You are a miracle. Your body maintains a temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, your heart never misses a beat, and your lungs never miss a breathe. Notice that your body constantly adjusts to your environment to help keep you balanced and alive. Believe it or not your body’s desire to keep you balanced and alive reflects the reason for your cravings. Cravings are often viewed in a negative light, but the truth is cravings are important messages from your body to guide you into maintaining balance.
When you experience a craving, deconstruct it. Ask yourself, “What is my body trying to tell me?”
THREE WAYS TO DECONSTRUCT YOUR CRAVINGS.
Deficiency of Nutrients
When the body is craving a specific food it could potentially mean it is craving the nutrients that are in that food. This is our body’s way of telling us what nutrients we need to maintain balance and stay alive. Craving chocolate could mean you are deficient in magnesium. A way to combat this craving is eating more magnesium- rich foods like almonds, flax seeds, chickpeas, and dark leafy greens. Craving soda could mean you are deficient in calcium. Try switching out soda for healthy caffeine alternatives like matcha or plant-based organic teas. Craving oily rich foods like french fries could mean you are deficient in healthy fats. Again, you can combat this by adding in healthy fats like avocado, walnuts, and olive oil to your diet. I highly suggest getting a blood test to check out your vitamin levels! This could be the key to conquering your cravings.
Stressful Lifestyle
Food is often used as a form of escape when you’re under stress. We often try to cope with uncomfortable emotions or lack of passion in our careers by seeking relief through food. When we start to engage in actions that bring us joy there is a great shift to a stress-free energy. Start to take action in simple steps to help release endorphins (the feel good hormone) such as spending quality time with loved ones, engaging in your favorite exercise, or simplifying your to-do list because often less is more. Remember, quantity influences quality and sometimes we compromise on our happiness by trying to do too much. Notice how your cravings will diminish once you stop seeking balance through food and commit to a change in lifestyle.
Lack of Water
Our body is made up of 75% water. The first thing I do in the morning is drink a glass of water to flush out all toxins and rehydrate my body. Drinking a glass of water before a meal could also help reduce cravings. Hydration is critical in maintaining your electrolyte balance and providing your heart with adequate oxygenated blood. When hydration levels start to fall below what’s “healthy” you may start to crave salty foods. This is your body’s way of encouraging you to drink more fluids. If drinking water sounds bland you can try other hydrating replacements like celery juice, lemon water, or coconut water. You can also add fruits/veggies like strawberries and cucumbers into your water to help satisfy your taste buds.
When you dig deeper into the meaning of your cravings, you will solve the root of the problem. Start to take notice of what you are craving and take a blood test to see if you are deficient in any essential vitamins. Cravings often link to habit. Try to create a change by breaking a habit that is leading to your craving so that your brain does not sense the urge for that craving.
Jessica Mehraban is a Registered Nutritional Health Coach and wellness influencer. Jessica created Healthy Life by Jess as an online community for people to gain valuable and easy-to-follow tips they can use in everyday life. The Healthy Life by Jess mission is to empower people to find their healthy balance and to love and nurture themselves in their body, mind and spirit.
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