Sweet or sour, cravings bite if you are bored and unfit

Keep the pain at bay by planning - and by having healthy snacks available for the danger hours between 3 pm and 6 pm. KATHERINE HOBY reports.

It's 11 am. You had breakfast at 7 and lunch seems an eternity away.

Your body wants sustenance. You can't think of anything else, and before you know it you have given in to your craving and eaten a bag of potato chips.

Later that day, at 4 pm, as the clock hands creep towards hometime, you feel low on energy and begin to crave something sweet.

One chocolate bar later ... well, you know the drill.

But what triggers a food craving?

Your own diet and eating habits dictate your cravings, moods and energy levels. It begins in the nerve cells, which communicate by releasing chemicals called neurotransmitters. These send messages from one nerve cell to another and dictate how we act, what we feel and what we eat.

Auckland dietitian Anna Richards says people often have cravings because they are not eating the right sorts of foods at the right times.

"Many people do eat well at mealtimes, but with snacks they tend to go for junk food because they have allowed their blood sugars to drop too low," she says.

People often expect lunch, eaten about 12.30 pm or 1 pm, to carry them through to dinnertime, which might be at 7.30 pm.

"That is an unrealistic expectation," Mrs Richards says.

Planning and having healthy snacks on hand is important.

"You shouldn't get to the situation where you're so ravenous you get intense cravings and cave in straight away."

Mrs Richards says a craving at "peak time" - between 3 pm and 6 pm - is often not about food at all.

"Cravings are not always hunger-related. Often they are all about boredom. If there's nothing else to do, people eat."

Do cravings differ between men and women?

In general, yes. Men are more likely to prefer protein-fat mixtures such as steak, potatoes and gravy or hamburgers. Women crave sugar-fat mixtures, such as ice cream, cookies, cake and, of course, chocolate.

Research has suggested these age-old cravings were useful in the days when men needed to maintain high levels of muscle mass to hunt.

"On the whole men tend to have a more savoury tooth," Mrs Richards says.

Women are much worse than men at skipping meals. Men are better at eating regular meals and tend to eat more at mealtimes.

"Women are terrible at skipping meals and congratulating themselves for reducing calorie intake by not eating," she says.

"But that often brings on cravings, low energy, or a binge once they get home."

Cravings amplify during the two weeks prior to a woman's period, due to pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS). This is probably because fluctuating oestrogen levels have a domino effect on brain chemistry, sending many appetite control chemicals into a tailspin.

Mrs Richards says blood sugars are lower due to hormonal fluctuations.

"Women tend to go for sugary things even more when they're pre-menstrual."

Will a craving pass, or should I give in to it?

Sometimes it may pass after about 15 minutes, but repeatedly resisting cravings may set you up to binge. Many dietitians recommend giving in when you've got it bad.

The timing of a craving usually relates to something we did or did not eat earlier in the day, right?

Yes, skipping a meal can cause blood sugar to drop, leading to afternoon cravings: 3 pm to 6 pm is the prime time for cravings. You should never let more than four or five hours go between meals or snacks.

Why is it that women crave chocolate?

Chocolate is the most-craved food. The very taste of chocolate on the tongue is likely to release endorphins in the brain, which produces a euphoric feeling. The sugar in chocolate may raise seratonin levels and soothe a gloomy mood.

Recent American research shows cocoa powder is the richest food source of antioxidants known. Antioxidant is a term for substances that prevent the destruction of healthy cells by protecting them from the toxic effects of oxygen.

The chemical cocktail contained is also reputed to promote feelings of well-being, diminish anxiety and reduce sensitivity to pain while acting as a mild aphrodisiac.

In short, there is nothing that will soothe a chocolate craving but chocolate.

Mrs Richards says people who exercise tend to choose better foods for themselves and therefore are not so likely to crave.

How can we control cravings for food?

* Listen to your cravings. They're telling you something - generally that you haven't eaten properly.

* Cut back on caffeine or sugar. These quick-fix solutions only amplify cravings in the long run.

* Give in to it. If the craving doesn't go away, eat the desired food instead of stuffing yourself with everything but. Try to eat just a couple of squares of chocolate rather than the whole bar.

* Exercise. People who exercise generally report fewer cravings than those who do not exercise.

- Additional information: Reuters