Food Cravings Are Psychological

As I write this I am at the lowest level on my personal food craving scale, meaning I have no cravings at the present time. It's a relief. I learned long ago not to keep favorite snacks in the house, which works for me as I will never get in my car and run to the store to satisfy a craving, whereas many people will do eactly that, to their detriment.

During a food craving period I will temporarily “regret” not having picked up that bag of Snickers minis or ice cream when I was in the store. Long term, however, I’m always very happy I did not. I food shop after the gym, in my gym clothes, when my pride in my fitness, how I look and feel, is at its highest point, which allows me to not even go down the snack aisle at the supermarket. I bring a protein shake to the gym in a thermos and drink it in the car on the way to the market so I will not be unduly hungry. Food shopping when you’re hungry, as most people know, means making impulsive, unwise and unproductive food decisions based on cravings.

Making a shopping list and sticking to it is the only way to shop healthfully. Going to the supermarket with no list and no plan leads to many an impulsive and unwise purchase which will derail your nutrition and weight goals.

When a craving gets in your head and won’t let go, this is not due to actual hunger or the body’s need for some ingredient in the food that’s being craved, but rather it’s just another dysfunctional thing we have to recognize, analyze, and excise.

I realize my food cravings are a product of some lack, some upset or anxiety. The current lack of cravings signifies a peaceful settled calm. Luckily I do not have an addictive personality, but when I’ve experienced a food craving that lasts for days, or even weeks, I get a glimpse of what addictive personalities must be dealing with on a regular basis.

The ability to connect a food craving with some current upset or some lack in one’s life will help defuse this mindless desire to binge. Nobody has the physical need for a pan of brownies, but rather the shot of the feel-good dopamine that the brownies provide. It’s a tough problem to deal with when you’re in the middle of it, but understanding ourselves, the what and the why and the how, is really the key to a happier, more fit life.