Cravings happen to all of us, but have you ever wondered why you get them?
We have all been there ….we get a desire for something sweet after dinner, or maybe we see something advertised that looks tasty, and then boom, we can’t stop thinking about it until we eat it. No matter what the food that triggers the craving is, the anticipation of how good it will be to eat is stimulating your brain to want to eat it!
Food cravings can come from a lot of different places, but one of the things that we need to understand is that cravings are a complex neurobiological process that involves hormones, brain messages, and psychological factors. (Cravings, 2021) In some cases, food cravings aren’t related to hunger at all! However, there are some hunger and food-related reasons we experience cravings as well. As much as the science is fascinating, I’m not going to dive too far into the hormones and reward centers that are triggered when we experience and indulge in a craving, because that would be quite the lengthy blog. If you’re into science, this quick read offers some deeper understanding. Rather, let’s look at some of the most common reasons people get cravings.
4 Common Reasons That Food Cravings Can Occur:
1. You’re not eating enough.
Not eating enough results in your caloric needs not being met. If you aren’t meeting your calorie needs to support your metabolism needs, you may find yourself having increased cravings. This is no coincidence! This is your body trying to signal to you that you need to add more fuel. Studies have shown that food cravings increase when calories are inadequate. (Derous et al., 2016)
2. Your macronutrients are imbalanced during meals or snacks.
Oftentimes, when you are consuming meals with an imbalance of macronutrients, you will experience cravings. Foods with fiber and protein provide longer-lasting satiety. Proteins, such as lean meats and plant-based proteins, when combined with fiber, like grains, fruits and veggies, help your body to regulate your blood sugar and your hunger. (Farvid et al., 2019) You can increase fiber by adding raw veggies or whole fruits into your meals or snacks, subbing out the meat proteins in your diet with plant sources such as legumes and beans a couple nights a week. Or, you can choose a whole grain option in place of refined grains. Together, protein and fiber in adequate amounts pack a one two punch of health benefits, with a side effect of decreasing cravings! Win-win!
3. It’s a habit.
Remember I mentioned that cravings are complex and can involve psychological factors? One way that this manifests is when your craving is tied to a habit. When we tie foods with other events or particular places, we can begin to crave those foods within the context of those events. Then, we begin to crave them in anticipation when we are in those situations, or as an emotional response to stress. These types of cravings are mainly learned responses and can be potentially unlearned by changing the association that you have between the event or the environment that triggers the craving, and the food.
4. You aren’t getting enough sleep.
Research shows that we function best, inside and out, when we get 7-9 hours of quality sleep at night. When we get <7 hours of sleep a night, research shows that we choose less protein and fewer fruits and veggies. As mentioned above, with less protein and less fiber, cravings can increase. (CDC & Todays Dietitian)
How to Stop Food Cravings
Now that we’ve unpacked just a few of the most common causes of cravings, let’s chat for a second about how we can address them.
The first step to understanding cravings is to identify what is driving your craving. Hopefully, the list above provides you with some insight into what might be the cause of your craving. BeFueled Sports Nutrition is all about balance, and that’s true of what your plate looks like, but is also true of how we approach things like cravings! No one wants to live a life devoid of foods that taste good, and that’s not at all what we believe in! Restriction, avoidance, and distractions are not the best way to navigate cravings (and in fact can backfire, and fuel the craving even more!).
Thankfully, one tool that has seen a lot of success with craving management is one that a lot of us have (or are working on adding) to our toolbox: Mindfulness. By being mindful, and accepting that cravings are totally normal, you learn to be aware of your craving, identify what is driving it, and either address the underlying reason (such as eating a macronutrient-balanced snack, or making sure that your overall food intake is adequate) or ride the wave of that habitual, situational craving until it has passed, rather than just ignoring the craving.
Evan Forman, a professor of psychology from Drexel University put it like this- “It’s about understanding that these kinds of cravings are a natural part of being a person; we’re engineered this way. You don’t have to make cravings go away, but you also don’t have to eat because of them. It’s accepting rather than pushing away or suppressing them.” (Parker-pope, 2022)
I hope this blog gives you some insight into what might be behind your cravings and some tools to help you address them if you find yourself struggling with cravings.
Works Cited:
Cravings. The Nutrition Source. (2021, December 14). Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/cravings/
Derous, D., Mitchell, S. E., Green, C. L., Chen, L., Han, J. D., Wang, Y., Promislow, D. E., Lusseau, D., Speakman, J. R., & Douglas, A. (2016). The effects of graded levels of calorie restriction: VI. Impact of short-term graded calorie restriction on transcriptomic responses of the hypothalamic hunger and circadian signaling pathways. Aging, 8(4), 642–663. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.100895
Farvid, Eliassen, E, C., X, L., WY, C., & Willett. (2019, October 28). Fiber. The Nutrition Source. Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/fiber/
Parker-pope, T. (2022, January 10). Cookies? chips? pizza? here’s how to own your cravings. The New York Times. Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/10/well/eat/food-cravings-strategies.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017, May 2). CDC – data and statistics – sleep and sleep disorders. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/data_statistics.html
The link between zzzs & eats – today’s Dietitian Magazine. Today’s Dietitian. (n.d.). Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/0819p32.shtml
