Hiya Gorgeous,
You know the triggers. The pint of ice cream calling you from the freezer. The chocolate chip cookies taunting you from the kitchen counter. The nachos gnawing away at your willpower during happy hour. But, is it the food that’s pestering you? Of course not—it’s cravings.
We all have them, but do we really understand why? And more importantly, do we know how to tame them? In the past, I’ve been so deeply under the spell of my cravings that I’ve sprayed Windex on my Ben & Jerry’s (after throwing it in the garbage, because it was the only way I’d stop myself from pulling the darn pint out of the trash so I could keep eating it!).
You probably already know that food cravings can have little to do with hunger, but you may not be aware of how they work. Cravings have both biological and psychological components. The most common foods we crave are sugar, carbohydrates, chocolate, salt and, for some, cheese. Let’s walk through the main causes of these cravings and a few helpful tips for overcoming them!
5 Causes of Food Cravings
Leptin Resistance
Leptin is a hormone your body produces in your fat tissue. It’s primary job is to stimulate your appetite and tell you when you’re full. This all works fine when your stomach and your brain are in the same reality. But, the problem starts when constant surges of leptin trick your brain into feeling hungry, even when you’re not.
What causes this? One culprit is having too much body fat—more fat means more leptin is produced. Another cause is eating a diet high in sugary foods and processed carbs. The sugar triggers your fat cells to release surges of leptin. Whatever the reason, constant surges of leptin can lead to leptin resistance, which creates a feedback loop and further dulls your ability to perceive your real appetite. Eating a healthy, balanced diet is the best way to keep a normal balance of leptin in your body and, therefore, reduce your chances of being swept away by cravings (study).
Low levels of serotonin
Serotonin is a “feel-good” neurotransmitter produced mainly in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It’s directly tied to our mood, appetite and digestion. Eating carbs and sugar increases the release of serotonin (study), making us feel fabulous (temporarily). So, when our levels are low, our brains think, “Oh! That candy bar or bagel is going to fix this!”
A low serotonin level can be due to a variety of things, including poor gut health (90% of serotonin is made in the gut), alcohol consumption (study), depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. I don’t know about you, but I’m much more vulnerable to sugar and crappy carbohydrate cravings when I’m feeling down in the dumps.
Endorphins and Food Addiction
Eating sugary foods, and even salt (hello, chips!), increases the production of endorphins in your body (study). Endorphins are basically opiates that make us feel relaxed. So when we eat these foods and experience this feeling, we want more—similar to the way drug users get addicted to narcotics. In fact, a recent study shows that sugar can actually have a more intense feeling of reward than cocaine (study). It’s that powerful.
This is why the drug Naloxone (an opiate-blocker given to stop heroin and other narcotics from affecting the brain) also blocks the appeal and overeating tendencies for sugar, fat and chocolate (study). Another recent study looking at the addictive qualities of foods found that highly processed foods that are filled with fat and sugar can cause addictive eating because of their rapid rate of absorption (study). So the more you can avoid packaged and processed foods, the more control you’ll have over your food choices.
A wonky gut
As mentioned earlier, low serotonin levels are linked to cravings, and your gut is the epicenter of serotonin production. In order to maintain feel-good levels of serotonin, your gut needs to be in tip-top shape so it can absorb nutrients from your food and pump out serotonin through your gastrointestinal tract.
This process is greatly dependent on healthy levels and the proper balance of good bacteria. But when your diet isn’t very healthy, the bad bacteria can overpower the good guys, creating more food cravings! Cultivating a healthy balance of good bacteria by eating fermented foods, taking probiotics and embracing other gut-happy habits can create the intestinal peace necessary to calm your cravings.
Emotional Triggers
This is a biggie. Sadness, boredom, stress, poor self-esteem, negative body image (and the list goes on) can prompt you to cruise the pantry. Who doesn’t want a sleeve of Oreos when they look back on a painful breakup, losing a job or just having a bad day?
I refer to this as phantom hunger. But since food cravings are often fleeting and disappear within an hour, choosing to eat a healthier food or opting for a mood-boosting activity can satisfy you till the craving passes.
Now, let’s discuss some more strategies for how to stop food cravings…
Thank you for the info
Tell us about that cool old truck
what year is it
I wholeheartedly agree!!! Unfortunately I’m one of the few people who literally can’t eat any processed sugar. Several years ago I went off all sugar for 4 to 5 months. It was the most balanced I’ve felt in my entire life and I didn’t crave anything. Unfortunately it was all detailed with my husband’s birthday party. One spoonful of regular frosting was all it took to put me on the roller coaster of cravings. I know I’m in the minority that have this reaction, but it keeps me from having the willpower to go through the three weeks of misery in getting off sugar again. I know I will feel so much better and one of these days I’m just going to have to resign myself to a sugar free life. But I keep pushing it off. Your posts always inspire me though Kris and I know I will tend to that area of my life soon!
Deep bow to you Kris!!!!
Your reminders always bring me back on track!!!!!
Sending you lots of Love, Peace and Veggies!
Hi Kris, I am 47 and live in Mexico. I am very interested in a good nutrition, since my son of 18, now he is 26 and is great, had leukemia, I been trying of change the way we eat, sometime it is hard, that is why I would like to know you and if you have some teaching lessons I will love to go and meet you, I am your fan!!
best regards!
This was amazing , so informative and applicable to my life. thank you for this!! I have kicked M craving but Elliott mating them, now the thought of Swedish fish ( my craving) makes my stomach sick. If I ate that now I’d feel sick and would need a nap. No more sugar for me!! ?
Gum??
Love the information. I agree with everything. Well put!! I find that I my cravings go from a one to a ten once I let down my guard and eat just one of something I shouldn’t.
Can I use my magic bullet as my juicer?
Wow, that was really helpful. The funny thing is… the snacks that are available in my place right now are all of the cravings mentioned: Salty chips, Milk Chocolate, Carbohydrates, Processed Snacks, and Cheese. . Good thing I got to read this. Thanks for writing this entry!
I super appreciate your emails & videos! Just bought your meditation cd & cannot wait to get it. I just love your attitude and sassiness. So many websites of this kind are so serious and matter of fact which is fine but I love it when you throw in your personality, you’re the best! Bless you & thank you :+D
Chris in Tucson
Very thorough and informative. Great job!
Nice tips. Eating lots of healthy fulfilling foods will surely help.
I’ve noticed that if I keep a small wedge of lemon in my water all day that the sour background taste seems to “reset” my sweet tooth. After a week or so of being diligent with adding a light amount of lemon to my water daily I will see a drastic change in my sugar cravings. (Not too much lemon or you will burn out on the taste within a day).
Thank u very much. This really helped a lot
Dark chocolate reduces cravings for all kinds of junk food. The feeling of satisfaction is due to the phytochemicals present in it.
You feel content and extremely satisfied. This feeling helps you to make healthy food choices, reduce calories and lose weight.
Great article. I found this article really helpful and shareable too. A big thanks for sharing the article with us 🙂
Cheese is my demon! I’d be super thin if cheese didn’t exist !!
Wonderful synopsis! I too floss, rubber tip, brush and gargle after eating — but add in applying lip stick too. This grand finale amps up the ‘closure’ even more! Xo
I recently heard that smelling peppermint essential oil will curb cravings quickly. Worth a try
Thanks Kris for this important post.
Hi Kris, got a link today to your video workshop which I loved. Here is my issue, I’m very overweight, very tired, very moody, all around feel like crap most days if not all and I know I need to change my eating but what do I do when I do not like much in the fruits and vegetable isle? Where does one begin to change bad habits? I constantly crave sugar …… I recently took a blood test for my cell nutrition to see why I feel so crappy because most dr’s say I’m depressed and put me on meds which I just took myself off (with physician’s approval) for the last four months. Help a fluffy girl!
Hi Catherine,
I’m sorry to hear that you’re feeling stuck! I’m a dietitian and the Nutrition Director here at KrisCarr.com, so I’ll jump in. You may want to start by checking with your doc on your Vitamin D levels. Lots of people are turning up low which can affect mood, energy, and even cravings. As for where to start with fruits and veggies, include the ones that you *do* enjoy, and experiment with adding fresh spinach to a smoothie — Even a smoothie with frozen banana, mango, pineapple and coconut (very tropical and refreshing!) can get a boost from a small handful of spinach (and you can’t taste it!). Then, you can start adding frozen chopped spinach into pasta sauces and soups. Spinach has lots of nutrition and an very mild taste. From there, the world of fruits and veggies just may open up! Keep experimenting — sometimes it takes a while to adjust your taste buds. xo – Jen