When you can articulate that a craving exists, you can identify and define it, which means you can experience it. Having a definition means cravings are real, whereas if cravings aren’t well defined or ingrained in a culture, people won’t automatically assume cravings are happening to them – they’re more elusive.
Many of us believe that a food craving is our body’s way of signalling that it needs a certain nutrient. But research shows that’s unlikely to be true – with one possible exception.