Episode 10: How do I control my cravings?

In this week’s episode, Jessica is discussing the question: “How do I control my cravings?”  The word “craving” can be associated with many different emotions, feelings, and senses. It is important to remember that we are taking care of our bodies' needs while learning to honor those cravings! 

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Intro

Welcome to the Art and Science of eating. I'm Jessica Begg, registered dietician and clinical counsellor. I worked for fifteen years and programs for the treatment of eating disorders. I now help those that struggle with emotional eating and their relationship with their body. This podcast is where I answer questions to help people along this bumpy journey to creating peace with both food and their body.

Podcast

Hey all I hope you're doing well I am doing well too as well as it can be I guess I've been able to do a bit more things outside safely actually got out to do a hike with a friend and then my husband and I met up with some other friends at a beach for dinner and it was really nice. Still a little bit weird though cuz we would know normally share our dinner together share drinks but we had to do it the old 6 feet away from each other and we brought our own meals which made me think about how important it is to share meals together and to be together and how difficult right it is now cuz we can't be together as much as we would like to I hope that you are getting together and with the people that are important to you as safely as possible whether be online or what not but I'm happy that you're here with me. I think that's also the thing is that I'm really happy to be chatting with you all and that hopefully we can create this space where we come together and at the moment I am still recruiting people to have questions so if you've never talked to me and you have an or if you have talked to me and you know me but if you have an any kind of an inkling of like hey I love to hash this question out that I have with Jessica please do reach out to me this is your sign to reach out to me you can do so on my website ShiftNutrition.com, and if you go to the podcast page it's right on there that you can submit your question right onto the website page or you can email me at support@shiftnutrition.com and we can set a time that we can chit chat. I would love to hear from you.

So this week's question and it's week 10 episode 10 which is amazing I can't believe we've done 10 here we go and we're kind of right in it so this week's episode 10 is “how do I control my cravings?”

First off, we need to define what we mean by a craving, because people use the same word to mean very different things and different sensations they feel in their body.

One scenario is that cravings are simply wanting a certain type of food. For instance, since it’s a bit drizzly out today, I had a hot bowl of ramen for lunch because it sounded comforting and enjoyable. Or maybe in the afternoon I feel like having a cookie with my tea rather than the “dietitian-approved” nuts and piece of fruit. I packed a cookie because I knew I’d probably want a cookie more than the fruit and nuts. Is that actually problematic? Is it a problem to choose one food over another?

What we may need to unpack is the belief that we should only eat foods that are considered “healthy” all the time. The question becomes: if fruit and nuts are the “healthy” choice, should I always choose them? I don’t think that’s the case. If I’m generally getting fruits and vegetables over the course of my days, weeks, and months, there should also be room for eating foods simply because I enjoy them. Sometimes the craving is just, “I want the cookie.”

At the same time, we do need to take care of our body’s needs. If I ate cookies for every meal and snack, cognitively I know that wouldn’t feel good physically. But the opposite is also true. Eating nuts and fruit for every meal and snack wouldn’t be healthy either. It becomes monotonous, not just physically but mentally. We need variation, enjoyment, and fun with food, while also caring for our body. Assuming there’s some balance there, cravings to me are just a normal part of living. We should have foods that we want and enjoy.

A second scenario is when someone calls the early signs of hunger a craving. As we move away from fullness and toward hunger, our thoughts naturally start shifting toward food. After a meal, when I’m no longer full and I’m starting to get hungry again, I may start thinking, “What am I going to eat?” or “I kind of feel like this or that.” Sometimes people label that as a craving, but it may simply be hunger.

As hunger intensifies, cravings often intensify too. I notice that when I’m very hungry, my cravings become more elaborate and exciting. I start fantasizing about what I’m going to eat because I may have waited too long to eat. So sometimes cravings are simply an early signal from the body saying, “Hey, I think I’m hungry.”

In that situation, maybe I don’t necessarily want cookies for lunch, but I probably should eat the lunch I packed first. Then, once I’ve addressed the intense hunger, I can reevaluate whether I still want the cookies afterward.

Another version of this is when someone hasn’t eaten enough earlier in the day. Maybe they skipped breakfast, had a light lunch, and then ate dinner, but later at night they experience what feel like intense, unexpected cravings.

When we reflect on it, though, that evening eating may actually just be the body catching up. If breakfast and lunch were too small, then dinner might effectively only be meal number two, and the nighttime eating becomes meal number three. Because it wasn’t planned, it can feel chaotic or out of control, but often it’s really just the body trying to compensate for not getting enough earlier.

A classic example is having a very light lunch because you’re busy and distracted during the day. Then by evening, you’re tired, your hunger catches up with you, and suddenly it feels overwhelming. You may not have noticed much hunger earlier, but it’s showing up later in a way that feels much less manageable. Sometimes eating more consistently earlier in the day—even if you don’t feel especially hungry in the moment—can help prevent that pattern.

The last scenario is when you’re not actually physically hungry at all. We’ve talked about cravings connected to physical hunger, but distinguishing physical hunger from emotional hunger can be really difficult.

I often encourage clients to actually eat something when they’re unsure. Without experimenting, it can be almost impossible to tell the difference. Pull out a legitimate snack—not just a single cracker “to test it”—but something satisfying, like crackers and cheese, and sit down with it. As you eat, notice what happens.

If it’s physical hunger, food should feel like it’s addressing the need. There’s usually a sense of, “Oh, okay, this is helping.” The hunger settles. If it’s emotional hunger, sometimes the intensity actually increases, or the experience just feels different. By experimenting with eating, you can start learning the difference.

If it’s physical hunger, continue eating until you feel satisfied. If it’s emotional hunger, then we can begin asking what’s actually going on emotionally in that moment.

Are you feeling restless or anxious? One reason food works so well is because it’s active. We get up, walk into the kitchen, move around, prepare something, eat, chew, and engage our senses. Movement helps discharge restlessness, which is why walking or physical movement can help anxiety.

But often at night we don’t have the energy for a walk, even though we still feel restless. That’s where food can fit in really naturally.

The question becomes: how else can we use tools in our toolbox? Sometimes it can be as simple as getting up, swinging your arms, taking a few deep breaths, and moving your body a little. You don’t necessarily need a huge intervention. Sometimes just interrupting the feeling with movement and breath can help shift things slightly.

Honestly, if you’ve reached the point where you can even distinguish between physical hunger and emotional hunger, that’s already a huge milestone. That’s stage one. Even if you still use food afterward, that awareness matters.

Once you become more skilled at recognizing what’s happening, then you can start experimenting with additional coping tools. Maybe it’s restlessness, and movement helps. Maybe it’s sadness, grief, or loneliness, and what you actually need is soothing and comfort.

Food can absolutely be soothing, but there are other soothing tools too. Maybe it’s a hot shower. Personally, I love using a hot water bottle because I often get a sore stomach when I’m stressed. My brain has made the connection that heat helps me feel better, so even when I’m sad or overwhelmed, I’ll curl up on the couch with a hot water bottle and it feels comforting.

For someone else, it might be calling a friend or reaching out for connection. The more you learn what sensations show up in your body, the easier it becomes to choose tools that match the feeling. Some people notice anxiety as tightness in their chest or neck, which may respond well to movement. Others feel sadness lower in their stomach and may benefit more from quiet, comforting activities.

Even as we build these new coping skills, I think it’s really important to keep food in the picture. Food should soothe us sometimes. It’s only when food becomes the only coping strategy that it can become problematic.

I actually like including food while people build new skills because it helps those new tools feel successful. Just like my brain learned that a hot water bottle feels comforting, we can pair food with other forms of soothing and gradually broaden our coping toolbox over time. As that toolbox expands, we may rely less heavily on food—but that doesn’t mean we should never use food for comfort.

Food is such an integral part of our lives. We use it to celebrate, to connect, to comfort ourselves, and sometimes even when we’re angry or stressed. That ramen noodle soup I had for lunch was genuinely soothing. It was warm, salty, tasty, and comforting. If I had forced myself to eat nuts and fruit while telling myself to just call a friend instead, that wouldn’t actually have supported me very well in that moment.

We need a variety of tools, different levels of skills, and different ways of supporting ourselves depending on what we’re experiencing.

I hope that helps you understand cravings a little bit more. I’d love to hear your thoughts, because these are just some possible scenarios and there may be others. If you have a specific experience with cravings that confuses you, let me know. I’d love to dig deeper into the topic.

That’s it for now, and I’ll chat with you all next week.

Disclaimer

This podcast is for education and information purposes only please consult your own health care team to discuss what is right for you and your care.