Eight Causes for Cravings

Most people think that cravings are some cruel form of punishment that our body's use to torture us. We've been conditioned to ignore cravings and fight them, but this method is doomed for failure. Cravings won't be ignored, and fighting them is a losing battle. The key to cravings is understanding why they are present. When you can find the root cause of a craving, all of a sudden, the craving is no longer a cruel form of punishment, but a warning sign from your body that it needs you to fix a potential problem.

Learning how to decipher your cravings is key to optimal health!

Trying to decipher cravings can sound tricky, but it's actually quite simple. When you have a craving, take some time to stop and ask yourself, what does my body want and why? The "why" is almost always answered in one of these common causes of cravings listed below.

The eight primary causes of cravings are: 

1. Lack of "emotional nutrients." Emotional nutrients include loving relationships, a fulfilling career, a personal relationship with Jesus, a consistent and healthy exercise routine, etc.

When you're dissatisfied in a relationship or have an inappropriate exercise routine (too much, too little or the wrong type), are stressed, uninspired by a job, or lack a close relationship with Jesus, some form of emotional eating will come in to play in order to fill these voids. 

When people are lacking emotional nutrients, most tend to eat as a form of punishment or reward. If you find yourself getting weird cravings that lead to binging episodes, ask yourself what emotional nutrient isn't being met. 

2. Water. When you are dehydrated, the body will send a message that you are thirsty. If this message is ignored, the body will send hunger cravings instead. The reason why you experience hunger cravings is because most of the water we humans consume comes in the form of our food, not in the beverages we drink. So, the body knows that if you eat a meal, you will also rehydrate the body. If you feel hungry shortly after a meal, when you know you shouldn't be hungry, drink a full glass of water, and then wait 20 minutes. If the problem was dehydration, the cravings will go away in that time. Excess water can also cause cravings, so be sure that your water intake is well balanced.

3. Yin/yang imbalance. Yin/yang is the belief that opposites attract because they bring balance. Certain foods have more yin qualities, while other foods have more yang qualities. Eating foods that are either extremely yin or extremely yang causes cravings in order to maintain balance in your body. For example, eating a diet too rich in sugar (yin) may cause a craving for meat (yang) because meat is very bitter when digested. Eating too many raw foods (yin) may cause cravings for extremely cooked (dehydrated) foods or vise versa. Pay attention to a connection between sweet and sour foods and bitter and salty foods.

4. Inside coming out. Often times, cravings come from foods that we have recently eaten, foods eaten by our ancestors, or foods from our childhood. A clever way to satisfy these cravings is to eat a healthier version of one’s ancestral or childhood foods.

5. Seasons. Often the body craves foods that balance the elements of the season. In the spring, people crave detoxifying foods like leafy greens or citrus foods. In the summer, people crave cooling foods like fruit, raw foods, and ice cream, and in the fall people crave grounding foods like squash, onions and nuts. During winter, many crave hot and heat-producing foods like meat, soup, and oil. Cravings can also be associated around the holidays, with foods like turkey, eggnog, or seasonal desserts.

                                               

6. Lack of nutrients. If the body has inadequate nutrients, it will produce odd cravings. For example, inadequate mineral levels produce salt cravings, and overall inadequate nutrition produces cravings for non-nutritional forms of energy, like caffeine.

7. Hormones. When women experience menstruation, pregnancy or menopause, fluctuating testosterone and estrogen levels may cause unique cravings.

8. De-evolution. When things are going extremely well, sometimes a self-sabotage syndrome happens. We crave foods that throw us off, thus creating more cravings to balance ourselves. This often happens from low blood-sugar and may result in strong mood swings.

The body is amazing. It knows when to go to sleep, wake up, go to the bathroom, maintain 98.6 degrees and tighten the eyes when the light gets bright. It knows the miracle of pregnancy and childbirth. Your heart never misses a beat. Your lungs are always breathing. The body is a super-computer and it never makes mistakes, and this includes odd cravings. Every craving you experience has a purpose. Knowing possible reasons for cravings can open the door to healing underlying problems that have been lingering for years.