Ever experienced food cravings? That feeling where you KNOW the potato chips are calling you from underneath the seat in your car and now YOU MUST EAT THEM or you might die?? Well food cravings are a way your body tells you what you need to survive. Sadly, many of these “organic” cravings are disguised in junky, nutrient poor processed foods. However, listening to your body and understanding food cravings can help you get the nutrients your body desires in a healthy way!!
Cravings are usually a symptom of poor diet, dehydration, excessive stress or poor digestion. Fixing these issues for the long term will reduce the cravings overall.
Do you crave Salty Foods?
Craving salty foods can indicate that you are suffering from adrenal fatigue or trace mineral deficiencies.
These craving can indicate a potential for chemical imbalances which alter many metabolic processes that keep your body working optimally.
Satisfy your cravings with:
Bone Broths: which are an excellent source of the minerals calcium, magnesium, sulfur, silicon and phosphorus that your body can easily absorb. Prepare your broth with pink or black salt to increase the amount of minerals your body desires.
Pink Salt: The flavor and trace minerals in pink salt will have you requiring less salt for your desired flavor. Pink salt contains zinc, iron, magnesium and potassium, and a 100 or so more useful minerals that the body needs.
Sea Vegetables: Contains vitamins and sea minerals like iodine, magnesium, iron, zinc, potassium and phosphorus.
Do you crave Sweets?
Often people who crave sweets have issues with blood sugar balance. Diets high in carbs and simple sugars are addictive and cause insulin spikes which trigger the release of a feel-good neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. However, later there is a crash, which encourages the consumption of more sweets and carbs.
Satisfy your cravings with:
A low glycemic lifestyle like the Paleo diet. The Paleo diet is rich is chromium and other essential minerals which help stabilize blood sugar and reduce insulin spikes and crashes.
Do you crave Chocolate?
Chocolate cravings generally indicate a magnesium deficiency. Magnesium deficiencies are one of the most common and overlooked nutrient deficiencies affecting an approximately 80% of Americans. Magnesium is essential for approximately 1000 metabolic processes in the body.
Satisfy your cravings with:
Eating DARK, organic chocolate to quench your craving is generally not an issue. The problem exists when we grab the low cacao high sugar varieties and then trigger sweet cravings, insulin spikes and blood sugar problems. Choose chocolate treats low in sugar (and fake sugar) and with greater than 70% cacao. These treats contain more than half of the recommended daily value of magnesium in a single serving.
Other delicious suggestions to boost magnesium include almonds, pumpkin seeds and avocado!!
Do you crave Dairy?
If you are craving a cheesy pizza you may be lacking essential fatty acids like EPA, DHA, ALA, and GLA. These dietary fats are critical to the health of your nervous system and brain function. The problem with commercial dairy products is they are processed and pasteurized beyond what the human body can digest and assimilate.
Satisfy your cravings with:
If you start craving dairy, try eating healthier selections of foods rich in omega 3. Such examples are wild caught fish, 100% grass-fed beef and lamb, wild game and pasture raised eggs. This will keep you healthy, full and craving free.
Do you crave Red Meat?
Craving red meat is common during menstruation and pregnancy because the body is depleted in energizing nutrients like iron, vitamin B-12, zinc and the amino acid acetyl-L-carnitine. These 4 critical nutrients help the body produce balance blood production, energy uptake, and support immunity.
Satisfy your cravings with:
Eating red meat can be beneficial and healthful. Choose the highest quality you can purchase, grass fed, organic, free range and local if possible. This signal is one you should listen to, but be sure to not over indulge. Other foods high in iron and zinc include swiss chard, spinach, figs, prunes and almonds.
Always remember to listen to your body it gives you the right information to be the healthiest you!!
references
The Healing Center: Food is Your Best Medicine: The Benefits of Bone Broth
Drake SL and Drake MA. Comparison of Salty Taste and Time Intensity of Sea and Land Salts From Around the World. J Sensory Studies. 2010 Nov; 26(1): 25-34. DOI: 1111/j.1745-459X.2010.00317.x
Head KA and Kelly GS. Nutrients and botanicals for treatment of stress: adrenal fatigue, neurotransmitter imbalance, anxiety, and restless sleep. Altern Med Rev. 2009 Jun; 14(2): 114-40. PMID: 19594222
Anderson RA. Chromium and polyphenols from cinnamon improve insulin sensitivity. Proc Nutr Soc. 2008 Feb; 67 (1): 48-53. PMID: 18234131
Klutsky I, Abumaria N, Wu LJ, et al. Enhancement of learning and memory by elevating brain magnesium. Neuron. 2010 Jan 28;65(2):165-77. PMID: 20152124
Koleva PT, Bridgman SL, and Kozyrskyj AL. The Infant Gut Microbiome: Evidence for Obesity Risk and Dietary Intervention. 2015 Apr; 7(4):2237-2260. PMCID: 4425142
Hunt JR. Bioavailability of iron, zinc, and other trace minerals from vegetarian diets. Am J of Clin Nutr. 2003 Sep. 78 (3): 6335-6395. Link Here