The definition of crave is to “want something very much and in a way that is hard to control.”

Dr. Annell St. Charles Ph.D., R.D. published a course on food cravings based on several studies.  In her course, she looks at Evidenced Base Practice and what contributes to food craving and what can be done to address the situation.

With food cravings the best description is: An intense desire to a particular food or type of food to the extent that one would go out of the way to get it.

Is there a genetic explanation for food cravings?  There is DNA and fossil evidence to indicate that the source of our craving for fat, sugar, and salt may date back to the Stone Age.  Our ancestors were genetically similar to modern man.  We, however, don’t have to be concerned with forging for food and our bodies do not have to store fats for survival.  It can take thousands of years for human genes to change, to adapt to our environment.

Modern humans do not have to cope with an absence of food or water.  Our food choices have also been affected by the introduction of highly processed, refined ingredients.  We do have a genetic inclination to stuff ourselves even though food is plentiful.  This causes us to suffer from a variety of chronic diseases.

Early views of the origin of food cravings was that they represent the body’s need for a specific nutrient for both food and nonfood items and this may occur in response to a nutrient deficiency.

Women tend to experience intense food cravings both in the perimenstrual period and prenatally.  These food cravings are a response to hormonal influences such as sex hormones, insulin, cortisol, and sertotonin.

Sex hormones can cause food cravings suggesting that hormone fluctuations may play a role during these times as well as during pregnancy. Women commonly report cravings for chocolate, sugar, and other simple carbohydrates during various stages of menstruation.

Without getting technical, there is a network of nerve cells signaling that can also be modulated by insulin, leptin, and gherkin.  Leptin is a hormone produced by fat cells when they are full; its chief role is to signal the hypothalamus to reduce food intake and increase calorie burning.  Resistance to leptin of a deficiency of ghrelin has been identified in eating disorders with eating behaviors and food cravings.   Obese individuals are typically found to be leptin-resistant and gherkin-deficient.

So, in the absence of proper signaling from these hormones, the brain’s responsiveness to food cues would be enhanced to the point of an overfed state.

Food cravings can be a response to dietary restriction either from caloric consumption or from specific macronutrients.  One of the studies Dr. St. Charles researched found that restricting food intake to lose weight had stronger cravings making it more difficult to resist.  Dr. St. Charles also noted in one study that limiting portion size did not result in the food cravings.

While more research is needed, one outcome from the studies is that food cravings are derived from a physiological reaction to a perceived psychological pleasure.  Moderation is the key.

So what are some steps we can take to help reduce food cravings during weight loss programs?  Portion size is more important than counting calories.  A portion size is the size of the palm of your hand and the thickness of a deck of cards.  Calories are reduced when we eat the proper portion size.  Hypnosis can help in weight reduction as well.  I will discuss the use of hypnosis in weight reduction under the hypnosis section.