The Truth About Cravings
Cravings are a common experience for many people, and they can be a significant obstacle to maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle. In this article, we will explore what cravings are, why we experience them, and strategies for managing them.
What are cravings?
Cravings are intense desires for specific foods or beverages. They can be triggered by a variety of factors, including stress, emotions, social situations, and exposure to certain foods.
Why do we experience cravings?
The causes of cravings are complex and multifactorial.
Cravings can be related to fluctuations in blood sugar levels or imbalances in hormones such as leptin and ghrelin, which regulate appetite and energy balance.
Cravings may be a form of self-medication, as certain foods can activate the brain's reward centers and release feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.
Cravings can also be triggered by emotional and social factors. For example, stress and anxiety can lead to increased cravings for comfort foods, while social situations like parties or restaurants can trigger cravings for specific foods that we associate with those settings. For example, I personally MUST have popcorn when I go to the cinema.
The truth about cravings
I'd like to share a personal example that illustrates the truth about cravings. As someone with a sweet tooth, I used to struggle with resisting my cravings. However, after becoming more mindful of the food I eat, I made an important observation. Whenever I managed to resist my cravings for about 30 minutes and eat a normal meal instead, the craving magically disappeared. It turned out that I was just hungry! So, the truth about cravings is that sometimes they are your body’s way of telling you you have not had enough food. But how can you use that knowledge?
A tool against cravings
My advice is to pause and reflect once you detect one. Ask yourself if you've had a meal yet, if you've had enough food, or if you've just burned a lot of calories. If the answer to any of these questions is yes, quickly make a meal and check in with your craving again afterward. If the craving has disappeared, then you were just hungry, like me. However, if the craving persists after having a meal, then it's a real craving, and it's okay to indulge in it in moderation. There's no need to completely restrict yourself to maintain a sustainable lifestyle.
