It’s 11am and I am faced with a to-do list that is raising my anxiety level by the minute. I just ate a wholesome breakfast an hour ago, yet I’m dying for a chocolate chip cookie. I can’t think of anything else. I can’t even focus on the first item on my to-do list. I fight the craving for as long as I can, but in the end, I must have that cookie. Completely defeated, I head to the nearest grocery store and proceed to eat the whole bag of cookies on the ride home.

Sound familiar? 

•  Cravings

We all have them at one time or another. So where do they come from and how do we gain control before they wreak havoc on our lives and bodies?

The first thing to accept when talking about cravings is

that your body knows best. Does that mean that a bag of chocolate chip cookies at 11am everyday is okay? Well, not exactly. But the problem isn’t the craving itself; it’s your interpretation of the craving.

Most of us are not in the habit of truly listening to our bodies. In order to deconstruct your cravings and find out what your body is actually hungry for, it’s crucial to learn how to decipher what your body really wants. Everyone is different and will need to do their own detective work, but to help you get started

I will share with you three major causes of cravings and how to satisfy them in a healthy way.

DEHYDRATION:

• Thirst manifests itself first as hunger. By the time you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. When a craving for food strikes, try drinking a large glass of water and waiting ten minutes. You may find that your body was actually asking you for water.

PRIMARY FOOD:

• This concept was created by Joshua Rosenthal, author of ‘Integrative Nutrition.’ Your primary food consists of everything in your life that you don’t eat; such as relationships, career, exercise, spirituality, etc. If your primary food is in balance, what you eat becomes secondary. One of the main causes of cravings is an imbalance in your primary food. For instance, if you crave coffee or sugar early in the morning, (non-nutrient forms of energy), your body might be signaling that you need more sleep. If you often crave sweets, which are expanding foods on the yin/yang scale, your body might be asking for some stress relief.
• Since sugar elevates your mood and relieves tension, if you constantly crave sugar, ask yourself when was the last time you took a deep breath or went for a walk? Did yoga? Got a massage? Took a break from the mile-long to-do list?
• If you crave crunchy snacks in large quantities, such as an endless bowl of popcorn or an entire bag of corn chips, where might you feel unfulfilled, dissatisfied or bored in your life?

MINERAL AND NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY:

Sometimes our bodies are actually craving food. The best example of this is the over-weight 10-year-old child who, despite eating tons of fried food, pizza, and desserts, still feels starving. Why? Probably because he/she is.

• If you or your child eats a highly refined or fast food diet, you might literally be starved for nutrients. Your body is signaling to you that it is not getting what it needs, and eating more fast food or another piece of pizza is not going to make the hunger go away. Your body does need more food- but it’s nutrient dense foods like whole grains, legumes and vegetables that will make the difference.
• Another example is an intense craving for salty snacks. This might signal a mineral deficiency. Your body might be asking you for green vegetables or unrefined salt such as sea salt (table salt is stripped of most minerals).
• If you eat a mostly fat-free diet and are consumed by fast food cravings, your body might be crying out for some healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, and nuts.

♥ Viewing our bodies as the expert

might take a shift in consciousness since here in America we are so used to fighting our cravings with sheer mental will power. Our bodies will always try to get what they need through cravings, and in the end, our bodies will always win. So instead of feeling defeated by cravings that seem to derail our best intentions and make us fat or unhealthy, try to think of cravings as precious messages from our bodies. If you listen hard enough, you might just discover what you are really hungry for; and sometimes, every so often, that might actually be a chocolate chip cookie.

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below…