Adherence
Dietary restriction and attempted food deprivation increase the frequency and intensity of food cravings, whereas fasting generally suppresses them.
Do not assume that craving means you are nutritionally deficient. If you are restricting foods, expect cravings to increase due to psychological factors like thought suppression and cue reactivity. This is a normal psychological response to restriction, not a biological signal. To manage it, focus on the psychological triggers (mood, cues) rather than just the food itself, and consider that fasting may actually suppress cravings while partial restriction increases them.
Dieting or restrained eating generally increase the likelihood of food craving while fasting makes craving, like hunger, diminish. Attempted restriction or deprivation of a particular food is associated with an increase in craving for the unavailable food.
Why this rating
The paper synthesizes multiple prospective, experimental, and clinical studies, distinguishing between weak cross-sectional data and stronger prospective/experimental findings.
Source
The psychology of food craving
Andrew J. Hill · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · 2007
DOI 10.1017/s0029665107005502
More from this paper
- Thought suppression and cognitive load increase the accessibility and salience of forbidden foods, leading to ironic rebound effects on craving and consumption.Good
- Food cravings are strongly associated with negative mood states (boredom, anxiety, dysphoria) and are often used as a mechanism for emotional regulation.Good
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →