McDonald’s is one of the best and most popular fast-food restaurants in the world, and it’s not uncommon for someone to impulsively stop at McDonald’s because they have a craving.
Have you ever been going through the drive-thru and thought to yourself, why do I crave McDonald’s so much? There are several reasons for these McDonald’s cravings, so keep reading!
Why Do I Crave McDonald’s?
If you’re craving McDonald’s, it could be because of the nostalgia or comfort you get from fast food, but it also could be caused by dehydration. Additionally, the sugar, fat, and salt found in McDonald’s foods are all addictive chemicals that release dopamine and will activate the reward center within our brain, so you crave fast food like other people crave drugs.
If you want to know more about why you’re craving McDonald’s, we’ve listed even more reasons below!
1. You’re Craving a Comfort Food
One common reason why you’ve been craving McDonald’s is that McDonald’s is comfort food, and you’re looking for either physical or emotional comfort.
Additionally, it’s comfort food that we’ve also associated with being a child and being happier because life was so simple as a kid.
Further, if you’ve been feeling depressed or anxious, that’s when the cravings for comfort food hit the hardest and could be a reason for your McDonald’s craving.
2. Your Body Wants Carbohydrates & Sugar
McDonald’s food contains a lot of sugar and carbohydrates, which is what your body might be craving, and it leads you to want a Big Mac and fries.
Furthermore, if you’ve been working out or you’ve been busy and using up your energy, that’s oftentimes when your body will tell you that you need to eat some carbohydrates to refuel.
3. Nostalgia
McDonald’s is a childhood staple for a lot of people, which means when you get older, you might crave it because of the nostalgia of the food and experience.
Additionally, when you have food like McDonald’s as a kid, it will predispose you to associate that food with certain memories or times in your life.
Furthermore, McDonald’s can bring back vivid memories from your past, and the cravings could get intense to the point you have to go out and grab a Happy Meal or large fry.
4. Salt, Sugar & Fat is Addictive
While most people know that McDonald’s isn’t a healthy fast-food restaurant, did you know it can be highly addictive, like drugs?
Unfortunately, the sugar, fat, and salt that are found in McDonald’s foods, along with other fast food, activates the reward system within our brain.
Furthermore, eating foods high in fat and sugar releases the chemical dopamine in our brain, which is a feel-good chemical that makes us happier, and we feel pleasure from it.
Subsequently, the more we ingest these ingredients and the more pleasure we get out of them, the more our bodies will crave them.
5. Aggressive Advertisements
Advertising is a multi-billion dollar business, and that’s because it works to get people to do something, and seeing a McDonald’s commercial or advertisement will get you craving it!
Furthermore, advertisements are harder to get away from now with social media and technology, so a craving is more likely to be intense when you’re constantly seeing ads on various platforms.
In addition to that, someone who is a holistic thinker and believes everything is connected is more likely to be convinced to make an impulse purchase if they see McDonald’s advertised.
6. It’s Convenient & Everywhere
Craving McDonald’s might also have something to do with the fact that McDonald’s is everywhere and is an international success, which makes it incredibly convenient.
Furthermore, there is a good chance you have at least one McDonald’s within 15 miles of your home, so this convenience factor plays into how often you have cravings.
Likewise, the fact that it’s everywhere makes it even harder to fend off your cravings because it’s easier to be impulsive when you only have to drive 5 minutes to get your fast food fix.
7. McDonald’s Contains MSG & It’s Addictive
When you’re addicted to a substance, you crave it intensely, and when you don’t have that substance, you end up going through withdrawal, and MSG is an addictive substance.
Furthermore, McDonald’s contains MSG, which is known as Monosodium glutamate, and it’s a flavor enhancer that ends up activating the reward sensors within our brains.
In addition to that, eating foods regularly that contain MSG will cause you to go through depression, anxiety, and other withdrawal symptoms when your body lacks it and craves it.
8. McDonald’s is Relatively Inexpensive
People on a budget may crave McDonald’s more often because it’s a fairly cheap fast-food place to go, and you can feed your entire family for a lot less than at higher-end restaurants.
Likewise, being relatively cheap also increases the urge to impulse buy since you know you can take $10 and get yourself a few burgers, fries, drinks, and a dessert, so it’s a great deal for many.
On top of that, if you’re someone in college or living paycheck-to-paycheck, it’s going to cost you a lot less if you just eat McDonald’s compared to going to the grocery store for the week.
9. You’re Dehydrated and Don’t Realize It
If you’ve been craving McDonald’s, your issue may be that you’re just dehydrated and don’t even realize it, and your cravings are misplaced.
Additionally, as you get dehydrated, your body will start to crave sugary foods, such as a McFlurry or apple pie, and could even lead to you craving fries or a burger.
Furthermore, your liver needs water to release glucose stored within your body for energy, and if you’re lacking water, your liver has a harder time working correctly.
However, before you run to McDonald’s because you’re suffering from a craving, try to drink a bottle of water first, and you may notice the cravings disappear as you rehydrate.
To know more, you can also read our related posts on whether or not McDonald’s milkshakes are gluten-free, if McDonald’s ice cream is real, and where to buy McDonald’s sausage patties.
