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Not just for pregnancy: All about food cravings

» Why do you want that snack so badly?

Mercedes Deutscher
Staff Writer

D o you ever have the

overwhelming desire to
get a DQ Blizzard? Would
you search far and wide fora
bag of Cheetos? If yes, then
youre not alone. Almost
everyone will experience food
cravings throughout their life;
in fact, according to a survey
conducted by Nestlé in 2006,
98 per cent of Canadians
experience some sort of food
craving. Only eight per cent
of Canadians manage to keep
their cravings under control,
while the rest give in to their
cravings sometimes or always.

Yet, why? Food cravings
are more than a lust for
something tasty. They’re often
a signal from your body that it
requires some sort of vitamin
or mineral. They can also bea
signal from your brain when
you are feeling emotionally

 

result of recent lifestyle habits.
A lot of people reach

: for snacks in times of high

: stress as a comforter. Nestlé

: identified some of the main

: triggers that cause food

: cravings, with the top cause

: being anxiety or stress. Other

: triggers included boredom,

: seeing advertisements, sensory
: detection, and feeling alone

: or happy. In an article for

: Canadian Living, Dee Van Dyk
: explains that serotonin levels

: fall in times of stress, and that
: eating a sweet ora starchy food :
: can boost those serotonin levels :
: back to their original point.

: A hormone imbalance may

: also be responsible for food

: cravings. Dyk explains that this
: may happen during pregnancy,
: menstruation, menopause,

: times of fluctuating estrogen

: for women, and times of

: fluctuating testosterone for

: men. From a psychological

: perspective, Dyk elaborates

: that people may give in to

: certain food cravings because

: said food is associated with

: happy memories, especially

: those from childhood.
imbalanced. They can even bea

Those who are on some

: sort of diet may experience

: strong food cravings, especially
: if they have decided to

: deprive themselves of junk

: food completely. By depriving

: themselves of the food

: they desire, dieters may set

: themselves up for failure and

: end up binge eating. It’s a good
: idea to allow oneself a moment
: to indulge in small portions

: every so often, just to get the

: craving out of the system.

Aside from the mind,

cravings may also originate in

the body. Sometimes a craving

: can bea signal that your body
: is lacking a certain vitamin

: or mineral. It is important

: to recognize a connection

: between what you crave

: and what you need. Often a

: craving comes asa result of

: being dehydrated, according

: to Margo Gladys, a New York-
: based health and body coach.
: When feeling a craving, Gladys
: suggests drinking a glass of

: water first. That glass of water
: could fix a craving without

: indulging in a high-calorie

: snack to do so.

In other cases, a craving

may be fixed with a healthier

: alternative that has the

: vitamins or minerals that the

: body needs. When one craves

: chocolate, their body probably
: needs magnesium. Since it

: can be difficult to be satisfied

: with anything but chocolate,

: Bembu.com suggests eating

: dark chocolate instead of high-
: sugar milk chocolate.

If bread is what the body

desires, it is lacking amino

: acids. Luckily, there are plenty
: of healthy and high-protein

: alternatives like fish, eggs, or

: quinoa. Green tea makes a

: great alternative to coffee, as it
: has caffeine yet increases your
: metabolism.

If you have a killer sweet

tooth, your body most likely

: needs some extra glucose

: in order to keep your blood

: sugar at a good level. However,
: glucose can be found naturally
: in fruit, so try trading that

: apple fritter for an apple

: instead. Perhaps you feel like

: eating something deep fried—
: this is a signal that your body

: needs fat. While people may

: shy away from fats, it’s still

: important to get some. Try

: substituting for healthier fats,
: like nuts. Is that bag of chips

: appealing to you? You need to
: get some sodium. Since most

: of the salt in chips is highly

: processed, try to opt for chips
: with sea salt.

Try to make some good

: habits. If youre craving a

: chocolate bar, do you need to

: eat the whole thing yourself,

: or could you share it witha

: friend? If you really want a Big

: Mac, do you need the fries that
: come with it? If you're going to

: indulge in your craving, maybe

: take a walk in order to get it.

: It will either deter you from

: going to get it, or give you some
: exercise in the process. If you're
: bored, try finding another

: activity to do and distract

: yourself from your craving.

It’s a good idea to be aware

of your eating habits. Question
: why you are craving food: are

: you actually hungry, or are

: you just bored? Cravings are

: perfectly natural but can be

: unhealthy if they’re overdone,

: so be aware of your mind, body,
: and cravings in order to keep

: them under control.