What are Some Causes of Food Cravings?

While hormone and nutritional issues can lead to cravings, as can diet and exercise, the primary source of most food cravings is more complex, and includes visual cues, memories, stress, previous exposure and psychological factors. Chess player is right: food restriction can lead to cravings, and Mentirosas' observation that addiction plays a role is also accurate. --Omar.

Sometimes, you can reduce your food cravings by eating something similar in flavor to what you are craving, if the food you really want is bad for you. I eat pretzels or veggie chips instead of fattening potato chips, and this usually satisfies the craving.

I think I really crave salt more than the actual potato chip. Sometimes, even popcorn will work, as long as it has salt and a little bit of butter on it. I buy the light butter variety to cut down on fat and calories, though.

If I want something sweet, I try eating grapes or pineapple. This usually cuts down on my craving for candy.

Every pregnant woman I've ever known has craved pickles and ice cream. They don't eat them together, but those are the two that seem to be very common.

They crave them at weird times, too. Usually, late at night, they absolutely have to have one or the other, so they send you to the store.

After they have given birth, the cravings go away. My best friend hasn't craved pickles since, and though she still enjoys ice cream, she doesn't absolutely go nuts if she can't get it at midnight.

@ColdRain – I was able to lose thirteen pounds by limiting my portion size. I had learned that trying to fight food cravings was futile, but allowing myself a few bites of what I craved once a day would lead to success.

I think that my body just wanted the experience of the flavor and texture more than to be full of what it craved. I made sure to eat the bites slowly and enjoy every molecule of flavor, and this satisfied the craving.

@mentirosa – I agree with you. High-calorie and high-fat foods have been proven to be addictive, much like certain drugs.

Once we have known the glory of a gooey chocolate-caramel dessert, our brains have stored that information. Our minds perceive it as a pleasure inducer, and we seek it out.

Also, I've experienced this with potato chips. They are so completely satisfying, even though they have very little nutritional value. So, I crave them every day.

I've been having really strong cravings for salad all week. I've eaten them six times and still want more. The really crazy thing is I've never liked lettuce!

ChessPlayer- Thank you for the good tip. I think it is important to allow yourself to eat your favorite foods once in awhile to help curb food cravings.

However, don't forget to limit your portion size. If you let yourself have a big piece of chocolate cake every week, you will not lose much weight. Instead, let yourself have a bite or two of your favorite foods once a week. This will help satisfy your craving but will also limit calories you are intaking.

I find that I crave certain foods when I am on a very strict diet. When dieting, I severely limit my food intake and don't eat many of my favorite foods. This causes my body to feel deprived and ultimately causes me to binge because I am craving food so much.

A good tip is to not completely deprive yourself of your favorite foods. Allow yourself to indulge in your favorite foods once a week. This will help curb your cravings and control binge eating.

I think lack of certain nutrients in our bodies might cause cravings, but in many cases I believe that we crave foods because we become somewhat addicted to it.