There are many reasons why the munchies a.k.a cravings occur. Before we all give in to our cravings we should evaluate ourselves and ask why we want the food.
The first reason we tend to binge out on food is our emotions. If someone is feeling sad, lonely or depressed then they may have a tendency to eat more sweets. The same thing could also happen if someone is having the best and happiest day of their life.
Another reason is because eating late at night or during certain events is a habit. For example a person has a habit of eating a bowel of ice cream every day after dinner. This habit can cause a lot of weight gain especially if it is not done moderately.
Mental association is another reason that we crave foods. This is basically like seeing the McDonald's sign as your driving down the interstate then all of sudden the craving of a Big Mac arises. Mental association is when we see things that remind us of food and makes us crave it.
Of course dieting makes us crave food. The moment we decide to remove bread from our diet is when we start craving yeast rolls. Some people say to allow a cheat day or meal while dieting but be careful not to eat 3,000 calories while doing so.
Many people do not realize that craving may also have to do with hormones in our brain. The hormone serotonin controls our feelings of pleasure and relaxation. If the serotonin levels are low in our brains then the more carbohydrates we crave because they contain tryptophan. Tryptophan is a type of amino acid that helps increase serotonin levels. Some diet pills and foods will contain tryptophan to help stop cravings of carbohydrates.
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