Cravings are often given a bad reputation and most of my clients tend to be judgmental around their relationship to those cravings. But cravings provide valuable information and it is important to get to know them!
There was a time in my life when to get through my to-do list, I often needed boosts of energy throughout my day and more often than not that boost was sugar.
Sometimes those cravings came on very intensely and made me feel like I had no choice but to cave in. It made sense. I was exhausted, my body needed a pick-me-up so I reached for what would give me the quickest surge of energy.
I would then need another boost of the not so good stuff to deal with the slump and sugar crash I would experience later in the day — ultimately not nourishing myself in the most optimal way.
So, what can you do to get the energy you need to feel vibrant? Read more to find out!
If you are pressed for time, click here for the key takeaways by topic and check out the "bottom line" for each section:
Cravings are a gold mine of information
My clients often say to me that they have urges or cravings for certain foods and that they feel bad about reaching for foods that tend to be "unhealthy”.
Having cravings is not a sign of weakness or a reflection of lack of impulse control. Most often, these cravings are actually important messages your body is sharing with you in order to guide you into a state of balance.
Nutritional deficiency
In order to function at our optimum capacity, our bodies need a variety of macronutrients and micronutrients. A craving might be a message from your body that it’s needing a specific food or nutrient to promote health and well-being.
After a few years of being a vegetarian, there was a period of time when I had strong cravings for a hamburger. I kept pushing it off, but finally “caved”. During this period of time, some blood work revealed that my iron levels were very low.
My craving for a hamburger was a profound yet simple way in which my body spoke to me to meet a mineral deficiency by craving a food that would support that need. That craving provided key information.
No matter how much I ignored it, the craving persisted until I paid attention. If the body doesn’t get the nutrients it needs, it will send messages in the form of cravings.
Emotional imbalances
Cravings can also be triggered by our emotional state or an imbalance occurring elsewhere in our life. Having cravings can be a reflection, for example, of being dissatisfied with a relationship, being stressed, or uninspired by a job, or lacking support and community and feeling lonely — all of which can cause emotional eating.
Many people try to cope with challenging emotions or difficult times in their lives by seeking balance or comfort through food. This is why when you crave foods from your childhood, you may really be seeking the feeling of comfort those foods may have provided when you were younger.
This is totally okay! What is important is to understand why you are having the cravings and then make an empowered choice in how you respond to these cravings.
Having cravings is completely normal. In fact, they are sometimes a good indication that you’re not getting the nourishment you’re needing, and often times it may not have anything to do with food!
Hormonal shifts
When women experience menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause, fluctuating hormone levels may cause unique cravings. Pregnancy sure brings on some “strange” cravings! And how many of us have experienced strong cravings before our cycles?
Generally, women who still have their menstrual cycles may be more tolerant to carbohydrates and less insulin resistant in the first two weeks of their cycle when estrogen is high. However, they may also need more carbs during the second half of their cycle to assist with progesterone production (Lidicker & Gilberg-Lenz, 2019).
Lack of quality sleep
Many of us do not get the amount or quality of sleep needed. Poor sleep will interfere with your hunger hormones, increasing ghrelin (a stimulator of appetite) and lowering leptin (a regulator of how full you feel) leading to increased hunger and food cravings (Chao et al., 2017).
Lack of sleep has been shown to also potentially increase cravings for unhealthy foods (Wen et al., 2019).
Investigating cravings is a great opportunity to treat what is at the root, and not just focusing on the symptom. By being aware of the different factors that may contribute to cravings, you can more mindfully explore the choices that work best for you.
So the next time you experience a craving, be curious and ask yourself, “What is my body trying to tell me? What am I needing most right now?”.
Bottom line: Lack of sleep, emotional eating, imbalances, hormonal shifts and nutritional deficiencies are just some of the reasons why we experience cravings.
Four game changing tips for managing cravings
1) Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
To me, this one is a game changer. Most of us tend to be dehydrated and our hunger and hydration signals can become “confused”: we think we are hungry when in fact we are thirsty (Medical News Today).
When you feel a craving, reach for some water, wait for a few minutes and see if the craving subsides.
A good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces. In the morning, I usually measure out my water intake for the day in mason jars, occasionally adding some lemon juice and/or mint to make it more interesting.
When I get that craving, I reach for that mason jar!
2) Up your sleep
As mentioned above, since lack of sleep impacts your hunger hormones, make sure you get adequate sleep. Here are a few things to try out to help achieve consistent and quality sleep:
Try to get to bed every night at the same time and create a bedtime routine;
Eat light meals at dinner, allowing for a few hours to digest before going to sleep;
Reduce intake of liquids closer to bed time to avoid waking in the middle of the night for a bathroom run;
Reduce exposure to light and sound;
Experiment with restorative evening practices like meditation.
3) Balance your macronutrients: Eat more protein or fat to keep you full longer
The concept of balance is key to understanding cravings. Sometimes if you’ve had something very sweet your body may be craving something very salty to help your body recalibrate into balance.
Try to reach for foods that are more “neutral” like low glycemic fruits (such as berries), vegetables, nuts and seeds and avoid foods that are too salty or too sweet.
Because protein and fats slow the release of sugar into your bloodstream, when you don’t consume enough of them your blood sugar can spike and plummet very quickly. This is not so good for your insulin levels and further creates craving for quick energy from sugar. Incorporate more protein or fat to counter those effects.
4) Up your mindfulness around cravings
First, acknowledge your craving and give space for it. By doing that, instead of ignoring it, you are helping to reduce its grip on you.
Next, try to identify the origin of your craving, without judgment. It can be tricky to identify the source, but that inquiry alone is critical in breaking the more unhealthy cravings.
Some questions to ask are: Is this craving happening alongside an emotion or physical state (often times stress or tiredness)? Is this tied to a habit?
Take a moment to tune into your body.
Once you have acknowledged the craving and its origin, take an empowered approach by asking yourself “How is this choice serving me and is this the best choice for me at this time?”. Sometimes that can be “Yes, eating this chocolate bar right now is the choice I am making and I am okay with that”.
Whether you choose to move forward with fulfilling a particular food craving or explore another option to nourish yourself, the point is to make educated, empowered decisions that work for you.
Going through this mindful process of inquiry allows you to gain a deeper understanding of your cravings and gives you the opportunity to mindfully respond to your unique cravings.
Bottom line: Four game changing tips to manage cravings include: increasing hydration, improving sleep quality, choosing balancing foods with fat and protein, and making empowered choices.
The 5 D’s of food cravings
The UNC School of Medicine's website lists among its ten strategies for managing cravings, the 5 D’s of food cravings. I found it to be a useful tool for managing cravings.
Delay–wait 10 minutes
Distract–do something else
Distance–don’t keep the temptation on hand in the kitchen
Determine–think about how much you actually want it
Decide–know how much of it to eat, slow down and enjoy it (taste it, don’t waste it)
My tasty recipe to satisfy your sweet tooth
I created this recipe out of my desire to satisfy my craving for a little something sweet in the afternoon, but adding enough fats and protein to prevent a sugar crash.
Most commercial protein bars tend to be filled with too much sugar so I decided it was time to figure out what worked best for me! It is very versatile and you can easily tweak it to make it your own.
And the best part is that it takes about 5 minutes to make.
Vanessa's Nourishing Chocolate Nut Bars
Put the following ingredients in a food processor:
2 cups of nuts (any kind)
8 dried apricots or 5-6 pitted dates
1/4 cup of melted coconut oil
2 teaspoons of cacao powder (optional)
Other optional ingredients to add: maca root (good for modulating stress); camu powder (good for a vitamin C boost); a sprinkle of goji berries (a superfood!) and/or shredded coconut (some additional healthy fat).
Process until slightly chunky or if you want larger pieces of nuts you can do that too. Transfer into a glass container (I use a 3 cup Pyrex rectangular container) and flatten out. Put in fridge and let harden.
Bottom line: Try out any or all of the tips above, including the recipe, if you are tempted! Ultimately, see what works best for you. Do YOU.
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