Q: Are food cravings our body's way of telling us that we're lacking certain nutrients? Why do we crave certain foods?

A: "Very rarely do we crave items like broccoli that are rich in vitamins and minerals. Rather, we tend to crave foods that are energy-dense, and that are full of fat or sugar or both," Abigail Schubert, a registered dietician at Hershey Medical Center, said.

"If we're deficient in something, we would start craving things like vegetables that have a lot of vitamins and minerals rather than the foods that are full of fat and sugar and have very little [nutrients].

"Different foods activate different neurotransmitters in the brain. Depending on what you're craving, they activate the different neurotransmitters, which can increase your mood.

"Foods like those rich in carbohydrates tend to increase secretion of serotonin [in the brain], which can actually improve mood.

"A lot of times, we're craving things that we associate with a positive event in our past. It is possible [that] restricting carbohydrates may in turn backfire and fuel these cravings and you would see an increase in the cravings of these foods."

Compiled by Melissa Britton