Every once in a while I get some weird food cravings. Recently, my cravings have included meatball sandwiches, buffalo sauce, vanilla milkshakes, and Zingers (those frosting-covered Twinkie-like cakes). That got me to thinking, what causes food cravings? Since we are fortunate enough to have the internet in this day and age, I did a quick Google search and found exactly what I was looking for. Why, just few years ago I would had to have driven to the local library, wrestled with the card catalog then searched shelves for hours to find my answers (shudder). Ain't technology grand?

Voila! According to this article, food cravings are caused by both hunger and hedonism. Most of us know that the stomach sends signals to the brain (and sometimes LOUD signals to our dates) when it's empty. That's hunger. However, when hunger turns to cravings for a specific food (or non-food, as we will see) our brain takes over. Scientists have disproven the theory that cravings are a survival mechanism, caused by the body's lack of certain nutrients. Seems our brains are just really good at calling up past pleasant memories and subconsciously deducing what foods gave us the most pleasure over our lives. Our brains focus specifically on which foods released the most seratonin and dopamine hormones (the same hormones released by sex, which explains why I have to change my pants every time I eat Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream).

Why do we most often crave fatty, sugary foods? Those foods release something called 'opioids' that bind to pleasure receptors in the brain, similar to the pleasure hormones we discussed. 'Opioids' sounds a lot like 'opium', and the article says that isn't far from the truth, as opioids and hormones follow the same neural path to the brain that effects from drugs and alcohol do. "Neurologically speaking, that fast food joint isn't much different from a person selling drugs."

The brain is so good at finding memories of foods that cause pleasure that it goes all the way back to before we were born. Studies show that starting at the 2nd trimester, A fetus can sense different flavors in the amniotic fluid surrounding it. This continues after birth as well, as breast milk can take on subtle differences in taste depending on what the mother has eaten. This can be one way to prevent children from becoming picky eaters. The more adventurous an eater a mother is while breast-feeding, the more likely it is that her child will be willing to try new things.

Sometimes, people get too adventurous. Pica is a disorder that has people craving non-foods such as wallpaper paste, paper, dirt, gravel, and even animal waste. Often a mild version of pica is associated with iron deficiency brought on by pregnancy. Sometimes it can be a symptom of serious mental illness. Those with severe cases even eat metal shards, coins, and large rocks. I've eaten a lot of weird stuff, but this is definitely not normal.

What's the most often craved food? Chocolate, of course. We are even born with a preference for sweet things. Our passion for chocolate is deeply ingrained in us, both mentally and physically, and we are constantly told by society and advertising that chocolate cures everything. Hell, it might.

Everyone is familiar with odd food cravings during pregnancy. Did you also know that women are more likely to have cravings than men, even when not pregnant? Women also more often crave sweet things, while men more often crave savory foods. Speaking of which, I see some buffalo wings in my near future!

What are some of your weird cravings?




Article: http://health.howstuffworks.com/food-craving.htm

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