Let me start by saying that craving (in my mind) is not the same as an addiction, nor is it "having the taste" for something. It is somewhere in the middle.
I believe that cravings are mostly caused by two things:
One, our bodies are crying out for nourishment that is lacking in our diet choices.
Two, our bodies are crying out for substances (including sugars, fats, and salt) of which we have habitually been overindulgent.
So, why not combine the thoughts?
Why do I crave chocolate? Is it JUST because I've become so used to eating it?
I realized that I ate more chocolate when I became stressed and/or tired. I remembered that the B family of vitamins deals a lot with energy and stress and thought I would try increasing my B's as a way to fight the chocolate cravings. It helped a lot. I also saw that eating a "whole foods" diet became very beneficial. I started getting more essential nutrients that my body needed by eating foods that were "richer". That decreased my hunger and my tendency to snack. Too often, I was eating candy and other junk food to tide me over to the proverbial "next meal".
Do I still eat chocolate? Yes. Do I overindulge like I used to? No. This brings us to the self-control issue. It used to be that if I had chocolate in the house, it would woo me. If I opened a box or just a bar (no matter what size), it would forever woo me by the minute, the hour, the day, or even the week until it was gone.
I no longer have the cravings. I now keep a bag of individual chocolate squares in my refrigerator, where they can sit for months before I have a taste for some. And THEN one square is enough... The same can be done with other cravings.
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