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Symptoms, Their Causes & Cures: Food Cravings

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Food Cravings

WHEN TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR

* Food cravings dominate your thinking—you become so obsessed that satisfying cravings interferes with your normal lifestyle.

* You think your cravings are a problem.

What Your Symptom Is Telling You

Ever fill up on chocolate chip cookies while watching the late show? Or maybe you've munched through a jumbo bag of potato chips . . . until you ate the whole thing?

Everyone knows what it's like to have such an intense taste for a certain food that it must be satisfied immediately. But overdoing it on a routine basis is something else. In other words, there are food cravings that are annoying little nuisances. And there are food cravings that go beyond the norm and signal that all is not right with mind and body.

Not surprisingly, the most frequently craved foods are high in sugar and fat. "People want these foods not because of any nutritive value, but because they are easy to consume and instantly satisfy their 'needs,' " adds David Levitsky, Ph.D., professor of nutrition and psychology at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. And what might those "needs" be? Sometimes their origin is partly psychological. Possible need-inducing culprits include depression, stress and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). People who have SAD respond to decreased exposure to light during the winter months by becoming irritable and depressed.

While cravings may reflect your state of mind, they can also indicate that your body is experiencing a change worthy of medical attention. For example, people with diabetes often crave carbohydrates, explains Dr. Levitsky. And some nutritional deficiencies, such as a lack of iron, can set up cravings.

Some people are more susceptible to food cravings than others. People who are battling eating disorders are particularly vulnerable, according to Adam Drewnowski, Ph.D., professor and director of the Human Nutrition Program at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor.

And women are much more likely than men to decide they simply have to eat certain foods. Women who experience premenstrual syndrome (PMS) describe irrational tastes for certain foods—predominately chocolate—just before they get their periods. These cravings could be attributed to monthly changes in taste sensitivity, says Robin Kanarek, Ph.D., professor of psychology and physiological psychologist at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

What about pregnancy-induced cravings—like the infamous pickles and ice cream? Because nausea often accompanies the onset of pregnancy, Dr. Levitsky explains, a woman's digestive system will only tolerate certain foods. She's likely to reach for the things she finds particularly soothing or comforting.

Symptom Relief

In most cases food cravings are temporary and will disappear. But if you need to curb regular feeding frenzies, here are some things you should be aware of.

Exercise your options. Cravings can attack when you're bored or depressed, so keep yourself busy. Find a hobby, read a good book or, better yet, exercise. Not only will you keep your mind away from food, but you'll burn unwanted calories! (For other ways of dealing with depression, see page 119.)

Eat regularly and take a multivitamin. Eat well-balanced meals regularly. If you're on a diet, don't let yourself get to the point where you're so hungry you'll eat anything, because you will. Whether you're on a diet or not, a daily multivitamin supplement will help ensure that you get all the vitamins and minerals you need. The B vitamins are especially important in controlling cravings, says Dr. Levitsky.

Chart your PMS flow. Keep track of your cravings for several months to see if any patterns develop, says Dr. Kanarek. Knowing that the real reason you want that chocolate bar is that your period is due in two days may help you understand your cravings.

Be human. Succumbing to an occasional craving means that you're human. Perpetual denial will only put you in a bad mood and will make you eat more in the long run, advises Dr. Levitsky. If your craving for a chocolate sundae is a rare event—go ahead, indulge.

See the light. If you think you're suffering from SAD, your doctor could prescribe light therapy. Controlled exposure to light could chase away the winter feeding doldrums, says Laurie Humphries, M.D., professor of psychiatry at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center in Lexington.

Ask for help. If you think your cravings are out of control, check with your doctor for a professional medical assessment. If there's a history of diabetes or high blood pressure in your family, have your doctor test your blood pressure and glucose levels. Getting these serious conditions under control will help eliminate food cravings.

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