“Can’t stop once you pop” (and may I add gulp) is exactly the kind of thinking we have to battle if we want to manage food cravings while on diet. Curiously if you give the line a second thought, slower this time, it also poses a warning. It warns you not to taste it or else you’ll end up eating it ad libitum. If you’re on a diet I suggest you restate that line into – Don’t pop, so there’s nothing to stop.
Ironically however it is observed that food cravings seem to magnify while we are on a diet. The more we suppress our cravings the more our mouth waters for food we wish to limit our intake like chocolate, ice cream, cake, sweets, potato chips or drinks like soda or cola. Worse, we end up gulping more than our normal intake until one day we wake up feeling heavier than before. After a quick step on a weighing scale our suspicion is confirmed and that’s when we declare our diet plan is not working – again.
For this reason, I think it is best we should first understand food cravings before we attempt to manage it. Equally important is we should know which diet plan and popular diet concept work. Does artificial sweeteners reduce craving for sugar? Does going “diet” or “light” helpful? Does chewing a gum really suppress our appetite? Does exercise curb food craving? Or do exercises make us hungrier? Read on and find researched-based answers to these queries.
Food Craving: Its Psychology
The psychology of food craving, a research by Hill A.J. in (year) tried to explain our tendency to crave more for food while on diet. Through prospective and experimental research, the study validated the general observation on dieting and craving. Trying to diet or to restrain oneself from eating a particular food or taking a particular drink is associated with increased cravings for that “unavailable” food or drink. This behavior is a result of a complex mix of underlying cognitive, conditioning, and emotional processes most notable of which are ironic cognitive processes, conditioned cue reactivity and dysphoric mood. In simple terms, too much conscious effort to suppress an unwanted thought (food craving), exposure to the cue (unwanted food), and the general feeling of unhappiness (for restrained eating) intensify food craving while on diet.(1). Surprisingly this research also suggested that fasting makes craving diminish. But of course, fasting is not an ideal way to curb food cravings. Suppression of hunger may result to some physical conditions like dizziness, fatigue and constipation.
Another study entitled How visual images of chocolate affect the craving and guilt of female dieters by Fletcher BC, Pine KJ et al (2005) also validated conditioned cue reactivity among women. The participants of the study were 85 females 2/3 of which were dieting or had dieted in the past. They were exposed to images of chocolate and were asked to answer the Attitudes to Chocolate Questionnaire (ACQ) [Benton, Greenfield, & Morgan (1998)]. Results showed that dieters ACQ scores are significantly higher than non-dieters. This study suggested that dieting increases desire for restricted foods. Moreover dietary restriction induces guilt, anxiety and depression.
In addition, research and an article called The nature of imagery processes underlying food cravings (Harvey K, et al. 2009) concluded that craving increased among dieter-participants when given instructions to imagine the food induction scenario.
Among adolescents it was found out that increased daytime sleep is greatly associated with unhealthy food cravings that can lead to obesity. In addition, the study Sleep, hunger, satiety, food cravings, and caloric intake in adolescents by Landis AM, Parker KP and Dunbar SB (2009) suggested that age, gender and race are closely associated with feelings of hunger, satiety, total food cravings and caloric intake.(2)
Another notable result from research underscored hyperandrogenemia or menstrual disturbances and psychological distress as factors for greater food cravings among young women. (Limm SS, Norman RJ et. al., 2008. Hyperandrogenemia, psychological distress, and food cravings in young women).
Considering the results of the above-mentioned study, here are pieces of practical advice on how to manage food cravings while on a diet:
- Take it easy. Don’t be too conscious that you are on diet. The less you think of it, the more you feel you are in control.
- Stop staring at those glossy, mouth-watering images of food. Shut your thoughts as soon as a mental picture of “unwanted” food or drink starts to flash. Never stay long in the grocers, in the bakers or in a restaurant – especially if it’s an eat-all-you-can restaurant, don’t dare open its door. Distract yourself when you start thinking about food. Change your activity and let your mind focus on a new task to dispel thoughts of food.
- Don’t oversleep on daytime especially among teenagers. Too much sleep increases food craving.
- Never start a diet plan (for young women) when you have menstrual problems. Body chemicals released during this period trigger a more intense craving for certain foods.
- Be happy. Distress feelings lead to over-eating. A happy mood makes you see dieting not as a restriction or a burden but a positive, healthy activity.
Food Craving: Its Biological Cause
Blood sugar imbalance and low blood sugar trigger food cravings. Any of these two conditions – blood sugar imbalance and low blood sugar – may happen if there is less intake of calorie or there is a long period of time between your meals.(3)
Practical
1. Eat at regular intervals in a day. Don’t skip meals.
2. Get enough recommended calorie for each day. Don’t fall below the safe calorie intake level.
3. Take healthful food for snacks: e.g. fruits.
4. Eat a low GI (Glycemic Index) carbohydrates food: e.g. whole grain bread.
5. Take high-fiber and high protein food.
Food and Cravings
Aside from knowing the nature of food craving, it is also important to identify what kind of food induces more cravings. Awareness of these food types will help you avoid them or drop them from your diet plan all together.
What are the foods that intensify cravings?
What are the characteristics of these foods that somehow have an “addictive” effect? As gleaned from a research, food with high energy density and fat content, and low protein and fiber contents are top candidates for craved food. (Gilhooly CH, Das SK et al, 2007. Food cravings and energy regulation: the characteristics of craved foods and their relationship with eating behaviors and weight change during 6 months of dietary energy restriction). If you want a long term weight loss, this article and research suggests that you focus on changing the serving size of craved foods and frequency of giving in to food cravings.
An interesting laboratory taste test investigation revealed that that there is a significant correlation between food cravings and intake of corresponding types of food. In this study, participants completed the Food Craving Inventory on sweets, fats, carbohydrates, and fast food fats and a taste test on specific food items (jelly beans, M&M’s, regular potato chips, and baked low-fat potato chips). After that, they were allowed to indulge on the given food items. The study showed that “sweets scale correlated with M&Ms and jelly bean intake, but not chip intake. On the other hand, fats scale correlated only with intake of regular potato chips.” (Martin CK, O’Neil PM, et. al, 2007. The association between food cravings and consumption of specific foods in a laboratory taste test).
Food to avoid/limit intake:
Food with too much added sugar: cake, sweets, breakfast cereals, ice cream, cookies, etc.; food with too much salt; chips, canned or processed or refined foods; caffeinated drinks like coffee, cola; high GI (Glycemic Index) food: white breads, regular soda, etc.
Recommended food:
High in fiber foods like vegetables, beans, fruits, etc; low GI food like whole grain bread, sweet potatoes, brown rice, wheat pasta, sweet potatoes, etc.
Attitudes and Approaches on How to Manage Food Cravings
If we have to think about it, the very nature of dieting itself triggers a psychological response that makes us want more for food. Aside from that, it is almost impossible to live in a world that we will not see around the very food we would like to avoid. Nevertheless, don’t despair. With proper attitude and approach, it is not difficult to curb food craving. The following are some researched-based approaches on how to manage cravings while on diet. If you are in a hunt for specific and practical techniques on how to curb your urge for food while you are watching your weight, see if those techniques are anchored on these principles:
- Acceptance-based strategies such as experiential acceptance and defusion techniques were associated with better outcomes on food cravings and consumption. (Forman EM, Hoffman KL et al. 2007. A comparison of acceptance- and control-based strategies for coping with food cravings: an analog study).
- Dynamic visual noise technique is more effective than thought suppression in reducing food cravings among dieters or weight watchers. (Kemps E, Tiggemann M, and Christianson R. 2007. Concurrent visuo-spatial processing reduces food cravings in prescribed weight-loss dieters).
- Visual imagery task reduces food cravings than auditory imagery task (Harvey K, Kemps E, Tiggemann M. 2009. The nature of imagery processes underlying food cravings).
- In the lights of these findings, here are some specific activities to combat cravings: (a) Distract your thoughts by a change in activity once thoughts of food creep to your mind. (b) Write about your food cravings, your feelings, your goals, and your determination. (c) Talk to your cravings as if it were a person and say “I am stronger than you!” (d) At night, keep the lights turned off in your kitchen. Don’t linger in your kitchen. If you have a
refrigerator in your bedroom, better remove it. - Change your routine. Don’t eat in front of the television. Stop passing by your favorite restaurant.
These are but some examples of psychological approaches on how to overcome food cravings especially if the craving is not real hunger but a psychological one. You may check with a licensed counselor or psychologist to effectively help you control your food cravings especially if your craving is out of proportion and is a threat to your health and well-being.
Quick Replies to Popular Dieter’s Queries
1. Does chewing a gum suppress food cravings?
Yes. Chewing a gum suppresses one’s appetite particularly sweets. Also, chewing a gum reduces snack intake. (Hetherington MM and Boyland E. 2007. Short-term effects of chewing gum on snack intake and appetite).
2. Does artificial sweeteners or going “diet” or “light” help in losing weight?
Surprisingly, no it doesn’t. As cited by a study, there were researches that suggest artificial sweeteners may even contribute to gaining weight. (Yang Q. 2009. Gain weight by “going diet?” Artificial sweeteners and the neurobiology of sugar cravings: Neuroscience 2010).
3. Does exercise reduce food craving?
Absolutely Yes – specifically for chocolate cravings. An experimental study on Acute effects of brisk walking on urges to eat chocolate, affect, and responses to a stressor and chocolate cue (Taylor AH and Oliver AJ., 2009 in their article Acute effects of brisk walking on urges to eat chocolate, affect, and responses to a stressor and chocolate cue. An experimental study) revealed that exercise specifically brisk walking reduces chocolate urges and weakens responses to chocolate cues.
Lastly, I wish to say never hesitate to join a support group in your community or online. Have someone or a group check on your progress on how you manage your own cravings. Or better yet, let this person – maybe a friend, a loved one or your parents – act as your conscience every time you give in to the temptation of a sweet treat.
Endnotes
1. Hill, Andrew J. The Psychology of Food Craving.
2. Landis, A.M. et al. Sleep, hunger, satiety, food cravings, and caloric intake in adolescents.
3. Lim, S.S. Hyperandrogenemia, psychological distress, and food cravings in young women.