Food cravings are a natural part of everyday life. When the 3pm slump hits, many crave sugar. When trying to slim down, it's normal to crave salt and carbohydrates; and many would be lying if they denied craving chocolate.
Primarily, a craving is when someone develops strong urges for a particular food, irrespective of hunger. Cravings can occur for many reasons, but are generally believed to be your body telling you it lacks nutrients.
Often, cravings can be staved off by drinking a glass of water – as dehydration can be misinterpreted as hunger – but also by changing activities as cravings tend to occur when bored.
If staying hydrated and active isn't working to curb cravings, your body could be trying to tell you something. Below are the most common cravings explained, and how to fix them...
Chocolate
One of the most common, a craving for chocolate could mean that your diet is lacking magnesium.
Cacao is high in magnesium, an important mineral that is necessary for the transmission of nerve impulses, muscular activity, heart function, temperature regulation, detoxification reactions, formation of healthy bones and improving insulin sensitivity in the body. If your body is hankering for chocolate, you could be low in this essential mineral.
However, it is also worth noting that most studies have concluded that chocolate cravings are more likely to be linked to emotional and social triggers. If you must indulge, make sure it's dark chocolate – high in cacao and low in sugar.
Sugar
Sugar is another common craving, frequently hitting us when we are tired or stressed; however, it's important to stave off sugar cravings, as relenting to them can wreak havoc on blood glucose levels.
Ultimately, sugar cravings could mean a lack of chromium in the body. Chromium is an essential mineral shown to help support healthy blood sugar balance and reduce cravings.
Like drugs, sugar spikes dopamine releases in your brain, which can make it tricky to give up. However, if you have a diet high in sugar it will contribute to food cravings by effecting reward and satiety pathways, producing toxins that alter our mood, changing taste receptors, and hijacking the vagus nerve which links the gut to the brain.
Red meat
Iron deficiency is the biggest reason behind craving red meat. This craving can be especially common in women of menstruating age and during pregnancy. A desire for red meat can also happen with vegetarians who are not getting enough iron from a plant-based diet.
If your body is telling you to eat a steak, it might be time to up your iron stores.
Carbs
It's common to pine after carbohydrates when feeling tired or sluggish. This is due to glucose, a derivative of carbs, being the body's preferential source of energy. Further, if you're eating lots of refined carbs, this can lead to blood sugar crashes making tiredness and cravings worse.
To combat this, dieticians suggest opting for wholegrain, complex carbohydrates over white refined options. It will slowly release energy instead of spiking glucose levels too quickly, and help keep you fuller for longer.
Salt
Our bodies are designed to enjoy salt because it's necessary to survival. Sodium helps keep our bodies fluids in balance, and illness, sweating or dehydration can lead to a loss of sodium in the body; hence the cravings. This can be combated by staying hydrated; and although rare, if you're really feeling ill due to a lack of sodium, drinking mineral water will quickly rebalance your electrolytes.
Stress is another factor that can cause salt cravings. The adrenal glands are responsible for releasing cortisol. This hormone helps regulate blood pressure and your body’s response to stress. Research suggests that people with higher levels of sodium release lower levels of cortisol during stressful periods. Craving salt could be one way your body is trying to deal with unusual stress.
