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HEALTH RESOURCES
Stress & Food Cravings
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Sources by Amanda Bach
Stress is certainly a condition
that triggers food cravings but it is also important for you to be aware
that your cravings may be associated with some deficiency in your body too.
A lot has been written by the
medical community about food cravings, but nothing definitive is known
about these "irresistible" urges that some people get for certain foods.
Sometimes emotional addictions are just as serious as physical ones - and can be
even more difficult to overcome. Chocolate and other foods are not
addictive in the sense that alcohol or cigarettes are, but the reactions some
people feel when they "need" these foods are just as real. Painful,
physical withdrawal symptoms do not result if you cut out a food entirely. But
like true addictions, food cravings can be damaging, especially for
people trying to lose weight or control diabetes.
Most cravings do have a
biological basis. That means, your body is telling your brain it needs to eat
whatever it is you are craving. Out-of-control hormones, such as insulin spikes
or estrogen fluctuations cause cravings. For example, many females experience
food cravings just before their menstrual period because their hormones are
peaked at that time. When your body chemistry changes, even cyclically,
so does your desire for certain foods.
It is also true that food
cravings indicate the need to correct some chemical imbalance
 that may be
present in the body - eating pickles or chips, for instance, may make up for a
sodium or salt deficiency. We already know that depressed people will
overdose on sweets because sugar and carbohydrate consumption promotes the
release of serotonin, a "feeling good" brain chemical which produces a sense of
well being.
The best defense against
a food craving is common sense and sometimes, time. Most cravings are a
result of something you have eaten. If you do not react too quickly, the craving
may pass. Sugar cravings are not necessarily associated with sweet things.
Bread, pasta, potato or other starchy carbohydrates will create an insulin rise
and fall causing your body to crave more. Stabilize the carb and sugar
consumption, you will stabilize your desire for sweets. You may also be
mistaking a craving for dehydration or even a B-complex deficiency. The body
will crave more carbs thinking that more starchy food will provide it with the
B-complex vitamins it craves.
It is important that you
recognize your craving for what it is and address it. You are most likely
fighting a physical need in your body, it's not just your imagination.
If you need to wean yourself off sugars or starches, start slowly. Fill
up on proteins, fruits and vegetables at mealtimes so you are not hungry for
starches. Take a multi-vitamin. Have low fat, low calorie replacements for
dessert items readily available too. Nobody thinks a 30-calorie fudge
pop is going to replace a big bowl of Haagen Dazs...but it is certainly better
than not having ice cream at all if that is what you are craving. Don't
have items you don't want to eat handy either. You cannot eat what is
unavailable.
If cravings persist, make
a food diary so you can begin to recognize exactly what may be triggering them.
Note any kind of unusual activity you may partake in also. As you learn more
about yourself and what makes you act as you do, you will be better equipped to
tackle urges that you would rather avoid. Change is good. Don't let
stress overwhelm you. Take control.
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