Curb those cravings! Knowing why you get that insatiable urge for a bar of chocolate is the first step to beating it

No matter how steely your willpower, or how firm your resolve, the sudden urge for a bar of chocolate or a bag of crisps can be all consuming.

For many people, particularly women, food cravings are like an alien force that will stop at nothing until you indulge their fiendishly unhealthy demands.

But new studies show these dietary hankerings have nothing to do with weak resolve or fragile willpower, nor are they linked with hunger. They are chemical urges so strong, and so embedded into our survival mechanism, that they are - almost - impossible to resist.

Chemical: No matter how strong your determination, you will have no more control over powerful urges than you have over a bowel movement

Alien force: No matter how strong your determination, you will have no more control over powerful urges than you have over a bowel movement

Experts believe that the main cravings culprit is a system of interconnected brain cells called the 'reward pathway' that evolved over millions of years to encourage prehistoric man (and woman) to keep alive by eating.

High-calorie food was scarce and crucial for survival, so the brain learnt to flood itself with feel-good chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin in response to tastes and smells it linked to delicious food. true hunger comes straight from the gut.

When you need energy, your stomach dispatches ghrelin, the hunger hormone, to the hypothalamus, your brain's command centre, urging you to eat. Then, when you're full, your fat cells release leptin, which signals that it's time to stop eating.

But cravings are different. many experts blame the stress hormone cortisol.

'Our bodies are not designed to cope well with prolonged stress,' says naturopath Dr Penny Kendall-reed, author of the No Crave Diet.

'In some people, the stress response disrupts sleep patterns or bowel movements; for others, it creates problems with heart disease and blood pressure.'

The result is cravings. Chemically, the process can be explained by the fact that cortisol blocks the release of leptin, stopping the brain from getting the 'I'm full' message.

'Your body thinks it hasn't eaten, so strong urges will drive you repeatedly to seek out quick-fix sugars and fats,' she explains.

Cravings, says Dr Kendall-Reed, have nothing to do with weak willpower. Instead, they are impossible-to-resist impulses of a body in survival mode. 'No matter how strong your determination, you will have no more control over these powerful urges than you have over a bowel movement.' 

BREAK THE FOOD/ REWARD TRAP

Sometimes the cravings urge is more psychological than chemical. If you are prone to hit the biscuit tin or tuck into ice cream when you are sad or bored, you could blame your ingrained food-reward system.

'If you were given sweets if you were upset as a child, you could have a common association between sweet foods and comfort,' says Dr Kendall-Reed.

Dr Kendall-Reed believes you can stop that response, but the process is not quick. She says any ingrained habit takes 21 days to break. She recommends a 'shopping cure' to ease cravings.

'Shopping can be deeply pleasurable, and in many cases releases a surge of dopamine or serotonin,' she says. 'Simply buying a magazine or a nail polish has the same effect on the brain as eating a full-fat, high sugar muffin.'

dark chocolate

Give in: If the craving is so bad that only chocolate will do, don't deny yourself. Instead, break off a few small pieces from a very high quality, dark bar

DIETING BOOSTS CRAVINGS

Blood tests show that when we wake in the morning, the body releases a brain chemical called Neuropeptide Y, which turns on the appetite, specifically for carbohydrates, urging us to literally break our fast and eat breakfast. But,

according to Sarah Leibowitz, professor of behavioural neurobiology at the Rockefeller University in New York, this chemical has also been found to be highly active after a period of deprivation (such as a weight-loss diet), firing a very strong urge to eat carbohydrates.

AVOID HANGOVER CRAVINGS

Alcohol can thwart attempts to resist cravings, and many good diet intentions are ruined after a few drinks. A hangover is also a powerful cravings inducer.

Having too many drinks can cause low blood sugar and increased levels of cortisol.

Dehydration will further increase cortisol, and the after-effects of alcohol will often lower levels of dopamine and serotonin. All of these conspire to be potent 'morning after' cravings-triggers which, experts believe, can be avoided. Here's how:

  • A good meal before a party so alcohol is metabolised slowly.
  • Having a high-protein breakfast in the morning (eggs are best) to replace depleted serotonin levels.
  • Alternate one glass of alcohol with one glass of water throughout the night.
  • Drink more water before bed to prevent dehydration.

BEAT SUGAR CRAVINGS

Avoid sweets, fizzy drinks and processed carbohydrates such as cakes, and instead switch to foods that release their energy slowly (oats and wholegrains). Also eat little and often to keep blood sugar levels stable.

Do what you can to reduce stress. If the craving is so bad that only chocolate will do, don't deny yourself. Instead, break off a few small pieces from a very high quality, dark bar... and savour the taste.

DEFICIENCY INDUCED CRAVINGS

Sometimes a craving for a certain food is your body's way of telling you it is missing vital nutrients:

BREAD: If you find yourself with a strong craving for bread, you may be experiencing simple carb-cravings, or your body could be searching to replenish depleted stores of the mineral selenium, found in flour. Switch to wholegrain bread or nibble one Brazil nut each day to satisfy cravings.

CRISPS: If you live a fast-paced, stressful life, cravings for salty foods like crisps could be a sign of adrenal fatigue (continual stress puts a lot of pressure on the adrenal glands), meaning your body might be crying out for the additional minerals found in natural salt. Healthy eating and sleep will help, but if the cravings persist, try natural popcorn to calm the cravings or opt for nuts.

MEAT: Craving meat could indicate your body needs more protein. try to include protein in every meal.