Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with GoogleGet your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
How To Overcome The Cravings For Junk Food And Sweets?
I ve been having intense cravings for the past 6 years. I mostly crave high caloric foods - especially sugar. I ve been able to eat over a dozen cookies at a time, 6 candy bars, or 8 donuts. I ve been relating the cause to emotional eating. However, part of me worries that it could be a medical problem. I m 5 4 and 125 pounds. It s frustrating for me because I ve been trying to stop my cravings for a long time (I ll brush my teeth after meals, exercise, eat healthy). Yet, even if something seems to work initially, nothing seems to stop the cravings long-term. Please help.
posted on
Thu, 13 Mar 2014
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Sun, 23 Aug 2015
Answered on
Mon, 24 Aug 2015
Last reviewed on
Dear
Welcome to HCM
We understand your concerns
I went through your details. Body craves for something because it is facing a particular nutrition deficiency. Body asks the deficient item. But every craving is not such. If you crave high caloric food sweets you may be experiencing blood sugar fluctuations. When your blood sugar drops, your body may be trying to get you to give it more fuel to keep your blood sugar levels stable. If this is a chronic occurrence you may have hypoglycemia, which simply means low blood sugar. I suggest you to consult a doctor for investigating other medical conditions.
Before you satisfy cravings, drink a tall glass of pure water. Quite often we misinterpret our body’s signal for thirst as a signal of hunger. By drinking a tall glass of water first, you may be giving your body exactly what it wants and alleviate the craving. Some experts estimate that up to 80 percent of the population is chronically dehydrated, so start with water before you try to decipher your cravings.
If you require more of my help in this aspect, please use this URL. http://goo.gl/aYW2pR. Make sure that you include every minute details possible.
Hope this answers your query. Available for further clarifications.
Good luck. Take care.
Welcome to HCM
We understand your concerns
I went through your details. Body craves for something because it is facing a particular nutrition deficiency. Body asks the deficient item. But every craving is not such. If you crave high caloric food sweets you may be experiencing blood sugar fluctuations. When your blood sugar drops, your body may be trying to get you to give it more fuel to keep your blood sugar levels stable. If this is a chronic occurrence you may have hypoglycemia, which simply means low blood sugar. I suggest you to consult a doctor for investigating other medical conditions.
Before you satisfy cravings, drink a tall glass of pure water. Quite often we misinterpret our body’s signal for thirst as a signal of hunger. By drinking a tall glass of water first, you may be giving your body exactly what it wants and alleviate the craving. Some experts estimate that up to 80 percent of the population is chronically dehydrated, so start with water before you try to decipher your cravings.
If you require more of my help in this aspect, please use this URL. http://goo.gl/aYW2pR. Make sure that you include every minute details possible.
Hope this answers your query. Available for further clarifications.
Good luck. Take care.
I find this answer helpful
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer.
For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service
[Sample answer]
Related questions you may be interested in
Recent questions on Drug rehabilitation
Loading Online Doctors....