What your food cravings really mean.

Everyone experiences food cravings at some point and we can feel frustrated by them.

I hear many a patient describe a lack of willpower around certain foods. Sure, walking by your favorite bagel shop, declining a seductive slice of pizza, or shoving the bowl of chips and salsa out of reach, does take a degree of mental strength… Who doesn’t want to enjoy something that ignites our tastebuds with pure pleasure? 

But what you crave is more than likely your body voicing a need and that need is not— a chocolate chip cookie. 

Food cravings can be caused by a number of mental and physical factors— like hormonal imbalance, high stress (high cortisol), strenuous exercise, lack of sleep, a poor gut microbiome, a suboptimal diet, habit, mood and even emotional cues— like associating the movie theater with a buttery carton of popcorn, or a trip to the beach with the donuts you grew up eating while there.

Even though we can feel frustrated when we “give in” to our cravings, we tend to crave things that are aligned with our body’s needs. If you did not get enough sleep, for example, or you are overwhelmed and exhausted after a rough day, stuck at home, with sick kids, or a tough day at work… You are likely to crave simple carbohydrates, or sugar. Carbohydrates, like popcorn, chips, cookies and fries, spike insulin levels, which in turn helps our body make serotonin and therefore light up the brain’s pleasure center with joy. Therefore, it is not a lack of “willpower” that has you reaching for the bag of popcorn, but the body trying to boost your mood and give you “energy” to keep going. If you have had a rough day, it is likely that you are also feeling “low” and simple carbohydrates are a quick fix. 

The unfortunate dilemma is, the popcorn is lacking nutritional value and not what the body really needed (ex: serotonin, dopamine, a restful nap, a good laugh, a hug, nutrients), so the joy is only temporary but enough to learn that when it is consumed, we feel good. Thus, making it hard to break the cycle and we can feel “addicted”, or a lack of “willpower” around certain items. 

So what do our cravings actually mean? Here are a few common themes to our cravings:

Craving: Sugar… Could mean: a poor gut microbiome, lack of restful sleep, you are tired, sad and may be deficient in chromium, sulfur and tryptophan. 

Craving: Carbs… Could mean: hormonal imbalance, PMS, you are seeking comfort, you are under stress, you are feeling sad/defeated and you may be deficient in nitrogen. 

Craving: Chocolate… Could mean: You are magnesium and/or copper deficient, lack of sleep, stress.

Craving: Insatiable Hunger… Could mean: You are dehydrated, your diet is suboptimal, you are not digesting foods properly, hormonal imbalance, you have “leaky gut” and/or, you are not eating enough to match your workout regimen. 

Craving: Salty Foods… Could mean: You are low in minerals (electrolytes), adrenals are suffering, thyroid issues and you may be deficient in chloride, and/or silicon. 

Craving: Fatty Foods… Could mean: You are not eating the right types of healthy fat, and/or you are calcium deficient. 

Craving: Tea, or Coffee during the day… Could mean: You are deficient the following nutrients: salt, iron, phosphorus, and/or sulfur. 

Craving: Crunchy foods… Could mean: You are frustrated, or angry about your current situation. 

Craving: Acidic Foods… Could mean: You have low stomach acid, and/or you are deficient in magnesium. 

Craving: Ice… Could mean: You are iron deficient.

Craving: Carbonated beverages… Could mean: You are calcium deficient. 

Recently, I had a small handful of patients in my office tell me they craved tomato based foods like salsa and marinara which triggered a memory for me. I used to also crave ketchup, marinara, pico de gallo, salsa…

Some digging around and I found that a craving for tomatoes is associated with iron deficiency! The exciting part of Holistic Nutrition is that it is like solving a puzzle. Once we connect the dots, we can get to the root of your actual issues, instead of treating the symptoms with a bandaid. 

Instead of telling yourself, “Ugh! I have no willpower around chips and salsa” — reframe that with, “Hmm… perhaps I need to work on my sleep hygiene, get my cortisol and iron levels checked out…” and ask: “WHAT is my body really trying to tell me?”