Causes Of Cravings and Why!
Our bodies are complex, amazing machines. It knows when to sleep, when to wake up, breakdown and process food, and turn it into energy and nutrients. Your heart will never miss a beat, and your lungs will always breathe. You get the idea! Basically, our bodies are always relaying messages us about what it needs, and usually that shows up as cravings. A lot of people view this as a weakness, but often they are just important messages to deconstruct.
Ask yourself “what is my body telling me?”
Lack of emotional satisfaction?
Being unhappy in a relationship, having an appropriate exercise routine (too much, too little, or the wrong kind), being bored, stressed, or uninspired by a job, or lacking a spiritual practice can all cause emotional eating. Many people try to deal with uncomfortable emotions or difficult situations by looking for balance through food. Food can provide a form of relief, or even an escape when you’re under stress. In this way, food is being used as a strategy to fulfill areas of your life that aren’t being satisfied.
Water Intake?
Staying hydrated is a great way to reduce cravings. A lot of cravings come from a lack of hydration to begin within. When having a craving try drinking a glass of water first and then assess if you still have it. It is also said that drinking a full glass of water before a meal will reduce the amount of food eaten in one sitting.
Another factor to consider is that your hydration level affects your body’s electrolyte balance. When you sweat and lose water, you also lose electrolytes, like sodium. This may lead you to seek out sodium-rich foods following an intense workout.
Eating too Yin and eating too Yang?
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, certain foods are more yin (expansive), while others are more yang (contractive). Within this theory, foods that are too yin or to yang may lead you to crave the opposite in an attempt to maintain balance. This theory suggests eating foods that are more neutral (like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and beans) and avoiding extremes on either end that may lead to cravings. For example, eating a diet rich in sugar (yin) may cause a craving for meat (yang), and eating too many raw foods (yin) may cause cravings for heavily cooked foods (yang).
Nostalgic Eating?
Sometimes cravings can come from foods you’ve eaten recently or from childhood. When it is recently eaten food, it is fresh in your mind, and you are more likely to want to recreate the positive experience. Similarly, when you crave foods from childhood, you may be looking for comfort in nostalgia.
Seasonal Cravings?
The body also craves foods related to seasons. This is also very dependent on where you live in the world. When it’s spring you may crave lighter foods, like fruit, leafy green salads, smoothies, and juices. In the summer, more cooling and raw foods. The fall you may crave more grounding foods, like squash, root vegetables, nuts, and seeds. And, for the winter, cravings may look like meat, oil, fat. All of these cravings are completely natural and okay to fall into if done and navigated properly.
Nutrient Deficiency?
Some people believe that cravings come from your body telling you it is lacking in certain departments. Others believe it is just your brain telling you what it wants. They assume that when the body lacks a specific nutrient, it naturally craves foods that are rich in that nutrient.
For instance, chocolate cravings are often blamed on low magnesium levels, whereas cravings for meat or cheese are often seen as a sign of low iron or calcium levels. Fulfilling your cravings is believed to help your body meet its nutrient needs and correct the nutrient deficiency. Again, it’s important to dissect what you are cravings and feed your body the nutrient it is craving in a more healthy and natural way. Or, just eat the cookie and move on!:)
Hormonal?
When women experience menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause, fluctuating testosterone and estrogen levels may cause unique cravings. Stress has also been shown to alter hormones in order to promote cravings. Your PMS food cravings are a way for your body to combat the drastic hormonal changes occurring in your body. However, they are only temporary fixes until you experience a crash and another craving just a few hours after eating the “craving food”. The best way to cope with PMS cravings is to maintain proper nutrition, which will help minimize cravings.
This includes:
Smaller meals to maintain blood sugar
Eating Complex carbs and foods rich in Calcium
Try to avoid caffeine and alcohol
Reduce the amount of sugar and junk
