Food Cravings: It’s Not Just All In Your Mind!

It can be difficult to tell the difference between a psychological food craving and a physiological one. To tell the difference, you need to pay attention so that you can determine whether you are feeling actual hunger in your stomach. It's important to tune into the body to distinguish whether your craving is physiological or psychological. Pay attention so that you can determine whether you are feeling actual hunger in your stomach; or if you are simply tired, emotional, or bored? Genuine hunger involves some movement in the stomach, and sometimes noise (a.k.a. stomach “growling”).

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Physiological cravings may also be a result of low fat intake or low blood sugar. For many of us, the mid-afternoon cravings we feel are merely our body's way of telling us it has been too long since lunch and we actually need to eat. Low GI foods such as fruit and vegetables and whole grains are more likely to produce a long lasting effect on mood and energy levels than high GI foods (e.g. sweets - the usual subjects of cravings) A piece of fruit, yogurt, or a handful of nuts can get the blood sugar levels back up and keep us from reaching for sugary snacks.

If you think your cravings might be your body’s attempt at boosting serotonin, then it may pay to try to boost your serotonin levels without resorting to bingeing on sweets. Forget sitting in front of the tv with a massive tub of ice cream and a spoon to try to cheer yourself up. Exercise will work just as well as a mood booster, as will ensuring you get 1 to 2 hours exposure to bright light (ideally sunlight) per day. A good reason to get the dog out for a long walk every morning before work!!

If you would like to look further into mindful eating to manage cravings I can recommend the following excellent book: The Weight Escape: How to Stop Dieting and Start Living by Ann Bailey M Psych (Author), Joseph Ciarrochi (Author), Russ Harris (Author). https://link.amazon/B0bA12f6l