Hungry for Truth about Cravings

I think we all have a food weakness, or maybe two. Mine are french fries. I’ve loved them since I was a kid. Hot, greasy and salty. Totally satisfying to my taste buds.

If they weren’t so unhealthy – it takes me about an hour of intense exercise to burn off one large serving – I’d eat them pretty regularly.

And now I know why.

It’s all in my head.

Some very savvy researchers at Yale University conducted a small study that found people tend to feel more satisfied with the food they eat, if they think they’re eating something decadent.

Volunteers were asked to drink milk shakes on two separate occasions, according to the study published online in Health Psychology. Researchers told them one milkshake had 620 calories with 30 grams of fat; the other milkshake had only 140 calories and no fat.

But in reality the milkshakes were identical: they both topped 380 calories. However, the volunteers’ hunger hormone levels rose dramatically before they drank the allegedly high-calorie milkshake.

So, what does this mean?

Well, it could explain why so many people find eating healthy food, like a salad with grilled chicken breast, less satisfying than a cheeseburger.

I say you go with what makes your body feel good in the long run. And sadly, it’s not french fries.

Alice Warchol is a fitness instructor and freelance health writer.

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