Out of many things and experiences that we crave for, Food is the most common craving most of us have. Is it really food or food like edible taste bud stimulating substances that we crave for?!

Food craving is an intense  & mostly uncontrollable desire for a specific food or a specific taste. It can be for few minutes or can go up for few days based on the intensity and the reason behind it.

Why do we have food cravings?

Our body or specifically our brain always seeks pleasure. It seeks it more obviously when we are stressed or worked up. Therefore, any physical, physiological or psychological deficiencies that makes our body and mind deprived of necessary pleasures, can induce craving. These pleasures are satisfied by various desires like travelling, solitude, talking, music, eating, sleeping, certain beverages, smoking, intoxicants, and lot more which is very subjective to each individual based on what we crave for and what we are satisfied with.  

Let me give an example -  Say you are continuously working on your system on some project. There is a lot to focus and lot to complete within the a certain deadline. Your brain in constantly working and to work optimally, it requires adequate energy supply which is nothing but glucose. Therefore, we tend to have food craving that can instantly give us glucose like sweets, ice creams, chocolates, carbonated drinks, fast foods etc.

Some of the causes for food cravings are

• Stress
• Suppression of emotions
• Selective food deprivation
• Nutritional Deficiencies
• Sensual stimulation of specific food like visual or olfactory being the most common
• Pregnancy
• Hormonal imbalances and menstrual abnormalities

Many a times, craving is a behavioural conditioning where one associates  it with a  particular emotion; for example stress with eating. So, every time one is stressed, they feel that only eating can calm them down.

What is the difference between hunger and craving?

Hunger refers to an empty stomach or the feeling of hunger comes in the absence of fullness of stomach. Hunger and Craving can co-occur but hunger is not pre-requisite for craving. Craving can occur irrespective of stomach being full. It can be differentiated from hunger through its intensity and specificity. Hunger can be satisfied with any type of food but craving majorly seeks specific taste and specific food.

What are the long-term effects of Food Craving?

Food Craving can have long-term effects on the body and mind based on the physical and mental constitution of the person, health status of the person, intensity and duration of craving.

Physical effects

• Unhealthy weight gain
• Hormonal Imbalances
• Risk of developing Insulin resistance
• Low to high grade chronic inflammation
• Long term nutritional deficiencies
• Toxicity

Psychological and cognitive effects

• Learning ineffective means of stress coping mechanisms
• Addiction
• False conditioning
• Brain-gut discordance
• Sleep disturbances
• Lack of attention span
• Reduced gut health

How can we Prevent and Manage Food Cravings?

The key point in preventing and managing food craving is a conscious shift in the way we function physically and mentally. Suppression of food cravings is a counterproductive strategy as there are high chances of increased intensity of craving and also associated psychological behaviours such as irritability or altered mood states. Therefore, making sure we address the root causes of these cravings are important. And they are:

• Conscious awareness of presence of food craving and associated patterns
• Effective stress handling mechanisms such as music, yoga, counselling, nature time, etc…
• Optimal physical activity
• Good amount of Sun exposure
• Good ventilation
• Healthy sleeping habits
• Balanced nutritional food intake
• Taking healthy breaks from continuous work and allowing your mind to relax and rejuvenate
• Certain therapies like Acupuncture therapy, Yoga Therapy, Music Therapy, Art Therapy, Cognitive-behavioural Therapy etc based on the need and professional recommendation

If brain seeks pleasure, there are numerous ways to give it without harming our body and mind. The key to finding those ways is wise and conscious awareness of self and surroundings and tuning with nature.

Dr. Deepashree S, BNYS, MSCCFT - Consultant, Anandamaya Wellness Center