Food craving is an intense desire to consume a particular food that is difficult to resist. This is different from hunger, as consumption of any number of foods satisfies hunger.
Food cravings are very common. One study of more than 1,000 people revealed 97 percent of women and 68 percent of men experienced cravings. Food cravings occur more commonly later in the day, with an average of two to four craving episodes per week.
Nutritional Deficiencies
It has been long thought that food cravings were due to the body’s effort to correct nutritional deficiencies or food restrictions.
Under this theory, a craving for a juicy steak might indicate the body’s need for iron or protein. A craving for chocolate may indicate that people lack phenylethylamine, a chemical that has been associated with romantic love. Phenylethylamine is found in significant amounts in chocolate.
Nutritional deficiencies are linked to food cravings in certain situations. Pica is an unusual behavior where people crave non-food substances such as ice, clay, or raw starch. Pica behavior is sometimes found in conjunction with micronutrient deficiencies such as zinc.
Deficiencies in vitamins may potentially result in food cravings. A severe deficiency of vitamin C led to scurvy in maritime explorers who did not have ready access to fresh fruit and vegetables during their long sea voyages. A British chaplain who wrote about the accounts of sailors suffering from scurvy reported they had intense cravings for fruit and when they finally were able to eat it they experienced “emotions of the most voluptuous luxury.”
