By Nicola Cucuiet and Sylvia Klinger
A food craving is defined as being an intense desire to consume a specific food, stronger than simply normal hunger. The causes responsible for food cravings range from low serotonin levels, to that time of the month for women. Researches have found that about 50% of women who crave chocolate say their cravings peak around the onset of their monthly period. There are some important differences between being hungry and having cravings. Hunger is explained as being a biological function of the body’s real need for food, while cravings can be caused by either physical or psychological needs.
When dealing with cravings, it is important to learn to make the difference between feeling hungry and having cravings, in order to understand how they work and how you can manage them when they hit. Before you cave into your cravings, stop and ask yourself if you are really hungry or if you really need to eat what you desire. Cravings make keeping a healthy diet very hard, so it is important to understand the process behind the overwhelming desire to consume something.
Give yourself the possibility to consume your favorite foods, but with moderation. Researchers have shown that people who allow themselves to eat on occasion their favorite foods, were more successful in dealing with cravings that people who remove all favorite foods from their diet.
Having well balanced and regular meals keeps your metabolism working constantly. Never skip meals, even if you are trying to loose weight. Skipping meals only leaves you feeling very hungry, making temptation a very hard thing to fend off. Not only will it make it difficult for you to manage you cravings, but you will end up choosing things that only look good, instead of them being good for you.
Exercise is not only important in weight loss, but is very important when dealing with food cravings. Studies have shown that 45 minutes of exercise significantly reduced neuronal response to food, which led to a significant lowering in activity, in the parts of the brain that are associated with food craving. Exercising can help reduce daily stress, that can be responsible for uncomfortable feelings such as boredom, depression, or sadness that can be triggers for food cravings.
Sometimes, hunger or even cravings can be misinterpreted with thirst. When your body is dehydrated it can often trick you into feeling hungry, when in fact all you need is a glass of water. In order to avoid becoming dehydrated make sure you drink at least one glass of water per hour.
