Binge No More by Joyce D. Nash

Author:Joyce D. Nash
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781608827213
Publisher: New Harbinger Publications

Coping with Cravings

A craving is an intense desire or longing for a particular substance. About 70 percent of bulimics attribute their binge eating to food cravings1 and about 50 percent of obese binge eaters report cravings—usually for sugary foods.2 Either hunger or dysphoric mood states can set off food cravings.3

When desire overpowers determination, you are in the grips of a food craving. Whether cravings are physiological or psychological is still subject to debate. The desire for sweet, rich foods results from the all-too-human drive for pleasure. It is true that specific body chemicals called opiates determine whether people perceive foods rich in fat and carbohydrates as pleasurable.

However, the psychological component in cravings is strong, and feeling deprived is often at the root. Cravings can be triggered by seeing or smelling the desired food—perhaps in a TV ad—and then thinking about how good something would taste. Or, just feeling hungry can prompt recollections of eating a good-tasting food. The more a person dwells on these thoughts and relives the earlier experience, the stronger the craving becomes. Thinking about eating something good creates a longing for doing it again. In the midst of negative emotions, eating suggests an escape, if only temporary, from the pain of anxiety, sadness, loneliness, or boredom. Food cravings need not lead to binge eating. You can manage cravings by implementing the following tips.

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