Food craving (craving for food) is a strong desire for a specific food. This desire is intense and difficult to ignore. In addition, it often pertains to foods that are low in nutrients, such as junk food. The type of food craved varies from one person to another.

Actually, almost everyone experiences it, but may not know its name. The characteristics of food craving typically involve high levels of sugar, salt, and saturated fats (unhealthy fats). Men tend to crave savory foods, while women tend to crave sweet and high-fat foods. There are 2 types of food craving:

• Selective: craving for specific foods, such as burgers from a favorite fast-food restaurant since forever, chocolate-flavored banana chips, or donuts with favorite toppings.
• Non-selective: the desire to eat anything, but generally occurs due to hunger or thirst.

Food craving is a strong desire to eat specific foods that are usually low in nutrients

Causes

Food cravings usually occur suddenly or because of seeing, smelling, or hearing about specific foods. For example, when you hear a friend's story about buying viral ice cream. There are many factors that can cause someone to experience food cravings, and it's important for you to know them:

1. Physical

Imbalance of hunger and satiety hormones, namely leptin and ghrelin (in ordinary individuals), hormonal changes (during pregnancy), estrogen and progesterone hormone changes that increase appetite especially for carbohydrates (during PMS), lack of sleep, unhealthy eating patterns, dehydration, low physical activity, and frequent consumption of processed foods.

2. Mental

Increased cortisol hormone due to stress (increasing hunger, cravings, or overeating), impulsive personality traits, the relationship between food and specific situations (for example, movies and popcorn, swimming and instant noodles, football matches and hot dogs), and mood (both bad and good).

Replace Your Cravings with Healthier Choices

As mentioned earlier, the foods always craved during food cravings are those that are low in nutrients, so when the desire to eat these foods arises, it's a good idea for you to choose other healthier and nutritious alternatives. Here are some examples of food cravings and their alternative choices:

• Potato chips: peanuts, cashews, and popcorn (preferably without salt or flavoring)
• Chocolate: prioritize products with at least 70% cocoa content
• Sweet cakes or candies: sweet fruits, such as melons, mangoes, berries, or cherries
• Soda (usually high in sugar): soda water with added fruit slices
• Cheese: choose low-fat and low-sodium options

Find healthier alternative foods than your food cravings

I Want to Eat Something "Non-Food"

Craving for certain foods is not due to a specific nutrient deficiency, but if what you crave is something considered "non-food", it may be a sign of nutrient deficiency. Generally, this type of craving is called pica. What is it? Pica is a condition that causes a person to desire non-food items, such as ice, detergent, or even dirt.

Pica most commonly occurs in children and pregnant women, but the exact causes are not known. Research has found that people with pica often have low levels of iron, calcium, or zinc. The desire to eat non-food items is usually relieved when someone receives supplementation of these nutrients.

In conclusion, food craving, or a strong desire to eat certain foods, usually involves specific foods high in sugar, unhealthy fats, and salt. This condition occurs not because of nutrient deficiency. Therefore, instead of consuming nutrient-poor foods, it's better to find other more nutritious alternatives.

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