How to not give in to cravings

Food cravings are notoriously difficult to resist. A waft of doughnuts frying, a glimpse of salty chips or the rustle of a crisp packet can lead even the strongest willed of us to quickly break our healthy eating resolve.

Cravings are linked to memory.

When we eat a food we like, we create a positive memory. When we associate a food with happy memories, it affects how good we think it tastes and how good it makes us feel, according to Professor Carey Morewedge of Boston University.

Indulge a little.

The more we eat of that food, the more we reinforce this memory. When these positive memories are formed they intrude on our consciousness as a craving. A smell, feeling or place can recall the memory and bring on a craving.

Cravings are closely linked to reward centres in the brain.

Carb-loaded foods such as sugary drinks and chips trigger a pathway of signals to these reward centres, while fatty foods such as cheese take a different route. Mix carbs and fat together, in an ice cream or chocolate for instance, and those reward centres are reinforced, according

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