SheSue Experience

Do you sometimes get an intense craving for a certain food? As you binge on those chips, you tell yourself that it is your body’s way of telling you it needs some nutrient in the chips. This is a good excuse, but scientific tests have proven otherwise. What if, when you had this intense craving for chips, you were given a cocktail that mimics the chemicals found in chips, OR you are given chips that look, smell and taste like chips, but contain no authentic ingredients in the chips. Which you would go for, the chemical cocktail or the taste? Hands down, you would choose the taste.

Cravings are driven by emotions and psychological factors. We crave foods we enjoy and associate with pleasurable times. If foods with tastes and textures we enjoy are used as a reward or to provide solace, a practice commonly begun in childhood and continued throughout life, then the psychological component for craving such foods grows even stronger.

For example, while also tasting pleasant, foods such as ice cream and cookies rank high as “comfort foods” – foods eaten in an attempt to soothe away troubles. The desire for such items may reach stronger proportions during stressful times. People also have strong expectations for certain foods during cultural times and places. Christmas time we expect lots of rich foods and sweets. At Thanksgiving we expect turkey and pumpkin pie.

Dieters often report carbohydrate cravings. This may be due to a diet too low in calories which can result in blood sugar levels being too low. Dieters get most of their calories from fat and then the carbohydrate portion of their diet is too low. This also happens with people who do heavy exercise. The brain can also play a part in carb cravings via a feedback mechanism between carbohydrate and serotonin. Serotonin is a brain neurotransmitter that some researchers hypothesize is involved in the regulation of carbohydrate intake. The theory suggests that too few carbohydrates result in reduced levels of serotonin, which then drives the craving.

Unfortunately some people, in an effort to “eat right” do just the opposite. We stuff ourselves with carrot sticks while craving those chips. In then end, we tend to binge on the chips telling ourselves that our body “needs” something in those chips or that we will never eat them again. Instead, eat a healthy portion of the chips along with a well balanced diet. Your taste buds and your body will be happy.