Cravings on a Chemical Level

Cravings have largely been associated with psychological triggers in the past, but recent studies show that several internal physiological factors come into play. Think about when you walked past the candy aisle at the grocery store, and your mouth salivated when you saw those Crunch bars. Ooh, that would be a special treat, right? Well, do you have the same reaction to carrot soup? Okay, forget salivating at the thought of carrot soup for now. How about even simply feeling eager to eat it. Not the same right?

According to a recently released article by the Huffington Post titled, “Food Cravings: Understand Them To Control Them,” Dr. Joanna Dolgoff, M.D. claims that several factors lead most people to have stronger cravings for foods that are higher in calories. The first cause is that our eyes are bigger than our stomach! All cliché-phrases aside, the visual aspect of food plays a large part in dictating our cravings. According to Dolgoff, “Why do we get intense desires to eat certain foods? They found some studies suggesting that the mental imagery of food (the vivid images we get when we crave) hold the key. In fact, one study found that the strength of an individual’s craving was correlated with how vividly they imagined the food.”

This explains the increasingly strong cravings that children and adults have for junk food, when 98% of all television, print and online advertisements showcase fast foods that are high in sugar and sodium content. In fact, studies show that those who have significantly less exposure to such visually overloaded ads, make much healthier food choices.

Further scientific insight tells us that what babies consume while still in their mother’s womb can affect their food choices as small children. A test of several pregnant mothers showed just that: “When the babies were five months old, the researchers gave the infants plain and carrot-flavored cereal, only to find that babies who had been exposed to carrot juice while in the womb were more willing to eat carrot cereal.”

While I do trust that these physiological responses can direct our psychological desire for healthy or unhealthy foods through cravings, I will also add to that. If we’re going to put the blame and responsibility for childhood food cravings on mothers during pregnancy, I believe that it’s only fair to argue that both parents are responsible for the development of healthy eating habits on a long term basis. Kids might learn to prefer carrots after digesting them while in the womb, but mothers and fathers are both accountable for teaching their kids about resisting the temptations from fast food commercials and ads. Teach your children the affects that healthy versus unhealthy foods have on your body, give them the tools and understanding of how to cook fresh meals, and then lead by example for the best results in raising a healthy non-obese child.

Reference:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joanna-dolgoff-md/food-cravings_b_880889.html?#es_share_ended