Decode Your Cravings
By Sandra Gordon | 9/14/2006


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Cravings — those intense desires to eat a particular food, strong enough that you may go out of your way to get it — are complex urges that some 97 percent of women and 68 percent of men experience, according to a survey conducted at Canada's McMaster University in Ontario.

Does a craving mean your body lacks a particular nutrient in the food you're longing for, such as the iron in red meat? Researchers don't yet know the answer to that.

"But we do know there are strong psychological components to food cravings," says Susan Head, PhD, a clinical psychologist and consulting faculty member at Duke University's Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, North Carolina. "A craving can mean you're being too restrictive, and that it might be a good idea to start planning on eating more foods you enjoy," says Head. "Cravings can also be emotional," she says. Your food craving may be triggered by negative feelings, such as stress, anxiety, anger, guilt and low self-worth.

"Such feelings often make people crave certain foods, since food tends to be associated with pleasure," says Head. Some cravings might even be spurred on by happy feelings. Have celebrations with family and friends ever made you want to eat?

Curbing Your Cravings
So your number one crave controller is to identify where it's coming from. But that doesn't mean that if a big craving comes along, you can't go with it. You can satisfy it. Try these top tactics.

1. Distract It. When you notice a craving setting in, try to find something else to think about. Take a walk, listen to your favorite CD, phone a friend. Just set your mind to something else. If that doesn't work and after 10 to 15 minutes your craving's still kicking, move on.
2. Fake it. Try eating the lowest-fat, lowest-calorie variety of the item you're craving. If you could die for some chocolate, for example (a frequently-craved food, according to studies), opt for nonfat chocolate frozen yogurt instead of chocolate mousse cake. If you're prone to over-doing it, however, don't bring the coveted food into the house, no matter how low-fat or fat-free it is. Instead, go out for your "froyo," and order a single-serving cone or cup.
3. Feed it. If faking it doesn't work for you — say you're still craving something truly decadent, such as premium peanut butter chocolate ice cream — go out and get some. Just order the child-size serving.
4. Dig deeper. If cravings linger, dig deeper to get at the root of them. Have you been too restrictive? If you suspect so, plan it differently, including more variety and more foods you enjoy. Is there something going on in your life that's making you anxious, angry or stressed? If that's the case, face the issue head on. For example, if you're worried about an upcoming meeting at work, do your best to prepare for it. By being proactive and making yourself aware of why you may be craving a certain food, your desire for it may abate.