Food Craving is a physical condition that has both physical, and psychological or behavioural aspects, to it. Food Craving once in a while, or to a small extent, is not a problem, it can be easily manageable and reversed. However, if it is not addressed, it can lead to food addictions over time, the nature of which is similar to drug and alcohol addiction. In such a case, there are serious complications such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, liver disease and certain cancers too. In this article, we will learn how to manage these cravings.
A few hours after we have had a meal and the food is being digested, a hormone called Motilin triggers what is called ‘Migrating Motor Complex’ (MMC). This is a period of intense electromechanical activity in the smooth muscles of the GI tract. This occurs in phases. Towards the end of the activity, undigested food is swept up and pushed through the digestive tube for storage and elimination later. Then a series of small contractions happen in these muscles. That is the rumbling sensation that happens in the stomach when we feel hungry. A hormone called ghrelin is also released in the stomach. These are signals to the person that he/she must consume energy-rich food now. The hunger mechanism or circuitry happens out of the hypothalamus which lies at the base of the brain.
Once the person responds to the hunger signals and starts consuming a meal, appetite hormones such as glucagon-like-peptide and cholecystokinin are released from the digestive tract, while hormone leptin is released from the fat cells. All these cause feelings of fullness and sends a signal to brain, which in turn tells the person to stop eating.
The above cycle goes on smoothly as long as the person is consuming a healthy diet which is not too heavy on sugar, salt or fat, the person is not stressed out, and he/she has had adequate sleep. However, if these conditions are not met, the digestion cycle goes haywire and the secretion of hormones gets disturbed.
Hyperpalatable foods are a class of foods that are quick and easy to digest because they are heavy in starch or refined carbohydrates. They are also rich in salt and fat. Typical examples would be potato chips, French fries, packaged snacks and condiments made of maida, bakery items, sweets and sweetened beverages like soda and fruit juices, and high-fat items like ice-cream and milk-chocolate. All these are quick to digest so they cause rapid spikes in insulin and blood-sugar. Further, they are considered ‘tasty’ by the person and he/she would like to consume them again.
When we consume Hyperpalatable foods or those that are rich in fat, sugar and salt (what we call unhealthy food), over and again, the digestive cycle described in the previous section gets disturbed. It triggers the release of metabolic hormones like insulin, stress hormones like cortisol and dopamine, and appetite hormones like leptin and ghrelin. These cause the ‘reward centre’ in the brain to get activated. This is an area deep inside the brain and includes regions such as the hippocampus, insula and caudate. This is the area or mechanism that is responsible for our understanding of risk (or activity to be performed) and the reward that can be expected out of it. This governs all domains of our life and just not food alone. Once the area gets lighted up (after consuming Hyperpalatable foods), this memory is stored in the brain.
As a result of the memory, the person tends to crave or desire that particular food or similar foods once again. And each time he/she indulges the craving by consuming that exact food (and not regular, healthy food), the memory gets enhanced. In times of physical or emotional stress, or when the person has not had adequate sleep, the same cravings get activated, and the person reaches out to such food as against regular, healthy food. That is why, they are called ‘comfort food’ (as they give a false sense of comfort) and lead to bouts of binge-eating.
If these cycles are not broken (by adopting a healthy lifestyle), the person can get addicted to such foods. That is, even after consuming a meal and is actually full, he/she craves for that kind of food. And even while consuming that food, the feeling of fullness does not happen quickly, so he/she tends to consume more of that food, thereby creating a vicious cycle of weight-gain, stress, more craving and more indulgence.
Our earlier article – ‘8 effective ways to manage food craving’ – has covered this in detail. So, we will only give some brief pointers here.
Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.
Chennai – Alwarpet/Vadapalani 044 4000 6000 • Trichy – Cantonment – 0431 4077777 • Trichy – Heartcity – 0431 4003500 • Trichy – Tennur – 0431 4022555 • Hosur – 04344 272727 • Salem – 0427 2677777 • Tirunelveli – 0462 4006000 • Bengaluru – 080 6801 6801
