Cravings
Why do we crave particular foods?
In it’s most extreme form, cravings can be part of an addiction, in it’s mildest, a desire to eat something as innocuous as healthy green vegetables, because we are craving their beneficial nutrients.
Generally, cravings are associated with high calorie, high sugar, high fat foods, which we might see as treats, like chocolate, cheese, cookies or crisps.
The type of foods we crave can be indicative of various needs or imbalances.
If someone craves stimulants like caffeine, dark chocolate, or sugar, they might be craving a boost to their energy, mood or concentration. These stimulants encourage our systems to synthesise adrenaline, cortisol and dopamine and elevate our blood sugar (1). These stress hormones can give us a temporary energy and mood boost and make us feel alert and focused (2). However, after the temporary high, when the stimulant wears off, there can be a crash of mental or physical energy, prompting a craving for more stimulants.
Cravings for sugary, carbohydrate rich foods are very common, such as chocolate, pasta, bread or cookies. People can crave these foods if they are feeling low, stressed, or in the winter. This is because high carbohydrate foods seem to be able to encourage the production of serotonin in the brain, which can lift our mood and make us feel better (3).
Sometimes we have intense cravings for carbohydrate foods simply because our blood sugar is low. If we haven’t eaten enough or are living on caffeine or sugary foods, our blood sugar can dip too low, causing a very strong urge to eat carbohydrates to elevate it back to the normal range (4). This can look like barely eating in the day, running on adrenalin and caffeine, and then eating huge amounts of high carbohydrate, high calorie foods in the evening. People trying to restrict their calories very low are particularly prone to this type of craving, as their system is asking for more nourishment.
Aside from cravings for sugar, carbohydrates or caffeine, some people find they crave very fatty foods, like deep fried chips, creamy sauces or cheese. In fact, most of the foods we see as tempting, mix sugar or processed carbohydrate with fat. This combination makes a substance which is so plesurable to eat, it can increase our production of endorphins, which are the feel good neurotransmitters responsible for feelings of pleasure (5). Interestingly, dairy and gluten foods contain molecules which can mimic endorphins, which might be why so many of the pleasurable foods we crave contain dairy and gluten, such a pizza or macaroni cheese (6).
Some foods elicit cravings because they are full of chemical additives such as MSG which encourage us to keep eating. Monosodium glutamate is a flavour enhancer used in crisps, packaged snack foods, powdered stocks or asian cooking, which has been shown to be potentially addictive (7).
Sometimes we can be very hard on ourselves if we give in to our cravings. We might think we are weak willed, or not trying enough to eat healthily. I would suggest instead of beating ourselves up, it might be helpful to ask ourselves why we might be craving that particular food, and if eating it is actually meeting our needs and serving us well?
If you are tired, it makes sense you might crave sugar to boost your energy. If you are feeling stressed it’s normal to crave carbohydrates to relax you. If you are bored it’s understandable you might crave stimulants to increase your concentration.
Sometimes eating the food we are craving really helps us to feel better, but sometimes if cravings are persistent, they could indicate there might be areas in our nutrition or our life which need some attention. If we are regularly tired, do we need more rest? If we are often stressed, do we need less pressure and more relaxation? Or do we simply need to look at our nutrition to make sure we are eating enough to nourish ourselves well?
The answers to these questions are very individual, and you might find it helpful to work with a psychologist alongside a nutritionist in order to understand yourself more fully.
In my opinion, instead of seeing cravings as problem to fix, I would suggest looking at cravings as a way to understand your needs more fully, so you can learn to offer yourself what really makes you feel happily replete.
References
Lovallo WR, Whitsett TL, al'Absi M, Sung BH, Vincent AS, Wilson MF. Caffeine stimulation of cortisol secretion across the waking hours in relation to caffeine intake levels. Psychosom Med. 2005 Sep-Oct;67(5):734-9. doi: 10.1097/01.psy.0000181270.20036.06. PMID: 16204431; PMCID: PMC2257922.
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The Buzz on Energy Drinks. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/energy.htm (Accessed November 1st 2023)
Sissons C. How to boost serotonin and improve mood. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322416 (Accessed November 1st 2023)
Strachan MW, Ewing FM, Frier BM, Harper A, Deary IJ. Food cravings during acute hypoglycaemia in adults with Type 1 diabetes. Physiol Behav. 2004 Feb;80(5):675-82. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2003.12.003. PMID: 14984802.
Chaudhry SR, Gossman W. Biochemistry, Endorphin. [Updated 2023 Apr 3]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470306/
Greenblat J. Food Addiction: The Chemistry of Dairy and Wheat. https://www.psychiatryredefined.org/food-addiction-dairy-and-wheat/ (Accessed November 1st 2023)
Buzescu, A., Cristea, A.N., & Davila, C. (2013). The addictive behaviour induced by food monosodium glutamate. Experimental study.