Eat Healthier by Learning the Language of Cravings

Eat a rainbow. Timolina/Shutterstock

If our bodies know what they need, why do we crave junk food?

Distinguishing between a craving and true hunger is all about learning to read the messages your body is sending, according to Taylor Newhouse, registered dietitian with the Texas A&M School of Public Health.

“When you’re hungry, your body needs nutrition. You need food for energy and to keep going throughout the day,” Newhouse said. “A craving is different.”

Lots of foods can fill you up, but a craving is a very specific, gnawing desire. It can be fueled by an emotional memory (remember how good it felt when grandma served PopTarts?) or an advertisement. Newhouse says that when we eat regular, nutritious meals, it’s easier to ignore these craving triggers. Skipping meals leaves us more vulnerable to them.

If you look at the food on your plate, and it's all brown, you need to put some other colors in there: reds, greens, oranges, blues, and purples. Paul Townsend/Flickr/CC BY