The term itself is awfully unscientific. One person's cravings may be another's idle desire and someone else's burning obsession. If you're like me, the eleven o'clock news stimulates a powerful desire to consume a bowl of ice cream and the aforementioned chocolate chips. The other is not so benign and falls into the category of eating disorder. Although not all clinicians like to go that far.
Experts say it's difficult to explain what mechanism is responsible for cravings.
Some blame a powerful psychological dynamic. Others say cravings represent a physiological need that must be satisfied. But Dr. Jeffrey Hampl, a dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, doubts that theory. Some people say that it's a nutrient deficiency that causes us to seek out that food. I don't believe that's true.