Why Do You Crave Certain Foods?:

There are many reasons why people crave food or have favorite foods that they like to indulge them. Many times this can lead to unhealthy eating patterns, weight gain, or allergic reactions if you are allergic to a certain kind of food. How can you determine why you crave certain foods?

Psychological Needs

Many people associate certain foods with comfort, such as ice-cream, donuts and sugary snacks. You will need to analyze your behavior to see if you reach for these favorite foods when you are under stress or upset. This is a kind of addiction that affects your body and your mind and produces cravings for these comfort-foods when it feels that it is under attack.

Actual Needs

Not to be discounted are your body's signals telling you that you are lacking a specific kind of food in your diet. If you find yourself craving a piece of fruit and you don't remember the last time you had one, it is most likely your body giving you a warning that it really needs that piece of fruit to go on functioning. Again, this is where analysis of your eating patterns will come in handy.

Allergies

Even though you may be allergic to certain foods, your body may still crave them. In fact, some people report that they crave specific foods that they are incredibly allergic too. You may not be aware of this allergy at first, but it is important to take a look at certain cravings, especially if the food produces an allergic reaction.

Gender

There are actually gender-specific cravings. Studies have recently shown that men, in general, tend to crave high protein foods, such as steak where women tend to crave high-carbohydrate food or sugary snacks. This usually begins after puberty and may be associated with hormones.

Patterns

The key to your cravings is tracking your eating patterns. Women may unintentionally fall into a habit of overeating chocolate during their periods, while men may overeat their favorite snack-foods when there is a game on.

By taking a hard look at what you eat and when you tend to eat it, you can figure out if it is a legitimate craving, or a psychological craving.