I may be a nutritionist, but I’m no stranger to food cravings.
As a teenager, I had an eating disorder which included starving myself until I craved food so bad I would binge eat until I felt ill.
Plus, two and a half years ago I suffered a concussion which led to post-concussion syndrome. Because of the constant headache and nausea, I never felt like eating much – especially anything with protein and fats. By late evening I would be craving carbohydrates and find myself rummaging through my cupboards for the nearest box of brown rice crackers or carrot chips.
Did you catch that? A clear pattern between my reaction to physiological change in both my teenage years and adult years. The ah-ha moment.
Yes, as an adult I was choosing healthier options to satisfy my cravings – but the pattern and cravings were plaguing me once again. Doing a little detective work to find the root cause would be the only thing that could break the pattern.
Have you ever experienced a similar moment when you realized your food cravings weren’t PMS or lack of discipline and that it had to be something deeper? That’s your opportunity to start asking yourself the tough questions and to do some digging so that you can connect your physiological dots in order to fix the root cause and change your outcome too.
If this has you saying “HECK YEAH!”, then read on my friend …
WHY YOU GET FOOD CRAVINGS
Let’s start by establishing the fact that food cravings are not “all in your head”. Period.
While they can be caused by the usual suspects – PMS and lack of discipline, there are some other common culprits that may surprise you.
1. A hormonal imbalance is a common cause, but not always in the way you’d think. I’m referring to blood sugar imbalances, insulin and leptin resistance – even adrenal fatigue. They all include hormones that play a role in your appetite and mood.
This category can also include times when your hormones are more naturally imbalanced – like your teenage years, PMS, and menopause.
2. Any nutritional imbalance can play a role in your food cravings and should always be explored. This could be a vitamin, mineral, or neurotransmitter deficiency. These all affect the integrity of your gut, which has a direct affect on your brain.
Never discount the connection between a nutritional imbalance and your cravings.
3. And lifestyle habits can make a difference in your food cravings too. Lack of sleep, too much stress, too little exercise, and emotional trauma can impact your hormones, nutrient balance, and gut health – which will naturally bring about your cravings.
4. But we can’t discount an unhealthy gut when it comes to food cravings. It could be related to a bacterial or fungal overgrowth, leaky gut, or a nutritional or hormonal imbalance. Even your lifestyle choices affect the health of your gut!
Ultimately, food cravings come from some sort of imbalance – and finding the culprit helps you address it at the root to prevent it from coming back.
CONNECTING THE PHYSIOLOGICAL DOTS
While understanding that there are many reasons for cravings is great, it can become overwhelming when trying to connect the physiological dots that lead you to the root cause of your cravings.
But all of these imbalances affect your ability to digest your food and absorb nutrients. Taking a look at the health of your gut should be a top priority.
Having a basic understanding of how the gut works can be really helpful, because the fact remains that digestion works the same way each time (learn more about that here). That means if one thing is going wrong, it’s important to start looking at all the pieces of the digestive tract to see what needs some extra support in order to get it functioning optimally.
It all comes back to the gut.
Now, you may find connecting the dots hard – and that’s okay because I can help you with that. Even still, doing a little detective work will help us figure out how to reduce or eliminate your symptoms. Once you know where the problem is you can begin to fix it!
One of the main tools I have my clients use to help us play detective is a simple food journal. It seems like a pain – but being able to track what you’re eating and any accompanying symptoms gives us a ton of clues to help us connect those dots.
If you want to figure out what’s causing your cravings – start there.
However, if your cravings are already here and strong, there are a few tricks you can use to beat them once they’ve arrived.
HOW TO BEAT YOUR FOOD CRAVINGS
While I’m a huge advocate of root cause resolution, where we deal with the problem instead of just managing the symptoms, I also know what a struggle cravings can be once they’ve arrive.
I’ve put together a list of a few tricks I use to beat cravings whenever they hit me (yes, I’m human – I get cravings too!).
1. Quench your thirst with some water. Often times cravings are just signs that you’re dehydrated. Sipping water throughout the day can help prevent cravings, but drinking a glass or two of water can help stop it once it’s here.
2. Take a shot. No, not that kind of shot (though some days I wish!) – I’m talking about a shot of apple cider vinegar. This hits the opposite end of your taste buds helping the craving to go away surprisingly quick.
3. Eat some protein or fat. The more sugar you eat, the more sugar you crave. By filling up on more protein and fats and reducing your simple carbohydrates, you reduce your instances of cravings.
4. Exercise or get some rest. Sometimes you might be craving food to help improve your mood – but exercise or a little extra sleep can help with that. Simply get out for a walk, get in a strength workout, or squeeze in a minimum 8 hours of sleep.
5. Ditch sugar for a few days. Your taste buds only last 10 days, if you can avoid sugar for two weeks – then you can reset your taste buds. Crazy, right? Now if the thought of two weeks sugar free scares you, you can join my FREE Ditch Sugar! 5 Day Challenge to get all the tools you need to give it a shot. When you start feeling better – you can simply keep it going for another 5 days if you choose.
Keeping these tricks in your back pocket are a surefire way to beat your cravings, the same way I did and the same way I’ve successfully helped my clients to.
But truly, giving up sugar and processed foods is the best way to do it.
When you join my FREE Ditch Sugar! 5 Day Challenge, it comes with daily goals, a list of hidden sugars to avoid, sugar-free snack ideas, a meal plan, and delicious recipes too. If you’re interested, sign up here.
Or, you can whip up this easy Citrus Pepper Salmon Salad recipe if you’re interested in using trick #3 to beat your cravings today.