We know that a sugary cookie is unlikely to be what our body really needs, but our cravings shouldn’t simply be dismissed as a test of our willpower
Words: Alice Salter
We all experience cravings from time to time – maybe it’s carbs as we step through the front door after work, sweets or chocolate when we’ve had a tiring or stressful day. Whatever it is we crave, this is our body sending us a signal that we are in need, though this signal is rarely as straightforward as a ‘need’ for the foods we crave.
Cravings are complex, confirms nutritional therapist Kristy Coleman: “It isn’t as simple as craving chocolate meaning you are deficient in magnesium, but they are broadly driven by two mechanisms. There is the psychological, which ranges from restrictions we place upon ourselves and our diets to advertising exposure; and the physical, including mineral deficiencies, sleep quality, diet and hormonal changes.
“There’s a lot of research emerging about what drives certain cravings but this really varies from individual to individual and the impact of psychological factors should not be overlooked. For example, you may find yourself craving a bar of milk chocolate and this could be for a variety of reasons, from depriving yourself of sweet foods, lack of sleep driving a craving for quick release energy, sheer comfort, or simply because you saw a couple of adverts on the way to work.”
Kristy also points out that we all have different responses to different foods, so our craving drivers won’t necessarily be the same as someone else’s. Rachel Mansfield, recipe developer and author of Just the Good Stuff: 100+ Guilt-Free Recipes to Satisfy All Your Cravings agrees. “We all have our ups and downs around food,” she says. For Rachel this was “a realisation that felt so comforting once I understood it. We’re not alone and we all struggle from time to time.” In fact, many of us share common experiences which are known to prompt food cravings.
Sleep, in particular, has a significant influence on appetite, with research showing that we might eat up to 400 extra calories per day when we are sleep deprived. In this state, we’re also more likely to crave foods which provide quick release energy – cue an insatiable appetite for simple carbohydrates. “If you’re jumping out of bed to make a 6am spin class but are tired come the afternoon and reaching for something sweet to pick you up, you might want to think about how much sleep you are getting,” says Kristy.
