Hey friends! Today we are talking about cravings!

Do you feel like your brain is sabotaging your efforts to be healthy? Do you often find yourself craving something that you know isn’t good for you... maybe even something that you know will make you feel sick or tired, but you just can’t stop thinking about it? Have you ever felt like you were doing so well - you were eating all good, whole foods and your workouts had been on point, and then all of the sudden you pass a billboard for pizza or donuts and something in your brain changes?! It’s like a switch was flipped and now you NEED that food! (I think that happened to me just last week!)  

Are cravings just a result of a lack of willpower or is there something deeper going on?

Today I want to talk about two main reasons we get cravings and how we can use them to work for our health instead of against it.

The first reason that we crave unhealthy foods is that we have a literal, physical addiction to them. 

Scientists have long been doing research on cravings and why they seem to hold so much power over our thoughts and behaviors. One such study, from the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, sheds some light on food cravings and why some people seem to struggle with them more than others. In the study, 39 overweight people and 42 people of “normal weight” were given MRI scans and shown photographs of buffet-style food. People who were overweight had far greater stimulation in the “reward center” of the brain than people of normal weight. In essence, the study found that food cravings are “hard-wired” into our brains in a way that is similar to alcohol or substance addictions. This seems to be especially true for those who are overweight. 

Things like sugar and processed foods cause an opiate release in our brains. Opiates increase dopamine in the brain, which is why they are known as “feel good” chemicals and are highly addictive. So, it’s not just that we like sugary foods or junk foods, we’re literally craving those chemical highs that we get from those foods. 

Also, keep in mind that these companies who sell and market these addictive foods know exactly what they are doing. They all have their own scientists and researchers who have read all these same studies, know the perfect wording to use, and the exact way to display their product that makes it almost impossible for us to ignore. 

So, remember when you are having these cravings, it isn’t that you are weak and have no will power... it’s just that the last time you ate that particular food, your brain got a rush of dopamine and now associates pleasure with that food. Just like any other time you set out to change habits and behaviors, the brain has to be retrained! 

Another reason we EXPERIENCE cravings is that our body uses them as a way to communicate with us about what it needs.

 Remember, that our bodies were created intelligently with the ability to communicate and send signals from our brains to other parts of our body in order to maintain harmony and optimal function. I mean, think about it - you can eat junk food, and your body will still turn it into energy to keep you alive;  you can deprive it of sleep, but it will still get you up and running the next morning; you can expose it to toxins and chemicals, and it will still process it through your system, so that you don’t poison yourself. The body is amazing! So, it only makes sense that when your body is in need of something that it figures out a way to communicate that to you. Here are a few signals your body might be trying to send you through food cravings:

• It needs more water! Dehydration can often disguise itself a mild hunger

• There’s an emotional imbalance or feelings that need to be dealt with

Are you unhappy with a situation in your life and looking to numb your feelings instead of dealing with them? Is there a nostalgic connection or favorite memory from your childhood associated with that food?

• There could be a possible nutrient deficiency

It is actually very common to have a vitamin or mineral deficiency, especially if you tend to eat the same kinds of foods all of the time and if those foods aren’t the healthiest. Some of the most common nutrient deficiencies include calcium, which could cause you to crave carbonated drinks or dairy; magnesium, which can cause intense cravings for sugar and leave you feeling anxious and exhausted; omega-3s which often causes cravings for sweet and salty or greasy type foods and give you a low mood and major brain fog; another is B-12, which can cause cravings for meat and will usually cause you to have low energy, and sometimes anemia.

Some easy ways to combat a nutrient deficiency is to eat mostly whole foods that include dark or rich colored vegetables (check the EWG to see which should be organic but the basic rule is, if you eat the skin or outside of the produce, organic is the safest bet), other complex carbs (like root vegetables, brown rice and quinoa), organic meats (including beef, chicken and seafood - as long as your body tolerates them well), and healthy fats (like healthy oils - coconut, avocado, and olive, ghee or grass-fed butter; nuts and seeds; and avocados and coconut milk). 

Taking a whole-food-based multivitamin can also go a long way to help fill in the gaps in our diets! 

Another tip is to make sure that you have good gut health so that your body can actually absorb the nutrients from the food you are eating. I have a whole episode about that coming up soon! 

So, as you can see there is both a physiological component and an emotional component to why we get cravings. So, the next time you find yourself dealing with a craving, treat it as a signal from your body and try these tips before rushing in to indulge:

• Drink a glass of water and wait ten minutes.

• Consider if something is out of balance in your life? Is this craving an emotional response, and if so, is there a healthier way to satisfy it?

• Eat a healthier version of what you crave. For example, if you’re craving something sweet, try eating more fruit or a “treat” that is made of cleaner, healthier ingredients. 

• If you think you have a nutrient deficiency, get your levels checked and start to implement a few of the things I mentioned above.

• Ultimately, when you do eat the food you are craving, really enjoy it, taste it, savor it. Make a note to yourself if it felt worth it or not so that you can be more aware and free to decide if you really want it next time.

I hope that these tips have helped encourage you to know that this is something that everyone struggles with for different reasons and has given you a few ideas for ways that you can listen to your body instead of feeling like it’s trying to sabotage you! 

If you have any questions about this topic or feel like you need some extra support, please feel free to send me an email or schedule a free consultation. I’d love to see if we can work together to help you overcome whatever is holding you back from being the healthiest version of yourself!