We all get them. It can be anything from a strong coffee to crunching ice. But are our food cravings trying to tell us something about our health and wellbeing? And how much attention should we pay to them? ‘Cravings are a desire for a specific thing – from exercise and sex to alcohol and cigarettes – and, in the case of food, the craving normally starts with general hunger, which then leads to a focus on what might satisfy you,’ says Jackie Andrade, professor of psychology at the University of Plymouth. It differs from general hunger and thirst. ‘With a craving, you’ll conjure up images about a food, think about the taste or smell and how much you’ll enjoy eating it. When you devote attention to it, it’s distracting you from other things, that is the craving.’ But why are they often so specific?
Why am I so desperate for chocolate come 4pm?
Your energy has evaporated, and if you don’t have chocolate in the next 10 seconds you’re going to collapse. OK, so you know you won’t, but the thought of that delicious mouthful does seem as if it would kick-start your mojo, lift the fog and get you back in the zone. But there are a few reasons why 4pm triggers a slump.