Cravings 101

Cravings for foods, often for fatty foods or carbs, can easily sabotage our body composition and weight-loss efforts. So it's really important that we know how to cope with (and overcome) them.

Scientists don't agree about exactly why we have cravings. Some experts suggest they're physiological, that our bodies are craving certain nutrients when we want specific foods or that we are subconsciously desiring a result the food might bring (e.g. a candy bar providing a "sugar rush"). Many people who feel cravings are also depressed.

Others believe that cravings are simply force of habit or even a form of food addiction. Many of us crave foods that brought us pleasure growing up, known as comfort foods, which may have more to do with emotional security than a desire for food.