BBC Morning Live psychologist shares trick to avoid food cravings

Visiting BBC's Morning Live on Friday (November 15), a psychologist shared valuable insights regarding food cravings and methods to manage them. Chatting with Gethin Jones and Michelle Ackerley, the specialist also dismantled a widespread belief about these cravings that many hold dear when considering their diet.

Chartered Psychologist Kimberley Wilson offered her expertise during the broadcast, noting how this season introduces new edibles not commonly found in our usual diets. "So in the same way that we value diamonds, because they are rare and restricted, when you have a restricted food or a limited time offer, suddenly your brain says 'this is really valuable to me'." This ensues heightened desire for such foods.

She also mentioned Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) as a potential catalyst for increased yearning for certain nourishments. Whether one hankers for chocolate, pastries, or ice cream, Wilson suggested, "we might crave food to shift our state and make us feel better".

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She poised the question of what other stimuli could prompt food cravings and what strategies could be employed to mitigate them.

Busting a common myth, she explained: "Most of the times your cravings aren't linked to deficiencies. That's a bit of a myth." She clarified that it's more about mood: "You're feeling a bit meh and what you want is the sugar which acts on the reward centre," to lift your spirits, reports the Mirror.

She pointed out that during your period, you might crave chocolate thinking it's for magnesium, but since pumpkin seeds are richer in the mineral and less craved, it's likely the sugar hit and the pleasure it brings that you're after.

'Urge surfing' is a technique described as 'riding' a craving like a wave. It involves waiting out the desire until it passes naturally.

Distracting oneself with different activities can help manage the craving until it diminishes. For instance, with chocolate cravings, "you might wait 10 minutes and see what's the intensity of that craving", she suggests.

By delaying gratification, "let me see how I feel in 10 minutes", she notes that typically "what you usually see is that the intensity rises and then it comes down and then you have your brain back and you can carry on for the rest of the day", effectively overcoming the craving.

Cautioning people against restrictive diets and suggesting techniques such as distractions like playing a game or watching TV until the urges subside, she warns: "When you make something really restricted and unavailable, then what you do as you're telling your brain that it's really valuable and really important and I have to focus all my attention on getting it and also when I get it. So the less restrictive you are, the less power and value that food has and it comes a neutral food like peas and carrots. You don't have to worry about it, try not to feel guilty. It's not about being weak or being disciplined, it's actually the habits you get into and working out what your habits are and if you need to change them then do."

The NHS supports this approach, stating that: "Urge surfing is the name sometimes given to 'riding' a craving or an urge. This involves riding out the feelings of desire. Some people find it useful to observe the intensity of their craving. If left unsatisfied the craving may intensify at first but with time it diminishes. Some people notice waves of desire; the way urges can build and then diminish has been compared to a wave in the ocean and this is where the name urge surfing comes from. Finding alternative activities can help to pass the time until the craving or urge diminishes. Discovering what works for you will be invaluable."

Alongside the health service, Harvard's The Nutrition Source has found: "Different areas of the brain makeup the reward system, but the key part of the brain related to cravings and regulating appetite is called the hypothalamus. It is a tiny pea-sized area that comprises less than 1% of the weight of the brain.

"It regulates the secretion of chemicals and hormones related to stress, pleasure, pain, and hunger. A neurotransmitter in the hypothalamus called dopamine, the 'feel good' chemical, sends messages to other nerves to signal positive emotions that are associated with rewarding experiences."

"The expectation of receiving a reward, not necessarily the reward itself, stimulates higher dopamine activity. Dopamine release is even larger if the reward is greater than anticipated, which may stimulate a person to seek that experience or substance again and again. Eating certain foods repeatedly that stimulate the reward region is believed by some researchers to lead to addictive food behaviours or emotional overeating."