Meaning of Food Cravings

It is important for us to understand the Meaning of Food Cravings, as food cravings seem to be at the heart of our eating problems. Is it us, or the foods we eat, that are causing these cravings?

We cruise along doing well, and all of a sudden a food craving hits us, which is so strong that it can’t be denied. Are we just doomed to fail over and over, and face guilt forever for our lack of willpower? Can healthy diet habits help us to overcome food cravings.

Latest Research on the Meaning of Food Cravings

• Our appetites and cravings could be about the types of foods that we eat, and how they interact with our bodies’ chemistry and genes. Some of us may have genetic predispositions to certain foods, and will be more prone to crave them.


• If you abuse simple carbohydrates, you will crave simple carbohydrates, because of high insulin levels in your body from eating simple carbohydrates. Insulin promotes food cravings.


• Foods that are high in fat or fructose can cause cravings, and increase your appetite and hunger. Your body becomes insulin resistant and carbohydrate cravings are the result.


• Stress can cause your blood sugar to lower, and cause stress related eating because you crave carbohydrates.


• Certain foods reshape your brain chemistry and cause you to crave foods.


• If you deprive yourself of food during the day, and then eat on an empty stomach, your brain can imprint that food to your brains craving center, and cause you to crave that food more and more. This happens mostly when you eat processed carbs, like sweets, and baked products made with white flour. If you have ever skipped breakfast, and later gone on a cookie binge, you will relate!


• Some people have emotional memories associated with certain foods, and when they see that food it brings back the memories and they crave it.


• Sometimes people crave foods by seeing or smelling them because of chemical changes in their brains.


• Some people have just a few hundred taste buds and others have thousands of them. People with fewer taste buds actually need to eat more of a certain type of food to be satisfied, than those with lots of taste buds. This could be why some people are happy with a bite of dessert, and other people eat the entire cake.

Your bodies’ ability to crave certain foods is strong, and it will take some strong anti-craving strategies to fight your biology. By understanding the meaning of food cravings, you can develop Lifestyle Solutions that can help keep food cravings under control.

See also:

• Food Cravings


• Ending Food Cravings