Cravings: causes and the best tips

cravings
This is how you get the appetite for snacks under control!

What are cravings?

According to nutritionists, sudden cravings for sweets or salty snacks are like your body’s crying out for nutrients. And these should be fed as soon as possible, which is why such ravenous hunger attacks feel so uncomfortable: You often feel a nagging feeling of hunger, sometimes even nausea. The body basically does what it can so that its needs are not ignored. There are many possible causes of cravings, various diseases come into question, for example.

Why do we so often crave sweets when we are hungry?

No sooner have you decided to give up sweets for the desired bikini figure or simply for health reasons, than the cravings are already there. Because sugar can act like a drug on our body: It drives up the blood sugar level and supplies us with energy for a short time.

The problem: Just as quickly as the blood sugar level rises, it also falls again – and the cravings come right back. This is how a vicious cycle begins, in which we need more and more sugar and quickly digestible carbohydrates – both of which are found in abundance in sweet things like chocolate.

Common causes of cravings

There can be many different reasons why the brain activates the sudden and almost impossible to quench cravings. The causes are often harmless, but there can also be diseases behind them that should be clarified by a doctor. Common causes of cravings include:

force of habit

Humans are creatures of habit. Anyone who, as a child, always got dessert when he finished his plate, often keeps the sweet “reward” after the main meal as an adult. and the body gets used to it. If the chocolate is suddenly gone after eating, the brain believes that it could be suffering from hypoglycaemia and sounds the alarm, which can then express itself as ravenous hunger. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to lose weight.

What the psyche has to do with cravings

The term “nerve food” does not exist for nothing: for many people Reaching for chocolate, gummy bears and the like has a calming and relaxing effect. That explains why we like to reach for these snacks, especially when we are under stress. In the short term, stress is generally not a bad thing and can even inspire us – long-term stress, however, has a negative effect on health and can lead to various diseases.

A depressive mood or depression can also lead to increased cravings. Because the negative emotions that we feel as a result affect the vegetative nervous system and can thus also change our need to eat. The food literally becomes a comforter for the soul and used by those affected to fill the inner emptiness.

The persistent cravings can also be a symptom of more serious mental illnesses such as anorexia or bulimia. That’s why you should Always pay attention if you suffer from food cravings for a long time for psychological reasons and feel like you have to snack all the time. In these cases, please speak to your doctor in confidence.

These tips stop acute cravings

Anyone who is already struggling with the nagging feeling will hardly be able to force themselves to reach for something healthy like nuts. The following tips will help here:

How can I prevent food cravings?

It is best to avoid cravings in the first place. These tips will help:

Why doesn’t feeling full stop cravings?

Actually, one might think that the body’s feeling of satiety should avoid cravings from the outset. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work because the feeling of satiety does not set in until about 15 minutes after eating. By the time the brain gets the corresponding signal, it is often too late in the case of ravenous hunger: Because we have often stuffed a lot of food into ourselves in a very short time and the feeling of satiety comes much too late to slow us down. And as a result, we usually ate a lot more than we actually need.

What sugar has to do with diabetes

Normally, the hormone insulin ensures that dextrose (glucose) is transferred from the blood into the cells, where the sugar molecules are needed for energy production. In type II diabetes, the cells no longer respond as well to insulin – this resistance builds up sugar in the blood. Therefore, most sufferers must supply insulin by injection.

Those who continue to eat high sugar theoretically requires more and more additional insulin and puts a strain on the body. That is why diabetes patients in particular are advised to eat a low-sugar diet.

When should I go to the doctor because of cravings?

If you only occasionally suffer from cravings, for example because you have had an empty stomach for a long time or you have been physically or mentally very strenuous, a medical examination is usually not necessary. In the following cases, however, a medical consultation makes sense:

Are physical or mental illnesses the cause of the cravings, these must be dealt with first. In many cases, symptoms such as cravings, for example, often go away on their own. If there are no pathological causes, you can do a lot yourself to slow down the craving for snacks, especially through a balanced diet and a stress-free everyday life. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation or autogenic training can help against stress.

Reading tips: Are you looking for great recipes? Here we have put together delicious and healthy recipes. We also explain how you can create a nutrition plan and lose weight in a healthy way.

Sources:

Bridget