what cravings really mean…

Cravings can come in many forms: salty, sweet, spicy, fatty fried foods…

Cravings definitely have a way of potentially derailing our eating goals for the day, but are all cravings created equal? These signs may be our body’s way of indicating that our nutritional needs are not being met. Cravings, also shaped by daily factors such as emotional states and hormone fluctuations, can be a great source of information about our body’s needs. Understanding the root of your cravings will help you learn to explore new responses to them. You will be able to distinguish when to indulge and when to try something else.

When it comes to cravings, the number one rule  is to distinguish a food craving from dehydration.

When our body becomes even slightly dehydrated this will manifest as thirst – we just don’t seem to recognize it that way. Try drinking a large glass of water and see if your cravings diminish – you may simply be thirsty! Many of us fail to reach the quota of water a day. Increasing your water intake may help with lifting brain fog, upgrading an energy slump, lead to weight loss.  Proper hydration is crucial for maintaining good health and eliminating toxins from the body.  The rule of thumb we use is to drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces.  A 140 pound person could target 70 ounces of water (tea and broth count). Drink one more glass of water a day and see what happens.

Diets that are low in variety (particularly among fruits and vegetables) may lack for certain nutrients.

There is a theory that the craving for chocolate, separate from sweets, indicates a magnesium deficiency since chocolate is a good source of the mineral. Cravings for red meat also may indicate an iron deficiency. Our bodies are smarter than we think! Prehistoric man also evolved to search out the quickest sources of energy when resources were scarce or they were under pressure from internal or external threats.

When we get anxious, fatigued, or overly hungry we are programed to crave the quickest-energy sources we can find which are often fatty foods, sugar and other forms of carbohydrates. This also applies when we are feeling down or having a bad day – our bodies want a boost in the pleasure-seeking centers of the brain which comes from eating high carbohydrate foods and foods which have a high sugar to fat ratio.

Cravings are just another example of how sometimes you need to listen to your body and find out what it’s saying. The next time you feel yourself craving something out of the blue, pause and think about where this feeling is coming from. You may find yourself simply tired, overly stressed, down spirited, thirsty, or simply bored – all conditions you can manage in healthier ways. Often, naming the feeling simply allows you to let it go.

NOTE: And some days we really might just want a double chocolate peanut butter milkshake* – and that’s perfectly fine too.

*(just substitute the tahini with peanut butter)

For more on this subject:

• http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-9531/5-reasons-why-we-have-cravings.html
• http://www.webmd.com/diet/the-facts-about-food-cravings?page=1
• http://www.active.com/nutrition/articles/common-food-cravings-and-what-they-mean

If you want to dive into sugar a bit more, we have a three part podcast series all about sugar: Podcast: We Love Sugar Part 1