What Do Cravings Really Mean?

Should you give into your food cravings?

While some reports suggest that intense food cravings are a sign of a nutritional deficiency, Kavanagh Danaher, a registered dietitian in B.C., says otherwise.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out there regarding cravings, which breeds this idea that you need to white-knuckle your way through cravings; that you shouldn’t give into the foods you want,” Danaher tells Wellness Matters. “This leads you down the path of feeling guilty, which creates a terrible relationship with food.”

Over the years, we all become conditioned to think a certain way about our food and health. “For example, for some, sweets provide a certain comfort, and spark off happy memories,” says Danaher. “Most of the time there is something underlying our cravings; some kind of stress or imbalance with our hormones.”

Studies have shown that high-sugar and high-fat foods have a feedback effect that inhibits activity in the parts of the brain that produce and process stress and related emotions. These foods are also shown to increase feel-good chemicals in the brain, including dopamine, serotonin and opioids.

“It’s important when you have a craving to realize what’s happening. Are you working and suddenly crave pizza? Could this be because something is stressing you out? If you take time to listen to your body, you will soon see a pattern,” says Danaher. If you understand why you have the craving, you’ll be able to decide whether or not to act on it.