We all want to eat healthily, especially as we reset our health goals at the start of a new year. But sometimes these plans are sabotaged by powerful cravings for sweet, salty or carb-heavy foods.
So why do you crave these foods when you’re trying to improve your diet or lose weight? And what can you do about it?
There are many reasons for craving specific foods, but let’s focus on four common ones:
1. Blood sugar crashes
Sugar is a key energy source for all animals, and its taste is one of the most basic sensory experiences. Even without specific sweet taste receptors on the tongue, a strong preference for sugar can develop, indicating a mechanism beyond taste alone.
Neurons responding to sugar are activated when sugar is delivered to the gut. This can increase appetite and make you want to consume more. Giving into cravings also drives an appetite for more sugar.
In the long term, research suggests a high-sugar diet can affect mood, digestion and inflammation in the gut.
While there’s a lot of variation between individuals, regularly eating sugary and high-carb foods can lead to rapid spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels. When your blood sugar drops, your body can respond by craving quick sources of energy, often in the form of sugar and carbs because these deliver the fastest, most easily accessible form of energy.
2. Drops in dopamine and serotonin
Certain neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, are involved in the reward and pleasure centers of the brain. Eating sugary and carb-rich foods can trigger the release of dopamine, creating a pleasurable experience and reinforcing the craving.
Serotonin, the feel-good hormone, suppresses appetite. Natural changes in serotonin can influence daily fluctuations in mood, energy levels and attention. It’s also associated with eating more carb-rich snacks in the afternoon.
Low carb diets may reduce serotonin and lower mood. However, a recent systematic review suggests little association between these diets and risk for anxiety and depression.
Compared to men, women tend to crave more carb rich foods. Feeling irritable, tired, depressed or experiencing carb cravings are part of premenstrual symptoms and could be linked to reduced serotonin levels.
3. Loss of fluids and drops in blood sugar and salt
Sometimes our bodies crave the things they’re missing, such as hydration or even salt. A low-carb diet, for example, depletes insulin levels, decreasing sodium and water retention.
Very low-carb diets, like ketogenic diets, induce “ketosis”, a metabolic state where the body switches to using fat as its primary energy source, moving away from the usual dependence on carbohydrates.
Ketosis is often associated with increased urine production, further contributing to potential fluid loss, electrolyte imbalances and salt cravings.
4. High levels of stress or emotional turmoil
Stress, boredom and emotional turmoil can lead to cravings for comfort foods. This is because stress-related hormones can impact our appetite, satiety (feeling full) and food preferences.
The stress hormone cortisol, in particular, can drive cravings for sweet comfort foods.
A 2001 study of 59 premenopausal women subjected to stress revealed that the stress led to higher calorie consumption.
A more recent study found chronic stress, when paired with high-calorie diet, increases food intake and a preference for sweet foods. This shows the importance of a healthy diet during stress to prevent weight gain.
What can you do about cravings?
Here are four tips to curb cravings:
1) Don’t cut out whole food groups. Aim for a well-balanced diet and make sure you include:
-- Sufficient protein in your meals to help you feel full and reduce the urge to snack on sugary and carb-rich foods. Older adults should aim for 20–40 grams protein per meal with a particular focus on breakfast and lunch and an overall daily protein intake of at least 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight for muscle health
-- Fiber-rich foods, such as vegetables and whole grains. These make you feel full and stabilize your blood sugar levels. Examples include broccoli, quinoa, brown rice, oats, beans, lentils and bran cereals. Substitute refined carbs high in sugar like processed snack bars, soft drink or baked goods for more complex ones like whole grain bread or wholewheat muffins, or nut and seed bars or energy bites made with chia seeds and oats.
2) Manage your stress levels. Practise stress-reduction techniques like meditation, deep breathing, or yoga to manage emotional triggers for cravings. Practising mindful eating, by eating slowly and tuning into bodily sensations, can also reduce daily calorie intake and curb cravings and stress-driven eating
3) Get enough sleep. Aim for seven to eight hours of quality sleep per night, with a minimum of seven hours. Lack of sleep can disrupt hormones that regulate hunger and cravings
4) Control your portions. If you decide to indulge in a treat, control your portion size to avoid overindulging.
Overcoming cravings for sugar, salt and carbs when trying to eat healthily or lose weight is undoubtedly a formidable challenge. Remember, it’s a journey, and setbacks may occur. Be patient with yourself – your success is not defined by occasional cravings but by your ability to manage and overcome them.
Hayley O'Neill is an assistant professor, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Australia.
The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.
© The Conversation
84 Comments
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falseflagsteve
These things are common sense. If you ate too many things like cakes and doughnuts which are heavily promoted in this site you will suffer the consequences.
A healthy lifestyle is required to be well, not crash diets, which people rinse and repeat which are most likely to lead to failure.
Be sensible, don’t go potty and try and lose 5kg in a week or something daft like that.
Mr Kipling
Cakes are exceedingly healthy products. They often contain all three essential nutrients, sugar, fat and chocolate. Moderation is the key, throwing in some exercise for good measure.
falseflagsteve
Kipling
I disagree they are exceedingly unhealthy especially with the way people eat these days.
I do from memory have find memories of Kipling products from my youth. When we went to visit Aunty Mildred she always had Kiplings Manor House cake on the table which we enjoyed with tea from a tea pot adorning a tea cosy she knitted with Alf Garnetts face on it. Happy times, never to be forgotten.
Chuck
Kipling was very obviously being facetious.
falseflagsteve
Chuck
Of course I realised that my dear fellow.
Desert Tortoise
Aren't the four food groups sodium, sugar, alcohol and cholesterol ?
virusrex
The article is not discussing that bad diet are bad, but why it is so difficult for most people to stick with a healthy diet, that is a very different kind of discussion. It also includes recommendations that can make it less difficult.
Research have shown that sensible diets are still prone to fail, it does not have to be a crash diet, this is again because of the many processes discusses in the article that make it much more easy to fail in following the lifestyle changes. Most people trying a diet will fail in keeping it after a couple of years.
For some people this inevitable failure makes it justified to use pharmacological help, it increases considerably the success rate in following the diet and therefore lowers the overall risk for their health, that is the whole point of using these drugs, they don't replace diet and excercise, they simply make it much easier to stick with the changes and live in a much more healthier way.
kurisupisu
Its easy to avoid sugar in the diet.
virusrex
For some people is it not thanks to the four reasons described in the article. Many people simply don't have the capacity to relate to what other people find easy or difficult.
wallace
I don't add sugar to my cakes.
Gene Hennigh
A little sugar here, a little salt there, a few carbs now and then and the cravings will be gone. The body will tell you what it needs when it becomes too low of something. All these bad, horrible, death-dealing foods are also things the body needs to work properly. When the body needs sugar people usually overdo it. Eat a cookie and wait. The craving will be gone. The same with salt and carbs. Don't bash in a lot but only a little and wait. Ta da!
Elvis is here
This cannot be overstressed enough. Any 栄養士 worth their salt will tell you this.
Many vegetarians I know seem to eat non-stop through out the day and it is probably because they do not consume enough protein at meals.
wallace
I avoid snacks. Just the three meals a day.
Strangerland
Also cause they can. It's pretty hard to eat yourself fat off fruits and veggies.
Elvis is here
It is not that hard at all. Fruit is very sugary for starters. And eating too much of anything after a certain time can interfere with your metabolism. Eating the correct amount of protein stops overeating.
Most of the vegetarians I know seem to be overweight (but that ain't my business)
Strangerland
But the fiber fills you up first. And fiber balances blood sugars. It's one of the reasons they recommend diabetics eat lots of fruits.
So does fiber.
None of the vegetarians I know are.
wallace
In another post about Ella Mills and her vegetarian cookbook, you were full of praise for vegetarianism.
Elvis is here
Protein takes longer to digest than other types of nutrients, so it can keep you satisfied for longer. This can potentially help you stave off snacking. In research, eating a higher protein diet over longer periods of time has been linked to eating less and weighing less.
Vegetarians need to consume pulses as they're a low-fat source of protein. Nuts and seeds are also a source of protein and other nutrients. They can help aid weight loss goals but this only applies if you consume a moderate amount. Eat more than the recommended handful, and you will start to gain weight.
Vegetarians need to eat a variety of different sources of protein to get the right mixture of amino acids, which are used to build and repair the body's cells and to keep you at a healthy weight.
wallace
I don't know any overweight vegetarians or vegans. Quite the opposite. Exclusion of animal protein does not cause overweight. It is replaced by others. There are many good vegetarian proteins. Any 栄養士 worth their salt will tell you this.
Strangerland
To be fair, it is possible to be a vegetarian, and still eat garbage and be fat. But that is not the diet I was discussing with this comment:
Just because one is a vegetarian, does not mean they are eating lots of fruits and veggies.
bass4funk
Personally, in the mornings, I do have a high carb and more sweet intake in the mornings
Personally, for me, it doesn’t, but I do have a heavy protein diet, since I work out every single day
Now being from California, I know a lot of vegetarians and vegans, and I’m not impressed, they can eat whatever they want, and I’m not about to tell anyone how to eat, or what they should eat, that’s for everyone else to decide, live, and live, but everyone that I’ve worked out with or spared with just couldn’t go the full distance. When I’m done working out, my last two meals are mostly vegetables in origin, for snacks, I’ll indulge in some chips or even an ice cream, And then I do my last cardio.
Strangerland
High fiber and high protein diets: https://classpass.com/blog/high-fiber-vs-high-protein-diet/
wallace
Whole grains and high fibers last longer and keep the hunger away until the next meal.
wallace
We probably eat tofu daily mostly the baked type. The silken tofu is good.
Tofu 豆腐 is good for my 痛風 Tsūfū
Hawk
Burning Bush,
I'd believed the idea that tofu contained a lot of estrogen, as addressed in the article, and had limited my intake somewhat. I'm glad to read that's not really an issue and will add it to my protein sources. Thanks for the link.
Hawk
*The article that you linked to, that is.
wallace
Do people do that?
Not good.
We occasionally eat a small piece of cake for dessert at the end of a meal. The last one was a steamed chocolate pudding without adding additional sugar.
wallace
We eat a well-balanced diet made from fresh produce. Oily fish at least 3-4 times a week. Fresh fruit and vegetables many grown locally organicially. Meat is only 10% of our diet.
wallace
Burning Bush
I might use a hotcake mixture 2 or 3 times a year. Not something I need to worry about. I was wondering do you think you could make hotcake pancakes on the side of a hot tank like you did with rice in a tin?
Strangerland
I just looked back, and judging by the minus votes I got from talking about fiber, there are some people in here who detest fruits and veggies!
Bad Haircut
I'm not so sure whether we crave fat, there's a lot of research out there on the addictive qualities of sugar and refined carbs, especially fructose. A few years ago I went off sugar cold turkey, and it was what I've heard quitting ciggies and drugs must be like. Maddening cravings, headaches and general crankiness that were intense for the first few days then tapering off over another couple of weeks.
During that time the weight fell off, bringing me down to a svelte 80kg from 92kg on a 6' frame. Lots of other benefits too, like improved sleeping and concentration, clearer skin, and more consistent energy.
I fell off the wagon a bit and put 3kg back on, but don't eat nearly as much sugary stuff as I used to before quitting sugar, and like Elvis, like a good serving of protein such as beef, pork, chicken or smoked salmon. That keeps the snacking at bay. I've cut right back on the rice and bread too. Whatever, it seems to be working and the twice-yearly comprehensive blood tests show all the levels well within the healthy range.
Bad Haircut
Well, that's a surprise.
Elvis is here
Indeed. It is the most effective thing to do as stated in the article.
Raw Beer
The usual dependence on carbohydrates if you follow a standard diet. But there is no need to ever depend on dietary carbs.
People crave sugar and other carbs because they are addicted, just like heroin addicts crave heroin. Better to avoid them all.
Strangerland
The body needs both sugar and carbs. It is unhealthy to entirely eliminate both.
A healthy diet is balanced.
Bad Haircut
Yep, and I find most protein is very affordable in Japan as long as you don't go for the high-grade beef, or smoked salmon - something I can't get enough of.
bass4funk
Depends on what you’re looking for, there is NO best diet, I’m a big guy, I need the muscle mass, so for me my diet works best, never had a problem, I eat what a want (meaning the unhealthy stuff is limited) and never had a problem, I can always take my shirt off, just depends what works best for you.
wallace
The articles mention nothing about age and physical activity levels. I eat less now than when I was younger. When I was doing high physical work like engineering and construction I needed more food intake.
Elvis is here
Yes. That is a fact:
The Eatwell Guide
The Eatwell Guide shows how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group to achieve a healthy, balanced diet.
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-guidelines-and-food-labels/the-eatwell-guide/
Strangerland
Just sayin
jackandjill
I eat the traditional Japanese diet. Sometimes meatless one or two days each week.
Raw Beer
No. There is absolutely no requirement for any carbs. Not even one gram.
It is not unhealthy to cut them out completely.
If one cuts them out completely after following a "standard" diet, there is an adaptation phase. But after a couple of weeks, you only get benefits by avoiding them.
Strangerland
Ok, I believe everything I read on the internet. Clearly you know what you're talking about.
Bad Haircut
Taking comments out of context and downvoting them is what makes JT great.
I've read in many places that fiber helps to modulate sugar absorption in the gut, which is why whole fruit is infinitely better than just fruit juice.
Strangerland
Yes. The sugars are bonded to the fiber, which means they don't pack the same punch as when they are unbound from fiber, like in smoothies and juices. Smoothies and juices are best avoided, as they often are very sweet on their own, and many times have added sugar on top.
Quo Primum
Because they taste good, would be my guess.
Raw Beer
Yes, I do, I follow the scientific literature, not industry sponsored groups.
Why do you think we need carbs?
bass4funk
You do what you think is best for your body, for me, a high protein diet, and high carb works, my waistline hasn't changed in over 25 years, so I belive in consistency. But one thing I will never be is fat. That's just not going to happen.
virusrex
What? that not everybody is the same so some will have higher difficulty for things you can take for granted? or that medical science have found ways to help people to lower their risk of chronic pathologies?
Neither seem to be out of the ordinary and apply to many other things, it would be as surprising as finding out some people have much more troubles with pollen but can get relief with medicines.
To have a healthy diet? yes, it requires balance and proper management of all nutrients without anything being inherently bad for your health.
Which institution of medical science (nutrition, chronic diseases, endocrinology, etc) support this claim you make? they are the experts in following scientific literature in their fields.
Elvis is here
In Japan, to eat balanced all one needs to do is follow the principle of 一汁三菜
https://daigojapanesefood.com/ichiju-sansai-japanese-balanced-meal/
starpunk
We crave these things because our bodies need them, some of us more than others.
However, just like anything - moderation is the key.
We have modern science now and people get certified to practice it. Go to the experts for advice.
Stay away from these 'fad' and phony diets like the 'South Beach Diet' of 20 years ago. Don't even pick up that quack book marked down to $1 in your supermarket.
On top that, don't pick up or read that 'marked-down-to-a-dollar' paperback of Sarah Palin's 'Faith, Flag, Family' either in the same bin; even if it signed. Those pulp books are what rubbish recyclers are made for.
Go to those who know.
Raw Beer
Avoiding carbs does not prevent you from getting the nutrients you need. And our bodies make all the glucose we need, via gluconeogenesis.
Oh, you mean institutions of medicine that profit from selling meds and/or receive funding from pharma and food corporations?
There are plenty of top notch scientists and doctors who support these views.
jackandjill
The traditional Japanese diet is a healthy one with very low levels of obesity and long lives.
While we argue about the correct diet billions of people go to sleep every night with half-empty stomachs.
People in Gaza are struggling to stay alive.
ian
What?
Eating healthily should include those in a balanced diet
ian
And sugars are carbs
virusrex
Yes it does because carbohydrates are part of the nutrients you need.
Not it does not, at least for a healthy diet, this is why you could not find any institution that could support this claim you make.
No, just one that is respected in its field for producing research of good quality that advance our knowledge about nutrition. Obviously you can't pretend every single hospital, university, research institute, etc. of the whole world is lying to the people for profit, that would be insane.
The ones you have brought defend seriously wrong opinions that can be easily demonstrated false with scientific data, not to mention that they also profit handsomely from what they claim, even if they can't support those claims either.
jackandjill
More than 1 billion people in the world are obese.
bass4funk
I think anything is OK just as long as it’s done in moderation, I do what I want, and I’ve never paid attention to what anyone says, with a little bit of common sense, and understanding, and knowing a little bit about nutrition, you will find out what you need and what you don’t need, I never listen to all the other people that blab all day about what you should intake into your body, I’ve never had any problems and I don’t live my life as if I have Joe Wieder, looking down my neck all the time, I just eat what I like, I invest in a lot of oats, that makes 10% of my diet and fruit makes up about 20% of my diet , vegetables, varies, and the rest, proteins and carbs, do whatever works for you.
Redtail Swift
Eat whatever you want and as much as you want! Too many of us refuse to accept our mortality. You are trying to live forever and ( SPOILER ALERT ) it ain't going to happen. It's better to live a wonderful 60 years than to sacrifice everything so you burden your kin with extra responsibility to care for you.
A human who lived 100 years had more quantity than quality.
So order that pizza, snag those tacos, and spoon into your favorite bin of ice cream. Life is short!
ian
Perfectly ok to do that.
But if too much certainly one way to make life short
Raw Beer
No. There is no requirement for dietary carbs. Not even one gram.
Yes it does. In fact, those who eat too much protein end up getting an insulin spike because their body produces too much glucose.
That is true for those who believe eating healthy means eating stuff that's not enjoyable. They sacrifice the enjoyment of food for a false promise of health and longevity. But the diet I follow, which I believe is healthy, is actually very enjoyable (rib eyes and other fatty meats); I don't feel like I am sacrificing anything, and I feel much better physically and mentally than when I followed a standard diet.
virusrex
Again, you making a claim do not make it so, an appeal to authority from an anonymous account has not value, you still need recognized institutions that support that claim.
If you are unable to find even one in the whole world, that would indicate your personal claim is not correct at all, it is not believable that all the institutions of the world are wrong just because you think differently.
Yet another claim based on your supposed personal authority and that runs contrary to what the experts around the world say is healthy for people. No support means this is not a valid claim.
ian
Good for you if you're able to convince yourself that you're not sacrificing anything by following your diet.
I myself don't follow any diet hope yours works for you well
ian
Lol what r u guys talking about?
Anyway best diet is a balanced diet, you don't miss anything
And no need to go out of your way to find things on your can eat list
ian
Unless of course there's anyone who'll argue it's not healthy
jackandjill
Poverty dictates the diet of billions of people.
gcFd1
There is no such research.
A diet doesn't fail. What, the food proportions double in their sugar or fat content suddenly when you eat it?
bass4funk
Exactly.
Yuuju
This article is good. Everything mentioned I can testify to)
also its not only accute stress that can lead to eating more of these but CPTSD and mitochondrial dysfunction and insuline resistance.
falseflagsteve
Three main problems these days, too large portions, too much processed high sugar foods and a lack of exercise.
A lot of the problem was caused by the FDA who made a ridiculous food pyramid, encouraging increased carbs and cutting don on protein and fats. Pressure was applied by corporations of course.
TaiwanIsNotChina
They are not going to make a food pyramid around the keto diet as that requires discipline that not everybody may have.
Strangerland
These are both true. The exercise one in particular - even eating too much sugar will be offset a good bit by regular exercise.
Very true. The keto diet is not a balanced diet.
falseflagsteve
Taiwan
I'm not encouraging any kind of diet, a healthy lifestyle and diet only. It may take some effort for some, learning cooking from from scratch with whole ingredients. Its much healthier than buying packet stuff and saves some money too, which is always welcome.
virusrex
Ignoring research do not make it disappear, it only means you have no knowledge about it and that is why you are wrong.
https://health.osu.edu/wellness/exercise-and-nutrition/that-diet-probably-did-not-work
Do you have any evidence that contradicts this valid expert's opinion? this is precisely the research that proves the claim.
Yes it does when it can't reasonably produce the effect for which it is used, which is a permanent change that will decrease the risk for a patient.
Wick's pencil
How so?
Raw Beer
Nothing wrong with keto. It's low in something that we have no requirement for; i.e. carbs...
TaiwanIsNotChina
And as soon as you fail to maintain an absolutely tiny amount of carbs, you explode with heart disease. That is why it is risky.
virusrex
This is well described in many sources, the diet is not healthy, increases risks and it is not specially effective even on the medium term, much less on the long term.
https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2023/keto-its-probably-not-right-for-you/
https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7527843/why-the-keto-diet-for-weight-loss-is-basically-the-worst/
A lot wrong actually according to the experts, your claims on the other hand are not supported by any respected institution of health, which clearly speaks about their lack of evidence.
Raw Beer
But the 2 sources you provided are awful. Did you read them? They don't seem to know what they are talking about.
Au contraire mon cher, among the causes of heart disease that we are allowed to talk about, carbs is way up there and going keto isn't one of them.
Our bodies make all the glucose we need, via gluconeogenesis. You don't lack any essential nutrients on keto; you can still eat veggies as long as they are not starchy ones.
zibala
The experts say differently. Can you provide a reliable source where experts are state "A lot wrong actually"? No? So let's see what the actual experts say:
Research shows that a keto diet can result in weight loss and improvements in cardiovascular risk factors.
Ok, we see another personal claim coming up below:
The experts contradict your layman's opinion:
*The long-term health *risks are unknown.
https://diet.mayoclinic.org/us/blog/2022/how-to-make-the-keto-diet-healthy/
Neither is anyone else discussing that.
virusrex
The sources come from professionals in the field that can show the evidence, which is much more than what you have provided, just because they contradict what you personally believe that does not mean they don't know what they are talking about, specially since you have been repeatedly unable to support your own personal opinion with any institution official communication. Even limited evidence is much better than no evidence.
The references already posted prove the diet is a factor that increase the risk for cardiac problems and death, pretending not being able to read them does nothing to refute them.
Still not a healthy approach since it comes only with elevation of risk factors, this is why no respected institution recommends the diet and instead is considered risky and unbalanced.
The references provided contradict you, you have not provided any references where the experts disagree with this.
Your own reference depends completely on modifying the diet to make it less unhealthy, and clearly mentions better options. Not to mention, it never refutes the fact that most people following it will revert to their original weight or even more in a couple of years.
How do the reference contradict the fact that the diet is described as unhealthy in many different sources? that makes no sense.
Quoted from your own source, that you now consider valid
Recent research (already provided) already prove the risks that come from the diet, going back to an article of 2 years ago because you don't like the current understanding is not a valid argument.
The quoted text this is replying to do exactly that.