Food Cravings

Food Cravings -  with thanks to Genesis Davies

Have you ever found yourself suddenly desperate to eat a bar of chocolate or find yourself eating and eating even though you aren't really hungry? You could be suffering from food cravings and unless you are  pregnant, they are probably your body's way of telling you that you are lacking certain vitamins or minerals. At one point, we didn't have a lot of choice in what we could eat and our bodies were built to crave the food that had within it, what we were missing. However, as time has passed and we have developed better methods of growing and cultivating and processing our food, our bodies have lost touch with what we truly need. Not all is lost, though, you can still guess pretty accurately what it is that you are lacking by taking a closer look at exactly what you are longing to eat.

Chocolate, for example, usually indicates a lack of magnesium. Instead of drinking a gallon of chocolate milk, or buying up the sweet shop, try eating some nuts or seeds which also contain this mineral. Or you could add some beans to your daily diet to get rid of that craving. If you find yourself deliberately burning your steak just to delight in the crispy, blackened parts, it is likely that your body is begging for carbon. Carbon can be more healthily found in fresh fruits like strawberries, bananas and apples. And they aren't carcinogenic, either!

Can't stay away from fizzy drinks? You might be low on calcium. Instead of downing yet another can of pop, try eating some cheese, or a leafy green veggie, like kale or spinach. Sesame seeds also contain calcium, as do dairy products like yogurt and milk. More general cravings are even more common and include salty or sweet foods. Although these tend to cover a broader spectrum of deficiencies, we know what the most common ones are that tend to cause these types of desires. For example, if you find your sweet tooth getting out of control, it might be due to a lack of chromium, carbon, phosphorus, or sulphur. Each of these can be found in a variety of foods with broccoli covering chromium and sulphur, meats and dairy contain phosphorus and carbon can be found in fresh fruits.

Salty food cravings are usually attributed to a lack of chloride which can be fixed naturally by eating raw goat cheese or sea salt. Fish also contains this mineral and is a good alternative source. Cravings aren't just a weird thing your body does, they are trying to tell us something and it is a good idea to pay attention. Instead of reaching for sweets and chocolate the next time you feel that sweet tooth acting up or opening a bag of crisps when you start to get the munchies, stop for a moment and look at the real reason you want that food. It could be the healthiest choice you make!

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Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio

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