3. More ways to kick food cravings

 Craving cause #6: Self-medication

Cravings often escalate when we're feeling stressed, rushed, or depressed, says Reardon. That's when the positive emotional associations of simple carbs and their quick-fix to blood sugar seem to make us quickly feel better. The seeming improvement makes us crave the "cure" all the more next time. Thus, we learn to "treat" PMS with chocolate or fix fatigue with a double espresso latte, biscotti on the side.

Even the common premenstrual chocolate cravings seem to be driven by culture and psychology rather than any underlying hormonal trigger or magic ingredient the body is craving, reported University of Pennsylvania doctoral candidate Julia Hormes in a 2010 dissertation on this topic.
To break the craving: Practice other forms of self-care.
Cravings typically last less than 15 minutes. University of Exeter researchers found that taking a short walk for a quarter hour when cravings strike eases them -- possibly because the immediate boost to brain chemistry governing mood overrides the craving's triggering of the reward system.
Feel-good measures that can ease stress or pain better than cookies: exercise, hot baths, scented lotions, a nap, and other forms of self-soothing.

Craving cause #7: Sleep deprivation

Many insomnia sufferers and night owls fail to make the link between tossing and turning at night -- and munching and crunching by day. Sleep deprivation changes the way the body responds to food, say Harvard Medical School researchers. Brain scans showed that men and women who had less sleep showed impaired judgment and less decision-making ability when looking at images of high-calorie foods, compared to a control group.
Stress levels go up when we're sleep deprived, causing the adrenal glands to work overtime, producing excessive cortisol (known as the "stress hormone") in order to better manage the stress on the body. When cortisol levels go up, levels of the hormone DHEA, which is central to maintaining proper levels of sex hormones, like estrogen and testosterone, go down -- a sequence of events that can lead to an increase in sugar cravings. High cortisol levels also can depress mood because of the impact on serotonin. Net result: a growing gnaw to nibble as the day wears on.
To break the craving: Feast on sleep.
Start with basic sleep hygiene -- in a room that's dark, cool, quiet, and has no TV or laptop -- to sleep better. When you seek to snack at bedtime, try foods that help you sleep, such as toast and oatmeal, which elevate blood sugar in a steady way. If you have an ongoing sleep problem, seek a doctor's help to fix it.
A nap can help carry you past the mid-afternoon slump that lack of sleep can worsen. Sunlight, a short walk, and a midday meal with protein can also help.

Craving cause #8: A nutritional deficiency

Many people assume that we snarf pretzels because we need salt, or dream of burgers when we're low in protein. But craving foods rich in nutrients our bodies lack is actually rare, Reardon says. "You're not craving chocolate because you need the tryptophan, serotonin, and magnesium in it, or you'd be eating a banana," she says.
One unusual exception: pica, a craving for nonfood items (often: paint chips, clay, chalk, or dirt) that's often rooted in an iron deficiency or other mineral deficiency. Some people develop a compulsion to chew ice.
To break the craving: Get medical help.
A compulsion to eat nonfood items should always be checked out by a physician.