How to Resist Cravings

You know the feeling: You pass by the ice cream section of the grocery store or see a commercial for fast food, and suddenly that's all you can think about, even if you weren't hungry before. That's not regular hunger—it's a craving.

Satisfying cravings often leaves you wanting more—both physically and psychologically. Over time, this feedback loop can lead to health problems like obesity, depression, and anxiety.

Cravings can feel hard to control, but they're normal and very common. Fortunately, there are several ways to manage them, says Columbia psychologist Jared O'Garro-Moore, PhD, an expert in mood and anxiety disorders.

One aspect of Dr. O'Garro-Moore's work is helping people separate the craving from the behavior. "We often confuse the two," he says, but having an urge doesn't mean you have to act on it. "If we change that link between the feeling and the undesired behavior, we can actually do something about it."

What causes cravings?

Food cravings have several causes.

Hormones play an important role in regulating appetite. Some of these hormones are released by the gut and tell the brain when the stomach is empty or full. Others affect hunger indirectly and are released when we're sleep deprived, chronically stressed, taking certain medications, or during certain phases of the menstrual cycle. When any of these hormones become imbalanced, we can experience cravings even when the stomach is full.

Memory, conditioning, and the environments we move through also play a role. Our brains, Dr. O'Garro-Moore explains, have learned to associate certain cues with certain responses: "We crave popcorn at the movies because popcorn is usually paired with a movie," he says. Repeated exposure to the cue can lead to cravings.

Years of research have shown that there's also an emotional component to eating certain foods. "When we feel depressed, we often reach for the high calorie, easily accessible, less effort food," he says. Sugar, in particular, often fills that role. "It makes us feel a lot better very quickly. Sugar is absolutely part of that equation," says Dr. O'Garro-Moore.

Why are cravings hard to control?

Dr. O'Garro-Moore says cravings can be difficult to resist for several reasons. Two of the most common are:

• You're craving addictive foods or beverages. Many highly processed foods and drinks that are high in sugar, fat, or salt release chemicals in the brain like dopamine that strongly stimulate the brain's reward system, producing feelings of pleasure. The more your brain associates eating these foods with feeling good, the more likely you are to seek them out.
• You're still hungry. Sugary snacks and drinks may relieve hunger in the short term, but they rarely provide lasting fullness. This can lead to more frequent snacking throughout the day.

Often, both of these factors are at work. "That's the great but also maddening thing about the human body," says Dr. O'Garro-Moore. "It's multidimensional, so there can be multiple causes at the same time."

Tips for managing cravings

Sometimes it can feel like our cravings control us, rather than the other way around. But research shows cravings can become easier to manage after practicing delaying or resisting the urge to act on them. One evidence-based approach Dr. O'Garro-Moore recommends is called urge surfing: a dialectical behavior therapy and mindfulness technique that acknowledges a craving as a temporary mental experience, not an immediate physical need.

"Rather than indulging a craving the moment you have it, sit with it for a moment," says Dr. O'Garro-Moore. Cravings can come on fast. Taking a few seconds to pause before acting on them can give you more time to be intentional with your choices.

For stubborn cravings, consider these tips:

• Eat balanced meals. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner containing protein, fiber, and high-quality carbs can help you feel full longer and reduce hunger cravings.
• Keep healthy snacks like precut vegetables, ready-to-eat fruit, hard-boiled eggs, nuts, cheese sticks, and hummus at home and carry them with you during the day.
• Drink water. Dehydration can feel similar to hunger, plus water can help you feel fuller.
• Distract yourself. Taking a walk, reading a magazine, or calling a friend can interrupt the craving.
• Change your environment. If a craving is triggered by seeing a specific kind of food or being in a certain place, moving to a different space or removing the trigger can make it easier to resist.

When to see a doctor about cravings

Most cravings are temporary and aren't cause for concern. But if lifestyle changes don't help curb your cravings, speak to a healthcare professional, especially if:

• Your cravings feel overwhelming or cause feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, or shame
• Your cravings lead to binge eating or weight gain
• You crave alcohol, nicotine, or other harmful substances
• You crave non-food items like dirt or ice, which may signal an eating disorder called pica. Pica can be caused by pregnancy, iron deficiency, neurodevelopmental conditions like autism, or mental health conditions.
• Psychotherapy, medications, and support groups can help significantly reduce the impact cravings have on your daily life.