Sometimes, those daily cravings for the
sweet and salty can seem to rule your life. Regardless of all your
best efforts and good intentions, it seems you just cannot keep
yourself from the good stuff. Fortunately, there is hope for people
who have a problem with cravings-and let’s face it, we all get hit
with it at one time or another-scientists have been studying the
underlying psychological and physical causes of cravings. Here’s
what they found out. This is where I found the article:
http://naturesbalance.com/2765/what-women-crave
Urges for the sweet stuff
Researchers at the Food and Brand Lab
at UL Urbana-Champaign have discovered that “when it comes to foods
eaten in the hope of gaining psychological comfort, guys like hearty
meals, while females watch for snacks that need little or no prep.”
The reason driving this was found to be connected to lifestyle
factors. Brian Wansink, the Food and Brand Lab marketing professor,
explains, “Because adult females are not generally accustomed to
having hot food prepared for them . . . they tend to gain
psychological comfort from less labor-intensive foods such as
chocolate, candy and ice cream.” It’s sad, but true.
The brain’s metabolic activity
Another interesting study turned up
more bad news for ladies. Researchers hooked a group of fasting guys
and ladies up to machines that measure brain activity. Then the
researchers exposed the group to food and asked some of the
participants to try to ignore their cravings. When the men ignored
their cravings, researchers observed with “this willful inhibition
directly impacted brain metabolism . . . [the men] felt a decreased
desire for food.” However, when ladies were asked to do the same
thing, there was “equivalent brain activity . . . the women were
tantalized regardless of their efforts at self-control.” Do not get
discourage just yet though, there are still things you can do to
fight the cravings. Try putting the alluring food out of sight and
out of mind. Whenever you feel yourself reaching the breaking point,
go in another room or for a walk. Avoid going on a crash diet, as
your cravings will likely just increase until you end up binging on
the forbidden food.
Sources
Craving Clues
Food Cravings
Scientific American