Chocolate.

Food cravings are common. The tendency to crave foods high in sugar and fat is well-established in nutritional research. As a food high in both sugar and fat, chocolate is one of the most commonly craved foods in America.

Chocolates are made by combining cocoa powder and cocoa butter with sweeteners and other ingredients. Cocoa butter accounts for most of the fat in chocolate. Different types of chocolate have varying concentrations of cocoa powder (often called the cacao percentage). Dark chocolate has the highest concentration of cocoa powder and white chocolate the lowest. Chocolate also contains a variety of other ingredients like sugars, milk powders, and nuts.

Cocoa is naturally bitter. To improve the taste of chocolate, processors add plenty of sugar. Sugar is a type of carbohydrate that your body absorbs quickly. Some people believe that this quick "sugar high" provides a temporary elevation in mood. Most research, Trusted Source, however, suggests that it's the combination of fat and sugar that make certain foods so addictive.

A plain Hershey's milk chocolate bar has 24 grams of sugar. Other chocolate bars that contain caramel, nougat, and marshmallow may have even more sugar. For example, a Snickers bar has 27 grams of sugar. Chocolate bars containing more than 75 percent cacao tend to have less sugar (under 10 grams per bar).

ResearchTrusted Source suggests that sugars (and other refined carbohydrates) are a key component of processed foods that are considered addictive.