A new study has found that the craving you and I often have, for a particular food item (the sort when noting else will do) is really bad for us; physically and mentally. These particular food cravings may be bad for your waistline and may be bad for your brain as well, the study reveals.
If you are obsessing about a particular dessert or snack, you are likely to be unable to concentrate on other tasks; this obsessing may become responsible for a small memory lapse to a big car crash, according to researchers.
Researchers asked the volunteers to participate in a series of tests while their favorite treat was placed unwrapped and within reach in front of them.
They were seen to perform more poorly in memory tests and showed slower reactions than those volunteers who took the same tests without the tasty temptation placed within reach.
According to scientists, when we crave some food of a particular type or brand, our mind makes a mental picture of it, using up mental faculties that would otherwise be utilized for math and memorizing. This compromising of cognitive resources may result in less than optimal performance in everyday situation, lower efficiency and may even increase the risk of accidents!
So how do you deal with those cravings? Visualize something else, such as a rainbow. According to researcher Dr Eva Kemps, ‘Engaging in a simple visual task seems to hold real promise as a method for curbing food cravings.’
