What’s Really Behind Those Cravings

Did cavemen crave fast food? Credit: Lord Jim, Flickr.

Where Cravings Come From

Thanks to our cave-dwelling ancestors, whenever the body senses a stressful situation, cortisol levels rise and kick cravings into overdrive. In 20,000 B.C. this first line of defense was imperative for survival. Today, unless you are a contestant on Naked and Afraid, it’s pretty much useless and only leads to overeating.
Cravings are not the same as hunger. A caveman’s inner voice told him to load up on the nourishment; it didn’t say “Man, I’ve just got to have me some wildebeest, like right now!’ Cravings are specific and usually have little do with physical hunger.
Many cravings are emotion-based and can be triggered by such things as loneliness, a bad day at work, boredom or frustration. Consuming comfort food lets us escape our troubles, if only momentarily, and often reminds us of a time in our life that was less problematic.
Since life’s ups and downs are impossible to escape, the next time an emotional craving threatens, distract yourself before you dive head first into that vat of ice cream.