Food cravings can be intense! Have you ever had an irresistible urge to eat? Usually you desire a specific food or taste. Foods high in sugars or rich in carbohydrates fire off feel-good chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and other relaxing endorphins in the brain. The effects of these chemicals may make a person more likely to seek them out repeatedly.

Cravings are driven by your brain’s need for a “reward” — not your body’s need for food. If you can have only one bite and stop there, indulging a little when you get a craving is absolutely fine. But if you tend to binge and overeat as soon as you get a taste of sugary foods, then giving in to the cravings is the worst thing you can do.

The good news is that once a person kicks the habit, for example by replacing junk food with healthy foods, the cravings usually end soon afterwards.