Food craving
Encyclopedia
A food craving is an intense desire to consume a specific food, stronger than simply normal hunger
. According to Marcia Levin Pelchat "It may be the way in which foods are consumed (e.g. alternating access and restriction) rather than their sensory properties that leads to an addictive eating pattern."
levels affecting the brain centers for appetite to production of endorphin
s as a result of consuming fat
s and carbohydrate
s.
Foods with high levels of sugar glucose
, such as chocolate, are more frequently craved than foods with lower sugar glucose, such as broccoli because when glucose interacts with opiod system in the brain an addictive triggering effect occurs. The consumer of the glucose feels the urge to consume more glucose, much like an alcoholic, because the brain has become conditioned to release "happy hormones" every time glucose is present.
The craving of non-food items as food is called pica
.
Hunger
Hunger is the most commonly used term to describe the social condition of people who frequently experience the physical sensation of desiring food.-Malnutrition, famine, starvation:...
. According to Marcia Levin Pelchat "It may be the way in which foods are consumed (e.g. alternating access and restriction) rather than their sensory properties that leads to an addictive eating pattern."
Causes
There is no single explanation for food cravings, and explanations range from low serotoninSerotonin
Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system of animals including humans...
levels affecting the brain centers for appetite to production of endorphin
Endorphin
Endorphins are endogenous opioid peptides that function as neurotransmitters. They are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during exercise, excitement, pain, consumption of spicy food, love and orgasm, and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce...
s as a result of consuming fat
Fat
Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and generally insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are triglycerides, triesters of glycerol and any of several fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at room temperature, depending on their structure...
s and carbohydrate
Carbohydrate
A carbohydrate is an organic compound with the empirical formula ; that is, consists only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with a hydrogen:oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 . However, there are exceptions to this. One common example would be deoxyribose, a component of DNA, which has the empirical...
s.
Foods with high levels of sugar glucose
Glucose
Glucose is a simple sugar and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate...
, such as chocolate, are more frequently craved than foods with lower sugar glucose, such as broccoli because when glucose interacts with opiod system in the brain an addictive triggering effect occurs. The consumer of the glucose feels the urge to consume more glucose, much like an alcoholic, because the brain has become conditioned to release "happy hormones" every time glucose is present.
The craving of non-food items as food is called pica
Pica (disorder)
Pica is characterized by an appetite for substances largely non-nutritive . For these actions to be considered pica, they must persist for more than one month at an age where eating such objects is considered developmentally inappropriate...
.
Taste Addiction Disorder
Taste addiction disorder is a psychological condition with a biochemical basis in the brain where a person develops an obsessive/compulsive relationship to food. Certain foods are craved more than others because of their glucose content. When the glucose level rises, the brain produces more dopamine, which drenches the brain in "happy hormones". Over time a person can become addicted to the release of the dopamine because this may be their only way of attaining this feeling. Other ways of giving the brain a dopamine bath include, but are not limited to, singing, running, dancing, laughing with other people, or engaging in sex. TAD functions biochemically in a parallel way to other compulsive behavior addictions such as alcoholism, drug addiction, anorexia, bulimia, and sex addiction.Biochemical basis
Addiction to certain foods has a biochemical basis and evidence because according to the research of Avena and her colleagues "Neural adaptations include changes in dopamine and opioid receptor binding, enkephalin mRNA expression and dopamine and acetylcholine release in the nucleus accumbens." This essentially means that the brain physically changes when it becomes used to consuming a mass quantity of a certain chemical so that the brain can release the highest quantity of dopamine possible.Social basis
In many ways, T.A.D. is a biochemical manifestation of a social issue. Humans' addiction to food is the result of general negativity surrounding food. The trend towards viewing food as 1. a possession rather than nourishment, 2. a chore to consume quickly rather than a source of energy to absorb, or 3. a finished product which brings instant gratification rather than a cultivated meal which gradually is taken in. These changes in viewing food cause people to feel guilty for enjoying food. These notions stigmatize eating for a long period of time. This build up of the notion that "food is bad", that "food is the enemy" leads to food obsession. This is the gateway to food addiction. The following are a list of suggestions to fight the status quo of food negativity in favor of "food positivity".- Eat family style - communally, slowly, at a table
- Eat Slowly
- Eat locally and avoid fast food
- Take time each day to appreciate food and water
- Avoid eating on the go by dining at regular times
- Eat everything in moderation
See also
- Binge eating disorderBinge eating disorderBinge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the United States affecting 3.5% of females and 2% of males and is prevalent in up to 30% of those seeking weight loss treatment...
- Bulimia nervosaBulimia nervosaBulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating and purging or consuming a large amount of food in a short amount of time, followed by an attempt to rid oneself of the food consumed, usually by purging and/or by laxative, diuretics or excessive exercise. Bulimia nervosa is...
- Eating disorderEating disorderEating disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual's physical and mental health. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common specific...
- HyperalimentationHyperalimentationHyperalimentation refers to a state where quantities of food consumed are greater than appropriate. It includes overeating, as well as other routes of administration such as in parenteral nutrition....
- Taste Addiction Disorder
- Sugar AddictionSugar addictionSugar addiction is a perceived difficulty controlling intake of sweet foods or beverages. Although the term itself is not generally used to refer to any scientific construct, mounting evidence suggests that under certain conditions, consumption of sweets or sugar may indeed become addiction-like.-...
- Slow FoodSlow FoodSlow Food is an international movement founded by Carlo Petrini in 1986. Promoted as an alternative to fast food, it strives to preserve traditional and regional cuisine and encourages farming of plants, seeds and livestock characteristic of the local ecosystem. It was the first established part of...