Harvey Wincadden, PhD, University of Calgary, Canada, has done extensive research on food cravings and found that 96% of women and 68% of men are guilty of “mouth addiction. In general, we listen to our inner call to satisfy our cravings. The difference between ‘mouth addiction’ and bouts of hunger is significant. When you are hungry, you want to eat everything; but when you have a craving, you want to eat a particular kind of food. 1, taste means – nutritional deficiencies The Chinese often say, “three years old to determine the appetite”. In fact, in addition to the geographic environment, since childhood eating habits, genetics and other conventional reasons, preference for a particular taste may also be a signal that you have a nutritional imbalance or health abnormalities. Many foreign studies have shown that there is a relationship between taste preferences and nutritional deficiencies. Many taste preferences can be corrected by richer and fresher foods. 2, love to eat meat – amino acid deficiency! Indicates a lack of amino acids or iron and other minerals in the body is insufficient. Many people face the tempting aroma of meat and grease emitted, no fight, resulting in eating too much, leading to metabolic diseases. Countermeasures: Scented foods such as mushrooms and sesame seeds can be used instead. Mushrooms contain a variety of vitamins, polysaccharides and other phytochemicals that can prevent chronic diseases; sesame seeds are also rich in a variety of vitamins, rich in protein, antioxidants, etc.. In addition, peanuts and soybeans are also good choices. Want to eat fried food and sesame seeds may be because of a lack of calcium; want to eat barbecue may be because of the lack of carbohydrates; want to eat nuts, beans may be because the body lacks tryptophan sulfide; want to drink carbonated drinks may be because you lack of calcium in the body. 3, always want to eat chocolate – lack of B vitamins! B vitamins can help the body’s metabolism, once lacking, people are prone to fatigue, depressed mood. Chocolate can make people feel happy by releasing serotonin. Countermeasures: eat more food rich in B vitamins, such as tomatoes, oranges, grapes, pears and other fruits, in addition to milk, beans, nuts, spinach are rich in vitamin B12. B vitamins can improve the taste of food, the new listing of corn, rice feel more delicious, because it is rich in B vitamins. 4, love to eat sweets – energy deficiency! Dr. Alan Hirsch, head of the Chicago Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, said that a person is eager to eat sweets, it shows that his body energy deficiency. Sweets mainly provide the body with sugar, which is one of the most direct ways to replenish physical energy. It should be reminded that the love of sweets may also be a manifestation of abnormal insulin metabolism. Countermeasures: Sweets mainly supplement energy amino acids, but we can supplement them by eating more lean meat, eggs, fish, yams, beans, yams, roots, etc. Children must not crave sweets such as candy, drinks and ice-cream. The sweet taste will help dampness and produce phlegm, which can easily cause coughing. Parents can make some lotus leaf and mung bean porridge and fruit soup to satisfy their children’s desire for sweets. 5, want to eat salty – too much stress, too fatigue! It is not because they lack sodium in their bodies, but because of too much stress. The more stressed and fatigued people in life, the more they love to eat salty. And the heavy taste will make the taste buds dull, leading to a vicious cycle of eating more and more salty. Some studies have also found that women who regularly consume foods low in calcium love salty things more than the average person. Some experiments have shown that potassium, calcium and iron deficiencies can cause subjects to crave salt intake. Countermeasures: In fact, green vegetables themselves also contain a certain amount of sodium chloride, even if the stir-fry does not put salt, careful experience can also eat a little salt taste. We should consciously reduce the intake of salt and keep a light diet. It is recommended to put some vinegar when stir-frying, and use chili, onion, ginger and garlic to enhance the taste. The truth about “mouth addiction”: 3-6 p.m. is the biggest addiction. Dr. Marcia Levine Pärt of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, an American taste and smell research institute, found that a sudden craving for a certain kind of food occurs overwhelmingly from 3-6 pm. Because the blood sugar in our body is lowering at this time, people start to become lethargic. In order to re-energize, eating something becomes the choice of many people. In addition, research has also found that fond memories of food and sudden coldness or low light can also stimulate you to feel “compelled to eat”. The truth about “mouth addiction”: stressful, premenstrual women are most likely to commit. Several studies have shown that when stressed, people’s resistance to food is reduced and they tend to eat more. Sweet foods in particular stimulate the brain to secrete more serotonin and relieve our restlessness. Women’s appetite before menstruation is also related to this. Women eat to relieve the bad mood or depression caused by PMS. The truth about “mouth addiction”: 5 foods that are the most “addictive” “I often hear people complain that they eat too many foods high in sugar. The most frequent are chocolate, cookies, ice cream, potato chips, cheese,” Dr. Elaine McKee wrote in the U.S. “WebMD” that although these may seem like sweets, they actually indicate that you have a strong craving for fat. “The biggest problem now is that people eat too spontaneously, like to eat hard to eat, do not like to eat a little do not eat.” Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Office Professor Zhang Hu De feels very helpless about the national taste preferences. He said, Chinese medicine is concerned about the five flavors into the five organs, no matter what kind of food, greedy or not to eat will cause the internal organs of the “chain reaction”, is not conducive to health. Teach you a few tricks to get rid of “mouth addiction” In fact, nutrition and taste are not “enemies”. Whether it is a regular meal or a sudden visit to the “mouth”, when satisfying the taste buds, we must not forget about health. At a time when excess nutrition is threatening global health, it is especially important to “put the brakes” on the “addiction” in time. Dr. Elaine McKee gives the following advice: 1, eat enough food every day 20 kinds of food. Eating in favor of food can lead to nutritional imbalance, nutritionists recommend eating at least 20 kinds of food a day to ensure balanced nutrition. Generally speaking, carbohydrates are digested faster than proteins and fats. It is recommended that you eat more foods rich in dietary fiber, such as corn, celery, brown rice, soybeans, oats, buckwheat, bitter melon and fruits, and reduce the intake of meat. A wide variety of food will also help you concentrate. 2, pick small bags of food. If you want to get rid of the “mouth”, Dr. Kelly Brownell, director of the Yale Center for Research on Eating and Weight Abnormalities, gives the best way is to get the tempting food out of sight. If you can’t help but eat, make sure you control the amount. It is recommended that you choose small bags or individually packaged foods that are low in calories, whole grains and other relatively healthy foods. 3. Bring a portion of fruits and vegetables to work. You can prepare a portion of fruits and vegetables the night before and bring it to the office the next day. When you want to eat, use it to “rescue”, so that you can meet your desire for food, but also to take in a wealth of nutrients. For example, a serving of tomatoes, an apple, a plate of vegetable salad. It’s also good to go out and buy some fresh fruit during your lunch break. 4.Gossip with colleagues for a while. When the mood is bad, “mouth” attack, you can chat with colleagues, walk around for a while, or find a friend to help you do shoulder massage, to divert attention and relieve stress.