Food cravings can happen to all of us. Cravings are one of the many ways your body communicates to you, and using mindful eating, we can uncover why you’re experiencing cravings and how you can adjust to give your body what it needs.
The more you understand your cravings and determine where they’re stemming from, the better you’ll be able to care for your body and its needs and the more ease you’ll have with your food choices.
6 Common Causes of Food Cravings
Although they may appear to be random and without rhyme or reason, there are quite a few well-supported causes of cravings.
While each individual may experience them differently, many of the reasons for why we’re experiencing cravings can be explained through science.
1. Inadequate Nutrient Intake
In order for the body to function properly and efficiently, we need to supply it with energy through food. The major food groups that we need to ensure intake of are protein, starchy carbohydrates, non-starchy carbohydrates, and healthy fat.
When consumed in adequate amounts for your body’s individual needs, you should feel satiated and energized. Yet when some of these items are lacking in the diet, it’s not uncommon for you to experience intense cravings in response.
For example, if you’re maintaining a diet that is consistently low in starchy carbohydrates, you may experience intense cravings for refined sugars and potent sources of carbohydrates. This is your body’s way of telling you that you are not consuming enough starchy carbohydrates.
2. You’re Stressed, Sad or Anxious
Feelings of stress, anxiety and sadness often result in cravings.
When we’re feeling particularly stressed, our body releases a hormone called cortisol that can lead to an increased appetite and therefore cravings as well.
Additionally, research has shown that those with chronic stress often experience cravings due to increased motivation for rewarding substances and behaviors (1).
Stress eating and emotional eating are well-known phenomenons, and cravings play a big role in each of them. Many studies have shown that in the increase of emotional and even physical stress can lead to an increased intake of foods high in fat and sugar (2).
3. Food Rules Can Cause Cravings
When we restrict ourselves from certain food items, it’s human nature to want and crave them even more.
If you’ve ever decided to remove a certain food group or abide by a strict diet, this sensation should feel familiar to you. When you tell yourself that you can have something, then you’re presented with said food item or group, cravings will generally ensue.
The craving is brought on by having a mental list of foods to avoid, so this may be your only opportunity to have it.
We call this the lack mentality, which causes you to want to overindulge in that food and experience a heightened craving for it because you don’t know when you’ll be able to have it again since you’ve labeled it “off-limits”, rather than being able to enjoy a serving whenever you please and be fully satisfied.
4. Dehydration
When we’re dehydrated, the body will do whatever it can to increase fluid intake. While thirst is one sensation that leads to this, food cravings are another.
Sometimes it can simply be difficult to differentiate between the two sensations. Cravings as a result of dehydration are general experienced through non-selective hunger, where instead of craving one item in particular, we instead have an extreme craving for food in general.
While non-selective hunger is often a result of real hunger and low blood sugar, it can be a result of dehydration as well.
5. Lack of Sleep
A good night’s sleep allows the body to replenish, reenergize and recuperate for the following day. One poor night of sleep won’t do much harm, but a perpetual lack of sleep can start to wreak havoc on the body.
When sleep-deprived, the hunger and satiety hormones ghrelin and leptin can get out of whack (3). This can result in excessive cravings, hunger cues and an increased appetite over time.
6. Old Habits
Are there certain places that remind of you particular food items?
We have external and internal cues that remind us of habits we have pertaining to food. For example, have you ever walked into a movie theatre and automatically craved popcorn?
This is a food craving that occurs as a result of a habit. In this scenario, you probably made it a habit of always getting popcorn at the movie theatre, therefore the movie theatre became an external cue for your popcorn craving.
How to Manage Your Food Cravings
Once you’ve identified that you’re experiencing unwanted food cravings, it’s time to put some new habits and practices in place to help manage them.
1. Uncover Why You’re Experiencing Food Cravings
Reading the above-mentioned list is a great start, but how do you really know which ones really apply to you?
Start with a reflective food journal. It shouldn’t be rigid, strict or constant. Instead, simply record the times when you’re experiencing cravings, and the details surrounding them. You can find a reflective food journal prompt in my free guide for creating healthy eating habits!
For example, how have you been sleeping lately? Have you had any water? How have you been feeling emotionally? Have there been any major stressors in your life?
Use a lens of curiosity to dive into your day-to-day habits and pinpoint any possible causes for your cravings.
2. Take A Look At Your Nutrient Intake
Take a look at your typical meals, is anything missing?
You can use our Foundational Five format to help with this. Make sure you have a combination of protein, healthy fat, starchy carbohydrates, non-starchy carbohydrates and flavor in each and every one of your meals. This helps give your body everything it needs to feel its best.
If you aren’t eating the Foundational Five at most meals, cravings maybe your body’s way of telling you it’s missing the nutrients it needs.
3. Practice Stress Management
Stress is a part of each and every one of our lives. While a bit of stress here and there can actually be healthy, chronic or perpetual stress is something we want to get under control.
Stress management looks different for everyone — whether it’s a daily walk in nature, evening journaling, an exercise class or even meditation, practicing stress management can help to significantly reduce unwanted food cravings.
4. Develop A Healthy Relationship With Food
A healthy relationship with food is one that is unique to you and your needs. One that nourishes, energizes and supports you and your life.
Removing and restricting food items from your diet can not only lead to extreme food cravings, but also unhealthy, unsustainable relationships with food.
Having a healthy and balanced approach to food helps you nourish yourself well and create long-term healthy eating habits.
5. Hydrate And Sleep
We’re taking it back to basics with this one!
As far as water goes, a good rule of thumb to start with is to ensure you’re getting about half of your body weight in fluid ounces of water daily. Individual needs will vary depending upon specific disease states, activity levels and more.
In regards to sleep, it’s generally recommended that adults aim for anywhere from 6-9 hours per night.
Maintaining healthy hydration and sleep schedule will keep your hormones in line and prevent any unnecessary spikes in cravings.
6. Identify Your Habits And External Cues
Identifying your eating habits and external cues for certain cravings is the first step to diminishing them. Once you know when they usually occur, you can properly prepare.
For example, if you know you almost always get an extreme craving for popcorn at the movie theatre, going into the situation prepared with knowledge already sets you up for success. In addition, if you prepare in advance by having a well-balanced meal before getting to the theatre, the chances of your craving taking control are much slimmer.
Navigating Food Cravings in Your Daily Life
Now that you know a few of the common causes of food cravings and a few tools you can start using right away, which practice is resonating the most with you that you could give a try this week?
The key is to start taking a small action with the knowledge you have just gained to align with what you want to be experiencing.