The Science Behind the Cravings

It’s been found that a baby’s taste preferences are established while they are in the womb, and the mother’s diet can have a direct impact on the foods that the child wants to eat.  If the mother eats a lot of foods that are high in salt, fat, and sugar, it’s highly likely that baby will have the same preferences when it comes to food.

The combination of salt, fat, and sugar in junk food creates a response within the reward center of the brain, and this brain response is what keeps you coming back for more.  Food manufacturers understand this phenomenon, and they actually develop food in such a way that makes you addicted, so that you’ll continuously purchasing their products.

There are physiological reactions that occur within your body to make you want to crave junk food as well.  For a long time, our ancestors lived in an environment where it was feast or famine, and when food was available the instinct was to eat as much as possible.  Those primal responses still lie within each of us, even though there is plenty of food to eat.

Nutritional deficiencies can also have a direct impact on your cravings.  Keep in mind that most standard American diet is high in calories but low in nutrients.  Low nutrient levels can cause an endless feeling of being dissatisfied not matter how much you eat.  There are certain nutrients that you body requires for optimal health and without it, you’re setting yourself up for a lifetime of health problems and junK food cravings.

Additionally, many people have deep emotional ties with certain types of foods, based on the memories that they associate with those foods.  You’ve probably heard the term comfort foods.  These are foods that provide you with feelings of warmth and comfort… all of which make you crave them from an emotional stand point.

How to Overcome Junk Food Cravings

Here are a few simple steps that you can utilize in order to overcome junk food cravings:

• Get rid of processed foods and eat whole foods instead.  When you eat mostly real whole foods, you’re building up the nutrient stores within your body.  And by increasing the amount of nutrients that you consume, you can effectively reduce cravings by providing your body with the essential vitamins and minerals that are needed.

• Use intermittent fasting to get rid of sugar cravings.  It’s been found that sugar stimulates the brain in the same way as certain drugs, and so .you’ll go through withdrawals as you’re trying to wean off sugar… crazy I know!  Which explains why so many people have such a hard time cutting your sugar from their diet.  So much like kicking a drug habit, it’s much more effective to go cold turkey and avoid sugar completely, instead of gradually reducing sugar.  And on effective way to help you do that is through intermittent fasting.  Since you’re not eating anything at all for a period of time it’s a great way to kick-start your sugar cleanse.  There are many different methods of intermittent fasting, but the one I personally like is daily fasting.  Essentially you limit your eating hours to 6 - 8 hours a day, which helps your body to use up glycogen stores and burn fat, instead of constantly having to work through the sugars that you are eating.

• Face the emotional issues that are tied with food.  If you find yourself reaching for food every time you’re bored, stressed, sad, or angry, then you have a strong emotional connection to food.  In such a case it’s best to eliminate food from the equation and allow yourself to experience those emotions without food.  You may want to talk to a therapist, write in a journal, or use meditation to help you work through these emotions that are associated with your cravings.  Taking control of those emotions can greatly help you to take control of your cravings.

Now I know it’s much easier said than done to give up junk food, but keep in mind it will get easier with time. The key is to stay consistent with your efforts so that your body can detox from the sugar and salt addiction that you’re dealing with.  Once you have broken these addictions, make sure that you consistently stay strong with your food choices, in order to avoid slipping back into those bad habits again.

Another helpful tip is to exercise when your get an emotional craving.  When you’re moving your body you don’t think about food.  If you get a hankering for a snack at work, go for a short power walk or jog up a few flight of stairs to get your heart rate up.  Doing a short quick burst of activity that gets your heart rate up will help get rid of your cravings.