How Long Does It Take to Kick Food Cravings? The Science and Strategies

January 11, 2026 •

4 min read

Research from University College London found that it takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit, which directly influences how long does it take to kick food cravings. This duration is highly personal and depends on several factors, including the type of craving and individual psychology.

Quick Summary

Overcoming food cravings varies by person and craving type, often involving initial physical withdrawal followed by a longer period to retrain behavior. Strategies focus on mindful eating, balanced nutrition, and managing triggers.

Key Points

Timeline Varies: While individual cravings can be overcome in 15-30 minutes with distraction, it takes an average of 66 days to replace a deep-seated food habit with a new one.
Physical vs. Emotional: Intense physical cravings, such as for sugar, often diminish significantly within a few weeks, while emotional cravings triggered by stress or boredom require long-term psychological management.
Retrain Your Brain: Consistently choosing healthier options helps rewire the brain's reward pathways, weakening associations with junk food and strengthening new, positive habits.
Manage Triggers: Identify and manage environmental and emotional cues that prompt cravings, using distraction techniques and modifying your surroundings to reduce temptation.
Mindful Living: Supporting your body with balanced meals, proper hydration, adequate sleep, and stress management is crucial for preventing the physical and emotional imbalances that fuel cravings.
Taste Buds Adapt: After 1-2 months of consistently eating whole, unprocessed foods, your taste buds will adjust, and you will find less sugary and salty options more satisfying.

The Variable Timeline of Cravings

Understanding how long it takes to kick food cravings requires a look at both the short-term and long-term processes involved. Individual cravings, which are intense, specific urges for a particular food, are often transient. Studies suggest that the peak intensity of a single craving episode typically lasts only a few minutes, often subsiding within 15 to 30 minutes if you distract yourself. However, this is just for a single episode, not the overall habit.

The Habit-Breaking Timeline

Research on breaking habits, like consistently reaching for junk food, paints a longer and more nuanced picture. The common myth of 21 days for habit change is debunked by more robust studies, which point to an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. The range is vast, from 18 to 254 days, highlighting the individuality of the process. The complexity of the habit and personal motivation are key factors determining where an individual falls within this range.

Physical vs. Emotional Cravings

Not all cravings are created equal. Physical cravings, especially for sugar, can begin to subside relatively quickly once you abstain. Many people report that the worst of the physical withdrawal symptoms from refined sugar and processed carbs are over within a week or two, with significantly lessened desire after about a month. However, emotional cravings, which are triggered by feelings like stress, boredom, or sadness, can take much longer to overcome. These cravings are deeply rooted in psychological associations and can resurface under emotional duress for months or even years.

Rewiring Your Brain and Taste Buds

Successfully kicking cravings involves a process of neurological retraining. Junk food, with its potent combination of sugar, fat, and salt, activates the brain's reward centers, flooding it with dopamine. This creates a powerful, learned association. By consistently choosing healthier alternatives, you can weaken these old neural pathways and build new ones. This also applies to your palate. Taste buds have a surprising ability to adapt, with studies showing they can reset and begin to prefer less intensely flavored, healthier foods within one to two months of a dietary shift.

Strategies for Kicking Food Cravings

Mindful and Behavioral Techniques

Delay and Distract: Cravings are temporary. When one strikes, set a timer for 15-20 minutes. Drink a glass of water, go for a walk, or engage in a hobby. You'll likely find the intensity has dramatically decreased.
Identify Your Triggers: Keep a journal to track when cravings occur and what might be prompting them. Are you tired? Stressed? Bored? Is it a particular time of day? Understanding your triggers is the first step toward managing them.
Modify Your Environment: Keep unhealthy temptations out of sight and reach. Stock your kitchen and office with healthy, ready-to-eat snacks. As the saying goes, "out of sight, out of mind".
Practice Mindful Eating: When you do indulge in a small portion of a craved food, do so mindfully. Savor each bite without distraction. This can reduce the urge to binge and help you reconnect with your body's satisfaction cues.

Nutritional and Lifestyle Adjustments

Prioritize Protein and Fiber: Eating balanced meals rich in protein and fiber promotes satiety and prevents the blood sugar crashes that often trigger cravings. This keeps you feeling full longer and stabilizes energy levels.
Stay Hydrated: Thirst signals can be easily mistaken for hunger or cravings. Before reaching for a snack, drink a full glass of water and wait a few minutes to see if the urge passes.
Manage Stress: Chronic stress elevates cortisol, a hormone linked to increased appetite and cravings for high-calorie, sugary foods. Techniques like exercise, meditation, or spending time in nature can help regulate stress and reduce cravings.
Get Enough Sleep: Inadequate sleep disrupts hormones that regulate appetite (leptin and ghrelin), making you more prone to craving unhealthy foods. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night.

Comparing Craving Management Approaches


Approach	How It Works	Best For	Potential Drawbacks
Going Cold Turkey	Complete abstinence from a specific food group (e.g., sugar or junk food).	Breaking strong physical dependencies quickly.	Can lead to withdrawal symptoms and increased risk of binge eating if not managed well.
Gradual Reduction	Slowly cutting back on craved foods over time.	Long-term, sustainable habit change; less shock to the system.	Slower process; requires consistent discipline to avoid slipping back into old patterns.
Delay and Distract	Using a time-out period and distraction when a craving hits.	Managing acute, short-term cravings as they arise.	Doesn't address the underlying triggers if used exclusively without other strategies.
Mindful Indulgence	Allowing a small, pre-planned portion of a craved food mindfully.	People who find strict deprivation unsustainable and who can control portion sizes.	Can backfire if moderation is not possible, potentially leading to a binge cycle.

Conclusion

While there is no single answer to how long it takes to kick food cravings, the process is manageable and highly personal. For many, the intense physical withdrawal from foods like sugar can subside within a month, but retraining the psychological and behavioral habits can take two months or more. The key is a multi-faceted approach that involves understanding and managing your personal triggers, adopting mindful eating practices, and prioritizing a nutrient-dense diet. By shifting your focus from deprivation to building new, healthier habits, you empower yourself to conquer cravings and build a more fulfilling relationship with food.

Learn more about the psychology of food cravings and the effectiveness of mindful strategies from studies like this one on the National Institutes of Health website.

Frequently Asked Questions

To get over a specific, intense sugar craving quickly, a good strategy is to delay and distract yourself. Cravings often peak and subside within 15-20 minutes, so doing a different activity like going for a walk, drinking a glass of water, or chewing gum can help you ride out the urge until it passes.

The most intense physical withdrawal symptoms from processed sugar typically subside within a week or two. While mood swings and lower energy can occur during this time, cravings tend to become much more manageable after about three to four weeks of consistent abstinence.

Yes, exercise is an effective tool for managing cravings. It releases 'feel-good' endorphins that can boost your mood, and engaging in physical activity can serve as a powerful distraction when a craving strikes. Regular exercise also helps stabilize blood sugar and combat stress, reducing your reliance on food for a mood lift.

Short-term or overly restrictive dieting can sometimes increase cravings due to psychological mechanisms like the 'forbidden fruit' effect. However, long-term caloric restriction, when part of a balanced and sustainable plan, can actually lead to a reduction in cravings over time by unlearning conditioned responses.

You can prevent cravings by eating regular, balanced meals that include protein, fiber, and healthy fats, which help keep blood sugar stable. Staying hydrated, managing stress, and getting enough sleep are also key strategies for controlling the hormonal imbalances that trigger cravings.

For most people, it is better to manage a craving rather than deny it entirely, as restriction can lead to binge eating. For those who can handle it, allowing a small, mindful portion can satisfy the desire without overindulging. For others, distraction and delay are better strategies.

Your taste buds will naturally adapt over time. By consistently avoiding highly processed, salty, and sugary foods for one to two months and focusing on whole foods, you will find that those intense flavors become overwhelming, and healthier, natural flavors will taste more appealing.