The Science Behind The Snacks You Crave And Why You Crave Them - DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

Modern science may have figured out why you may be eating more of that Halloween candy than even the trick or treaters and it's not just because it tastes good.

Dr. Marcia Pelchat, a leading researcher at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, is constantly conducting experiments to unlock the mysteries behind our individual tastes and smells.

Pelchat says researchers put a group of people on "a very boring diet" that still included all of the nutrients and calories the body typically needs.

Several study participants bailed immediately, but Pelchat says those who stayed craved their favorite foods.

Sensors in the middle of their brains lit up like crazy to show the craving was all in their minds - a memory and not a lack of an important nutrient or hunger.

So, what's going on?

Researchers say it comes down to people who think about exactly what they need to eat in order to be satisfied - a memory, perhaps from childhood, of how your favorite foods make you feel.

Once you go through withdrawal, you have to try it again.

If it sounds like drug addiction, Dr. Pelchat says her study's results suggest it may not be much different.

So, if out of sight out of mind fails and cold turkey is too tough and you need to control your weight - Dr. Pelchat suggests you weaken the link between the craving popping into your head and eating the food.

Good luck!

You can watch Fox 29 reporter Joyce Evans story in the video above.