Why We Crave: It's not willpower, it's biology
Cravings: The Beast That Binds Us
Setting the Scene
It’s Saturday night. You waited all week for this moment. Your most current favorite show is on or a heavy hitter from the twenty ten’s. Dinner was pretty good and you’d been on your game all week. You had the salads, you prepped a week of meals, actually ate them and kept up with your hydration goals. You were ‘good’. It’s the weekend so you decide to stay up a little longer. Watch one more episode. Then it hits you; you want something. Your eyes dart around while you think about what’s in the cupboard … fridge … freezer. Checking inventory. You remember there is something to snack on. But will it, ‘do it’ for you? Some snacks are like gateway snacks. You have some, it doesn’t quite do the thing so you follow it up with something else because now you’re already snacking and might as well keep going. You consider ordering. You’ve not ordered all week. You have it in your budget. You could order … something.
This is always how the negotiations start between me and my inner saboteur. Just one snack. Just this night. Then my saboteur reminds me how GoPuff never messes up my address, how they bring the treat straight to my door like a silent accomplice allowing me to stay crusty. I started browsing the internet-aisles long before I even officially decided I’d give in. That’s how fast it happens. And by the time I said to myself, “I can get back on track tomorrow,” I already knew I wouldn’t. Not easily, anyway.
The Loop
It’s a battle we sometimes lose. I, for one, have “lost” several thousand times in my life. You give in once and then it becomes so much easier to keep giving in. Before you know it, you’re 5 miles down the road in the opposite direction with too much Cheeto dust or melted Tony’s Chocolonley on your fingers to type into maps your original destination: ‘Healthy Balanced Lifestyle’ (queue the chorus of angels in the background- ‘ahhhh’).
So far from the “promised” land. Forgetting health is a journey, not a destination. You feel completely deflated and possibly physically like shit too from the trash you consumed. Maybe even filled with some regret. But, then, maybe not. I’ve certainly felt both immense regret which I needed to stuff down and move on from expeditiously and also absolutely none at all. Like, when something was so absolutely fucking delicious I did not give one single shit if it “wasn’t on my plan”. A very real instance when a vegan fried hot chicken sandwich on brioche was so immensely delicious that for a brief and lovely moment, I threw my pre diabetes blood work to the wind and had not a single care in the world - aside from rationing the ranch.
Ah, man. Cravings can be such a bitch. Let’s dive in.
Disclaimer: I’m not an expert. I’m just an imperfect person on a health journey who loves learning the science behind things so I can make better choices for myself.
This is for me. But also, maybe, for you. Take it as education, not prescription.
Behind the Cravings: What’s Really Happening
We crave sugar—and it’s not because we’re weak.
It’s because sweet foods fire up the brain’s reward center, releasing dopamine (our “feel-good” chemical) which lights up the mesolimbic pathway, and plays a huge role in pleasure and motivation.
The more rewarding a food feels, the more our brain wants it again. And hyper-palatable foods (think sugar + salt + fat + flavorings) are designed to be rewarding. They don’t just taste good — they literally override our natural hunger cues.
That hit of “feel-good” chemistry can be especially powerful if we’re already feeling low—emotionally depleted, stressed, or just disconnected from joy. These foods are intentionally engineered to be hyper-palatable (taste and look really friggin’ good)—layering sugar, fat, salt, and chemical additives (like artificial flavors and colors) to maximize taste and appearance. This makes them far more rewarding than whole foods, and much more likely to be craved. (The Hungry Brain by Stephan Guyenet, 2017)
There are two key systems influencing what—and how—we eat: the homeostatic system, which keeps track of our body’s energy needs (real genuine hunger), and the hedonic system, which is driven by pleasure and reward (imposter hunger/desire to just eat something). These two systems don’t work in isolation—they interact constantly. And sometimes, the imposter hunger overrides our actual hunger /energy needs. That’s why we often keep eating, even when we’re full, or find ourselves reaching for foods that have little nutritional value but feel good.
What’s more: repeatedly eating these highly rewarding foods can actually change our brain itself—rewiring circuits and increasing the drive to eat, even in the absence of hunger. Very similar to addiction patterns. (Lutter & Nestler (2009). “Homeostatic and Hedonic Signals Interact in the Regulation of Food Intake.”)
**TL;DR**:
We crave sugar and processed foods because they light up the brain’s reward system—not because we’re weak. These foods trigger dopamine, making us feel good (especially when we’re stressed or low). And, get this, it’s not just the moment of biting into them that will do it – it’s the anticipation of said bite, too. These foods are designed to taste really damn good—way more tasty than whole foods – and this messes with our natural hunger cues. Over time, that constant stimulation can rewire the brain, increasing cravings and making it harder to stop, even when we’re not actually hungry.
How Hormones Contribute to Cravings
Here’s what happens after that hit of sugar or carbs:
Your blood sugar spikes.
Then your body releases insulin to mop it up.
But soon after? Crash.
Now you’re tired, irritable, and craving more.
It’s not a personal failing — it’s biology.
If you have insulin resistance, it’s even trickier. Your cells don’t respond well to insulin, so sugar lingers in your bloodstream. Your body panics and releases more insulin… and the crash feels heavier.
Over time, this messes with other hormones like leptin (which says “I’m full”) and ghrelin (which says “I’m hungry”). Now we can’t even trust our hunger cues.
I started noticing my body was off when I’d eat something sweet or carby then, out of nowhere, get sleepy — like, literally knock-out-mid-duolingo-lesson kind of sleepy. That was the first sign that something was off and I didn’t think it was narcolepsy. This is what led me to read “Glucose Revolution” by Jessie Inchauspé, and learn more about glucose, insulin and blood sugar. This led me to discover I might be Insulin Resistant. And, I wasn’t the only one. It was actually inspiring seeing how many people had access to this helpful information already. But, then I started seeing how many more people could use this information still.
Just because something is common, doesn’t mean it’s normal. I had to dive in further.
For people with insulin resistance, diagnosed or not, the body doesn’t respond to insulin as well as it should. So instead of the sugar moving into the cells efficiently and proving energy, it lingers in the bloodstream. The body tries to fix this by pumping out more insulin, which only makes the crash-and-crave cycle more intense.
**TL;DR**:
Refined sugars and simple carbs cause a quick spike in blood sugar, followed by a crash — which leads to fatigue and cravings. For people with insulin resistance (which is super common), this cycle is even more intense. Over time, this messes with key hunger hormones which tell us when we’re full and when we’re hungry, making it harder to know when we should stop eating.
Cravings aren't just about willpower — they're biological.
Wait — hang on …
before we shift focus to closing that loop of cravings – let’s talk for a second.
I want to make sure that we’re both clear on something.Having cravings, giving in to cravings, yo-yo dieting for what feels like forever, being fat, being skinny, never having to diet at all, being fit, being disciplined, always feeling hungry, having insulin resistance...
– none! of these things —
determine if you’re a good or bad person.
They are not related to who you are as a person at all, but more so how you are experiencing being a person.
Now we know, and the science checks out, that cravings happen because we’re surrounded by food-like products engineered specifically to hijack our brain’s pleasure systems and make us desire them. We know now that years and years of this have led us to a point where our brains and hormones are in on it, too.
Our literal inner saboteur.
There is plenty of evidence that proves this is not our fault, but there is none to prove it is not our responsibility.
Closing the Loop
This is the part of the post where I want to provide us both with real life, fully implementable suggestions. Understanding the science behind it is great, but if you don’t know what to do with that information it’s not really that helpful.
Four Things We Can (actually) Do About It:
Interrupt the habit (reward yourself differently).
More whole foods (and less processed ones).
Delay & distract (just hear it out).
Stop moralizing it (it’s not that serious)
1. Interrupt the Habit (reward yourself differently):
On top of the physiological components we’ve talked about, cravings can be triggered by routines. This is why a huge company like Starbucks, would open shop inside a Target. They’re betting on the pairing to trigger a craving. Make the same bet as them by taking back your own reward system.
Our Challenge:
Identify the trigger > pause to take a 4 second breath > Insert a new response that feels good.
2. More Whole Foods (and less processed ones):
I remember one day it occurred to me, when I was still hungry after eating a small veggie and tofu salad, that I should just eat more of it. If we don’t eat enough healthy food, we’re going to be fighting a losing battle against our brain and hormones encouraging us to eat the processed snack after. A great first step to eating less processed foods, is eating more real foods. If you have to wonder if it’s real, it probably isn’t.
Our Challenge:
When we make our grocery lists this week, switch out a number of processed items for a whole food item or go one for one. If this is particularly challenging for you – be courageous and do it anyway.
(Be sure not to get caught up looking for the the whole food equivalent of something. You aren’t going to find a Flamin’ Hot Cheeto growing from the earth. Get real food instead that you can enjoy and start adding it into your days this week.)
3. Delay and Distract (just hear it out):
Dr. Alan Marlatt, a Clinical Psychologist and Researcher at University of Washington known for his work in addiction relapse prevention introduced the technique of “Urge Surfing” in the early 1990s. It’s essentially a mindfulness technique where you recognize a craving, acknowledge it, and just let it rise and fall without acting on it. You ride the wave instead of fighting it or giving in to it. Cravings are usually short lived (10-15 minutes) so they will go away each time after they come. (National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Cravings and Urges.)
Our Challenge:
Implement “riding the wave” technique. Literally wait it out.
4. Stop Moralizing it (it’s not that serious):
If we take a step back, we remember how BIG the big picture really is. There is a lot of shit going on in the world. A lot of really sad, inhumane, sometimes mind blowing, sometimes heartbreaking – shit.
At the end of the day there isn’t a single thing available in a grocery store you could eat that exclusively would make you a bad person. I don’t know you, so you could be a total asshat, but it’s not because you wanted Pop Tarts for dinner. Stop giving so much power to wheat-thins, man, seriously. Food isn’t morally bad or good.
Some of it is more nutritious, some of it is less.
Our Challenge:
Actually allow enjoyment of something without shame and guilt, regardless of what the thing is. Do this by refusing to use labels that moralize our food choices. I.e. Cut yourself some slack.
Bonus Suggestions:
Prioritize sleep.
Reduce Stress (which spikes cortisol, another disrupted hormone, and contributes to sugar cravings).
Drink More Water. (Most of us don’t hydrate enough.)
Slow down and chew more while eating a meal. (Science backs this).
Prioritize fiber, healthy fat and protein in all meals to feel more satiated. (Also, science backed.)
Would you enjoy a follow up post that focuses on suggestions 5 - 9?
Let me know in the comments.