24 Jan Why Your Body Has Cravings
We’ve all experienced cravings. Before you give in here is an understanding of what your body is really telling you. By understanding what your body is actually deficient in is important to get to the root cause of the cravings, and eventually kick them all together.
Might be you need more magnesium or you just aren’t absorbing minerals so you would want to look into your GI tracks permeability factors by running a simple lab test and work on rebuilding the GI track. Leaky gut can cause a lot of cravings and deficiencies.
There are numerous possible meanings of cravings so it’s good to look at the big picture such as your eating habits in general or in some cases ladies, pregnancy can trigger all sorts of cravings. Am I right? Before you satisfy cravings, drink a tall glass of pure water. Quite often we misinterpret our body’s signal for thirst as a signal of hunger. By drinking a tall glass of water first, you may be giving your body exactly what it wants and alleviate the craving. It’s estimated up to 80 percent of the population is chronically dehydrated, so start with water before you try to decipher your cravings. In fact, drink half your body weight in ounces daily to help curb cravings and stay hydrated.
Chocolate
Although we would love an excuse to eat chocolate, it doesn’t mean your body has a chocolate deficiency if you crave it. Chocolate is high in magnesium. Cravings for it often indicate that your body is deficient in magnesium. In fact 80% of people tested are deficient in magnesium so it’s quite common. Chocolate isn’t bad because it’s one of the super foods loaded with antioxidants so if you’re going to eat chocolate, choose organic raw cacao or if you buy a chocolate bar make sure it’s at least 70%. The lower the number the more processed and has dairy. Mix a tablespoon into your smoothie with a good protein powder and some almond milk along with a few frozen pieces of banana which is loaded with magnesium as well. Make sure you don’t get a magnesium deficiency by eating other foods high in magnesium, such as nuts, seeds, fish, and leafy greens.
Sweets
If you crave sweets you may be experiencing blood sugar fluctuations. You know, the afternoon “slump” we all get and grab for sweets. When your blood sugar drops, your body may be trying to get you to give it more fuel to keep your blood sugar levels stable. If this is a chronic occurrence you may have hypoglycemia, which simply means low blood sugar. This is important to pay attention to because hypoglycemia can turn into type 2 diabetes. Whatever type of sugar cravings you have it’s important to choose the right type of food to bring your body back into balance. Giving in to simple sugars and simple carbs like cookies, cakes and candies will only make the problem worse and cause a blood sugar roller coaster that leads to more cravings. Sugar is toxic and very addicting. Instead, choose a piece of fruit when you’re craving sweets and a few raw nuts to balance the glycemic load. Add morehigh-fiber foods like beans and legumes, and complex carbohydrates like whole gluten free grains to give you the fuel you need without the blood sugar spikes. If you’re really struggling with sugar cravings, you may also wish to supplement with the mineral chromium since it helps to regulate blood sugar levels and ward off cravings and use cinnamon in your diet to help balance blood sugar.
Salty Foods
Cravings for salty foods like chips often indicate stress hormone fluctuations in the body. Getting control of the stress in your life is important before you get burned out. The adrenal glands help your body cope with stress and, in our fast-paced, hectic lives, tend to become taxed, especially from stress-hormone “over” production. Try prayer, meditation, breathing exercises, or other stress management techniques that fit your lifestyle and personality.
If your adrenal glands are worn out, you can also support them with a high-quality B-complex vitamin, and vitamin C. Eating more leafy greens helps to supply your body with minerals that support the adrenal glands, especially potassium and help pull unwanted toxins from your body.
Cheese
Cravings for cheese or pizza often indicate a fatty acid deficiency, which is common in most people. Eat foods such as raw walnuts, wild salmon, flax oil; add ground flax seeds to your diet. Supplement with a high-quality supplement that includes the beneficial fats, especially Omega 3s. It should contain both EPA and DHA. Two to three servings of fish such as wild salmon or a small handful of raw walnuts or 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds in a smoothie will often cut out cheese cravings altogether.
Red Meat
Not surprisingly, cravings for red meat usually indicate an iron deficiency. Often people crave burgers or steaks. Women of menstruation age are especially vulnerable to iron deficiencies. Eat more iron-rich beans and legumes, artichokes, unsulphured prunes and figs. Although dried fruits are high in iron they are very high in sugar so limit your intake of dried fruit for this reason or you will have other health issues. If you eat meat you can also choose lean, grass fed organic red meat like beef or bison as a source of iron. Just remember to keep meat consumption at 1 -2 servings per week. Vitamin C helps with the absorption of iron, so take vitamin C alongside your iron-rich foods. Alternatively, eat citrus, red peppers, tomatoes, or berries which are high in vitamin C with your iron-rich foods.
Snacker
If you often feel like a snacker, sometimes for sweets, sometimes for salty foods, it can mean you’re not eating a well-balanced diet and may be missing a variety of nutrients. Try a multi vitamin and get checked for leaky gut.You might not be absorbing the nutrients.
Reaching for junk foods or heavy foods at the onset of cravings will only satisfy them temporarily. Making dietary changes that address deficiencies or imbalances can help eliminate them altogether.
