skip a meal. It is most common with chronic dieters, and eating-disorder patients.
Further restriction, or food avoidance, seems to exacerbate the issue.
Other factors that may influence our food cravings:
· energy restriction (i.e., not eating enough)
· malnutrition
· fatigue
· changes to sleep routines
· stress
· food preferences
· fluctuating hormone levels
· emotional needs
· food insecurity
· food exposure
There are some things we have control over and others we may not.
Another cause of food craving is pica. it is a disorder that manifests as cravings for nonfood items such as hair or paint chips. The two most common causes of pica are iron-deficiency anemia and malnutrition. While there are no clear numbers for how many people have pica, when most of us talk about cravings, we aren't referring to a desire to eat paint chips.
How should you respond to food craving?
Scientists do seem to agree that diets and "restrained eating" keeping certain foods off-limits both seem to increase food cravings. Yet some studies suggest extremes like weight loss, increased physical activity and even abstinence (from the craved food or food type) as some of the "best" approaches to dealing with food cravings. These approaches rarely work long term.
Respond to a food craving by honoring it. Have the burger. Go out for an ice cream cone. Enjoy the pasta. Savor a salty snack. One eating occasion, or even a few, won't make or break your overall dietary choices.
What if the craving never stops?
"If we do trust our bodies and give ourselves permission to have these foods, they won't be as special," says Iu, echoing two core intuitive eating principles focus on satisfaction instead of conforming to diet rules. And this feeling that because a craving will never really be satisfied, therefore we shouldn't trust it? That comes from the diet world, the one where restriction trumps all, even though the science tells us otherwise.
Allow yourself to really savor and enjoy the food you craved." If those specific foods are unavailable at the time, try to mimic the food, or food type (e.g., carbs, proteins, fats) as best you can to feel satisfied.
Now what to do with all of this new food cravings knowledge?
You need first to assess if you are on a well balanced diet and if you are taking your energy needs. As malnutrition and energy restriction are behind food craving.
Next, take a "food rules" inventory and see which foods you may be consciously, or unintentionally, avoiding or restricting. Is there overlap between that list and the foods you constantly crave? For example, do you limit carbs and get cravings for bagels? Are you doing a sugar-free month and can't stop dreaming about brownies? Try increasing your exposure to these foods gradually, honoring those cravings and reducing self-imposed restrictions.
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