Understanding Cravings – Why You Crave What You Crave
Most of us have cravings that we give in to from to time however have you ever stopped to think about why you are having cravings? I know that I have for some things but for other things I just right it off and think nothing more about it. Truth be told, you have the complete control what cravings that you get if any just by understanding what your body needs. Most of the time what our body’s crave has nothing to do with what we are craving to eat and really has no added benefit to you what so ever, in fact it can hurt you.
The real truth is that the companies that make junk foods such as candy bars, sodas, or even fast food understand what your cravings are and even add small amounts of what your body truly wants to get you coming back. If you think about this is probably why you have a favorite snack or a strong craving for a childhood food. Just to start off with and not keep this topic to drawn out, I will list a few of these top cravings and things that you can do to better help you in your health and fitness journey.
Why do you crave sweets?
So to start out with, let’s say that you start getting a craving for chocolate all of a sudden or maybe you crave it more often that normal. What
this means is that your body is lacking in magnesium, magnesium can be obtained from a much healthier source such as fruits, raw nuts, or seeds. When I say raw, I mean no additives such as heavy salts or coatings like most convenient stores have. Sadly most things these days that are right in front of our faces are not good for us, those foods may be advertised as being healthy but the next time you get a free minute it may be in your best interest to research that healthy alternative that you saw in the convenient store, it most likely is not what you think it is. Send me a comment or question and I will be glad to help you find a true healthy alternative.
Now to the infamous sweets craving, if you are having cravings for sweets in general and not exactly 
chocolate then you are lacking chromium which is a nutrient that can be obtained by a lot of normal foods such as broccoli, grapes, cheese, chicken. It could also be from a lack of phosphorus which can be obtained from chicken, meats, fish, eggs, dairy, and nuts. Another leading cause for this cravings is carbon which can be obtained fro eating fruit. Whether the sweets craving is a lack of chromium, phosphorus, or carbon the end results can just about be resolved by eating some of the same foods that are common such as chicken, fruits, or nuts.
Cravings that women get more often
Well, this might sound funny coming from a man but take it from my wife, this helps. Women get a lot of cravings pre-menstrual, this is from a lack of zinc. Generally speaking, it is best to eat seafood, leafy veggies, or red meat. You can take a zinc supplement, however, be sure that you do not take to much, this is why eating to obtain zinc is best because it is harder to get to much zinc from overeating, you will get a copper aftertaste if you are getting too much.
Cravings for Carbohydrates
Craving processed flours such as breads, bagels, crackers, noodles, or chips could be an indicator of insulin resistance, hypoglycemia (blood
sugar fluctuations), chromium deficiency or fatigue. Unlike craving sweets, you will most of the time not even notice this craving. By adding more fiber to your diet can help with your blood sugar control also eating rich fruits, or veggies to obtain the nutrients chromium and magnesium Including more fiber in your diet for better blood sugar control and eating more chromium and magnesium will help overcome cravings like this. Don’t get me wrong carbohydrates are good for you but eating the wrong foods to obtain them is one of the leading reasons why we gain weight so easily and is what makes it harder to lose this weight.
Conclusion
Not all cravings are easily isolated, this article is meant to give you an idea of some of the more common signs, sometimes we crave food that we like but this still doesn’t mean that those foods are good for you.
As always I would very much appreciate your feedback so leave a comment below about what you are interested in seeing and also keep in mind that I will be adding much more informative post coming soon.
Thanks,
Shane
