Interpreting Your Personality Through Food Cravings

Food cravings often have a life of their own. I have a friend who once braved a rainstorm because she had to have a bag of salty potato chips. I thought she was crazy, but it seems that food cravings may have specific reasoning behind them, and may tell us something about who we are. Alan R. Hirsch, M.D., head of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago and the author of “What Flavor Is Your Personality?” has spent a career try to understand what our cravings say about us. After studying the food choices and cravings of almost 20,000 people for the last 25 years, Hirsch has found some consistent generalizations of what our cravings say about our personalities . To find out if your craving means you’re a loner or the life of the party, read more. If you crave chocolate, you’re probably needing a bit of a mood booster. This makes sense to me since I always crave chocolate before I get my period and my mood is a bit down. Chocolate stimulates serotonin production in the brain, the chemicals responsible for pleasure. According to Hirsch, people who crave dark chocolate are “social butterflies” and the “life of the party.” Milk

chocolate cravings indicate you’re more “introspective and quiet.” My friend might like to know that her craving for salty potato chips could indicate she’s got a mineral deficiency, specifically potassium, calcium, and iron. Hirsh says that people who like the salt lick “go with the flow” and “believe that outside forces determine their fate.” If you love spicy foods like Mexican or Thai, it might mean you have problems cooling down. Eating spicy foods raise your body temperature and force you to perspire. It could mean that you “dislike order and wasting time” too. If sugar gets you going, chances are you’re looking for an energy boost. Sugarholics tend to “walk toward the wild side” and live a carefree lifestyle with “few regrets.” If you like the combination of sweet and salty foods it could be an indication that your body’s cells are feeling sluggish since they need glucose and sodium to function properly. And though you’re “a loner,” you’re probably a bit on the creative side. Some might describe you as being “standoffish” but you’re really just “private.” Where do you fall in this spectrum, and do you think these interpretations hold water?

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Interpreting Your Personality Through Food Cravings