Cravings: Causes, What to Do?

Brief overview

  • Causes: Nutrient/energy deficiency (e.g. after physical or mental exertion, long breaks from eating, during growth phases), mental or physical illness (e.g. diabetes, hyperthyroidism, eating disorders)
  • Treatment: Regular, balanced diet, sufficient sleep, avoid stress and boredom. Pathological causes require medical treatment. Bitter substances, alternative medicine
  • When to see a doctor? Pregnancy, breastfeeding or growth phases; constant feeling of hunger despite sufficient food intake, mental illness
  • Diagnostics: medical history, physical examination, laboratory values, treatment

What is ravenous hunger?

Cravings are a special form of hunger. It comes on suddenly and you often cannot withstand it – unlike normal hunger, which can be sustained for a longer period of time. Cravings trigger an almost uncontrollable urge to eat something quickly. The craving for sweet, salty or fatty foods drives those affected to eat – no matter how late it is (even at night) or where they are.

What is hunger?

The feeling of hunger arises through a complex process in which various pieces of information (e.g. messenger substances, sensory perceptions) converge in the brain. Relevant brain regions here are the hunger and satiety centers in the hypothalamus (part of the diencephalon). The brain evaluates the incoming information and then, if necessary, regulates the balance between energy consumption and food intake – if there is an energy deficit, the feeling of hunger is triggered.

Some people, however, are constantly hungry – these regulatory mechanisms are disturbed in them. In some cases, diseases such as obesity or bulimia occur.

Blood sugar – the hunger regulator

Blood sugar – i.e. the glucose level in the blood – plays a central role in regulating hunger and therefore also cravings. Glucose (dextrose) is a simple carbohydrate and our body’s most important source of energy. It is either immediately converted into energy or initially stored in cells in the form of glycogen. The less glucose circulates in the blood (i.e. the lower the blood sugar level), the greater the feeling of hunger or even cravings.

Simple carbohydrates are quickly metabolized. They therefore cause blood sugar levels to rise quickly, but also drop again quickly. They include, among others:

  • Dextrose (glucose)
  • Table sugar (sucrose)
  • honey
  • Chocolate and other sweets
  • White flour products (baked goods, pasta)

Complex carbohydrates are more difficult to break down into their components, but are much more effective in terms of energy balance. The blood sugar level does not rise as quickly when they are used and then falls again more slowly. This means that the body is supplied with the energy source over a longer period of time – you feel fuller for longer after eating complex carbohydrates. Suitable foods to combat cravings are therefore, for example

  • Wholemeal products (muesli, baked goods, pasta)
  • Pulses (lentils, beans)
  • Vegetables, fruit

Feeling of fullness – too slow for cravings

In addition, certain food components trigger signals to the brain – especially certain protein building blocks (amino acids) and building blocks of fats (fatty acids). These signals tell the brain: “I’m full.”

When we are ravenous, we often greedily consume very large amounts of food in a very short time. The brain and body are often not fast enough to curb these eating attacks in time. The feeling of fullness doesn’t have a chance to set in in time – as soon as it occurs, we have already eaten much more than would have been necessary to satisfy our cravings. It is therefore advisable to eat slowly, even when you are ravenous.

What are the causes of cravings?

Harmless causes

If the body lacks important food components that it needs to produce energy, it sometimes signals this with a ravenous appetite attack. Such occasional cravings are effective if the body uses them to prevent a nutrient deficiency. Cravings may occur particularly at times of increased energy requirements, for example during pregnancy or growth phases.

Overall, a feeling of ravenous hunger as a harmless body signal for a lack of nutrients or energy has the following causes, among others:

  • Long breaks between meals
  • Physical exertion (e.g. sports, physical work)
  • Mental exertion (e.g. concentrated work for hours)
  • Lack of sleep
  • Pregnancy
  • Breastfeeding
  • Growth phases (for adolescents)

Physical illnesses as a cause

If you are plagued by a constant feeling of hunger with uncontrollable eating attacks, it is advisable to consult a doctor. This is because cravings are sometimes a dangerous sign of metabolic disorders or hormonal dysregulation, such as

  • Diabetes (diabetes mellitus)
  • Hyperthyroidism (hyperthyroidism)
  • liver diseases
  • Metabolic diseases in which messenger substances for the feeling of satiety are disturbed (e.g. obesity)
  • Addison’s disease (rare hypofunction of the adrenal gland: symptom of salt cravings)

Mental illness as a cause

The psyche and learned or habitual behavior also often play a role in cravings. A piece of chocolate after a meal or while watching television triggers a pleasant feeling in many people. Reaching for a box of cookies has the task of (supposedly) calming the nerves in times of stress, and a sweet dessert after a meal is “just part of it”.

In some cases, regular cravings are a symptom of serious mental health problems and illnesses such as eating disorders:

  • Anorexia nervosa: Sufferers avoid food intake as much as possible and mainly abstain from high-calorie foods. For fear of gaining weight, they often exercise excessively and/or take laxatives. When weight is very low, the body often reacts with food cravings and binge eating.
  • Bulimia (bulimia nervosa): In this illness, also known as “binge eating disorder”, sufferers regularly succumb to binge eating, during which they consume large amounts of food. They then vomit or take other measures to get rid of the calories they have consumed (e.g. taking laxatives).
  • Binge eating disorder: This refers to recurring binge episodes in which sufferers eat large amounts of food in a short period of time; they feel they have to keep eating, but unlike bulimics, rarely take measures to control their weight afterwards.

Other causes of cravings

In addition, the following causes are other possible triggers for cravings:

  • Stress, intense emotions
  • diets
  • migraine
  • Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
  • Worm infections (for example tapeworm)
  • Alcohol addiction
  • Cannabis use
  • Medication (for example psychotropic drugs)
  • Glutamate (flavor enhancer)

What to do about cravings?

Many sufferers ask themselves: How do I stop cravings for sweet, salty or fatty foods?

You can avoid cravings caused by a lack of nutrients by preventing them from occurring in the first place or by satisfying them as quickly as possible.

Cravings for cheese, nuts, eggs, fish or meat, for example, do not necessarily indicate a specific deficiency.

The first rule to prevent cravings is to eat a regular and balanced diet. In the morning, at lunchtime and in the evening, reach for high-quality foods that fill the body’s energy depot over a longer period of time. These include wholegrain products, fruit and vegetables as well as pulses (lentils, beans and so on).

The following tips also help to prevent cravings:

  • Take your time to eat and don’t gobble it down in a hurry. This gives your body time to develop a feeling of fullness.
  • Get enough sleep. Several scientific studies have provided evidence of a link between lack of sleep and weight gain and obesity.
  • Try to avoid both stress and boredom. For example, learn relaxation techniques such as yoga or progressive muscle relaxation or go for a walk instead of eating out of boredom.
  • Don’t get your body used to regular “rewards” of sweets or salty foods between meals.
  • If you don’t want to give up sweets, eat them directly after your main meal. Then you will no longer be hungry, just hungry and will snack less. Ideally, your meal should also contain sufficient fiber so that the sugar in the “dessert snack” does not cause your blood sugar to spike so quickly.
  • Avoid foods with glutamate. This flavor enhancer is known to artificially stimulate the appetite. It is often found in ready meals, potato chips or Asian food.

Bitter substances

Many foods with bitter substances are very healthy and a good alternative to sweet or salty foods. Some of them are

  • Vegetables, salad: chicory, rocket, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, chard, spinach
  • Fruit: grapefruit, pomelo, olives, some types of apple
  • Herbs: parsley, coriander, oregano, peppermint, sage, nettle
  • Spices: Cinnamon, pepper, turmeric, mustard seeds, ginger, black cumin

Some types of tea also contain bitter substances that can help to regulate cravings. Plants rich in bitter substances that are suitable for tea include: Artichokes, angelica, wormwood, gentian root and dandelion. Green tea is also popular. Brew the tea hot, but be careful not to boil it for too long, otherwise the bitter substances will be lost. Do not exceed the brewing time of ten minutes.

Coffee also contains bitter substances, but it is not necessarily advisable to drink it in large quantities.

Normally, supermarket vegetables are grown in such a way that they do not contain any toxic bitter substances. Only under stress (heat, drought) do some plants produce bitter substances again.

Various preparations containing bitter substances (bitter spray, bitter drops, tablets) are available to buy in shops. Only take such products after consulting your doctor, as there are side effects and interactions with other medications that can sometimes occur after taking bitter substances. It is best not to take bitter substances if you have certain illnesses such as stomach ulcers, gallstones or an acidic stomach (heartburn).

Alternative medicine

Homeopathic substances (globules) and Schuessler salts are available in pharmacies, which are said to help some sufferers against cravings.

Home remedies have their limits. If the symptoms persist over a longer period of time, do not improve or even get worse, you should always consult a doctor. The concept of homeopathy and Schuessler salts and their specific effectiveness are controversial in the scientific community and have not been clearly proven by studies.

Cravings: When to see a doctor?

In pregnant women and growing adolescents, cravings are not usually a cause for concern, but indicate an increased need for energy. Nevertheless, as a precaution, clarify cravings during pregnancy and in growth phases with your doctor to rule out possible metabolic disorders and prevent malnutrition.

It is strongly recommended that you see a doctor if you eat a healthy diet, eat regularly and sufficiently, but are still constantly hungry or have cravings. This is an alarm signal from the body, the cause of which should be clarified by an expert.

Also consult a doctor if you suspect psychological reasons such as stress, strong emotions, depression or an eating disorder behind cravings.

Cravings: examinations

The doctor will first talk to you in detail to gather important information about your medical history (anamnesis). For example, they will ask how long you have had bouts of cravings, how often they occur and in what situations.

The consultation is followed by physical examinations and laboratory tests such as blood tests, which can be used to diagnose diabetes mellitus or other metabolic disorders, for example.

Once the doctor has identified the reason for your cravings, he or she will initiate suitable treatment.

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, for example, you will be given an individually tailored diet and exercise plan and – if necessary – medication (blood sugar-lowering tablets or insulin injections). Thyroid disorders are also usually treated with medication. In the case of psychologically induced food cravings, for example due to depression, psychotherapy and, if necessary, drug treatment are often useful.

If dieting, lack of sleep or stress are behind the cravings, the doctor will give you tips on how best to prevent the eating attacks. If medication (e.g. psychotropic drugs) is the cause of the cravings, the doctor will look for an alternative if possible.