Cravings – What They Mean and How to Stop

A food craving is your body’s cry for nutrients… not a cry for chips, sweets, soda or any nutrient deficient food. They will only satisfy you temporarily, and will not give you what you need.
Your body needs vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, essential amino acids, and so on to function properly. Your brain constantly monitors your blood sugar and your supply of essential nutrients. Cravings such as, sugar cravings, are caused primarily by a deficiency or an imbalance in some essential nutrient.
When you deprive your body of the nutrients it needs, the brain sends a message that we interpret as a strong desire to eat something, such as foods like ice cream or sweets, chips, cookies, salty foods or no telling what.
Cravings that are caused and driven by a need for nutrients are EASILY overcome when the nutrients are supplied. For example, two tablespoons of flax seed has been known to supply enough of the essential omega 3 fatty acids to wipe out a sweet craving in 2 or 3 days.
A craving for salty foods suggests a need for sodium. Substitute by eating celery or cucumber instead of chips. Chocolate cravings may suggest a need for magnesium; and craving meat of any kind suggests a need for B vitamins, and minerals.
Instead of sugary drinks, candy, cookies, chips, etc, supplement with flax seed oil, and/or coconut oil and snack on things like hummus and apple slices, walnuts, almonds and pistachios. Plain Greek yogurt with fresh or frozen blueberries, or celery ribs with almond butter, or a hardboiled egg, all of which are loaded with nutrients will curb your appetite and stop food craving practically overnight.
Food cravings mean that the body has its signals mixed up. When we are exhausted, stressed or blue, we have low blood sugar and/or low serotonin, and the body signals the brain that it needs a pick-me-up. This signal causes a sugar craving or carbohydrate craving, and even caffeine and alcohol craving.
How to break this vicious cycle? To reduce food cravings, the body needs real support — and lots of it. We have seen over and over that eating healthy foods, adding pharmaceutical–grade nutritional supplements and moderate exercise can almost miraculously curb cravings. Your metabolism will heal itself when provided with the necessary nutritional support. If it has been damaged, the process can take some time, but it will happen. The good news is — you don’t have to give up chocolate!
If you need some guidance come to my Transitions Lifestyle class or contact me about one on one coaching.