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One minute, you're innocently going about your day—the next, you're in the clutches of desire. Your object of lust: a chocolate cupcake with buttercream icing. Next thing you know, you're licking frosting off your fingers. What just happened? You were clobbered by a food craving. In a study from Tufts University, 91% of women said they experienced strong food cravings. And willpower isn't the answer. These urges are fueled by feel-good brain chemicals such as dopamine, released when you eat these types of foods, which creates a rush of euphoria that your brain seeks over and over. What you need is a plan that stops this natural cycle—and helps prevent unwanted weight gain.
Have you ever wondered why you crave certain foods, even when you’re not hungry? There are a few possibilities to explain your food cravings. Here are the three most common causes of food cravings, along with tips to fight them:
Simple conditioning
The first possible cause for your cravings is classical conditioning. Much like how the sound of a bell triggered Pavlov’s dogs to salivate, certain activities, people and places can trigger you to crave certain foods. In fact, I’m a victim of this type of craving. I like to watch movies with my family on Thursday nights, and movie night also happens to be when I'm most likely to say, “You know what? I feel like eating pizza!” In reality, my body does not have a physiological need for pizza every Thursday at 8 p.m. For whatever reason, I have conditioned myself to crave pizza on movie night. To be honest, I'm not …
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