30 Aug Why We Crave

Why We Crave!!

Your body is an amazing machine. Without you even telling you to do so, your body can regulate its temperature, know when it’s time to sleep, wake up, go to the bathroom, blink, and even keep your heart beating and your lungs breathing. Two bodies can even make a baby! So many of us have lost a very special connection with our bodies and live struggling against what your truly need.

We see our cravings as something bad. We punish ourselves for wanting chocolate, and giving into temptation. Cravings are part of that intricate system that is there to create balance. Everything in this world needs balance, and what you eat is no different. To understand your cravings you need to look at the foods, deficits and behaviours in your life. They are not a weakness, rather a message letting you know what you need to create balance. When you have a craving – take a moment to pause and deconstruct it, ask your self what you want and why?

My clients confess their “sins” to be on a daily basis. Coming in for “punishment” after finishing a packet of biscuits, having an extra glass of wine, or an overindulgant celebration. They are already feeling bad about themselves so there is no point making them feel worse. Instead I ask them to think about why they ate what they ate. Here is my list of the most common causes.

1. Not happy Jan. Think of a time when you were really happy (it could be right now), when you are inspired and on a roll at work, or when you just fell in love. Everything around you is exciting, new, fresh, and food is the last thing on your mind. Being dissatisfied with a relationship, being bored, stressed, uninspired at work, lacking a spiritual element in your life will often lead to emotional eating.

2. You might be thirsty or drank too much. As soon as your body thinks it’s on the verge of dehydration it will send out sensations that can often be mistaken for hunger. Before you raid the fridge and devour everything in sight have a big glass of water instead. Wait 20 minutes and see if you’re still hungry. On the flip side having too much water will cause cravings, so be sure that your intake of water is balanced. Multiply 0.033 for every kilo of body weight (eg. if you’re 65kg x 0.033 = 2.14L of water per day)

3. You’re out of balance. Based on the chinese principle of yin (expansive), and yang (contractive) certain foods will make you feel high and happy, while others will make you low and sleepy. Eating foods that are extremely yin or yang will cause you to crave the opposite to balance you out. Eating too much sugar (yin – expansive) may cause cravings for meat (yang) or salt. On the other hand eating too much meat will also make you crave desert or alcohol. Eating too many raw foods (yin) may cause cravings for extremely cooked (dehydrated) foods and visa versa.

4. Seasonal Cravings. Have you ever noticed that your diet in winter is completely different to what you eat in summer? Quite often our bodies will crave foods that balance the elements of the season. In spring, people crave detoxifying foods like leafy greens or citrus foods. Summer time brings on cravings for cooling foods like fruit, raw foods like salads, and ice cream. Autumn will have you craving comforting sweet root vegetables like sweet potatoes, squash, onions and nuts. Winter will have you craving heat-producing foods like meat, oil and fat.

5. You may be nutrient deficient. If your body is lacking something, it will tell you about it. You body will remember a time when you ate something rich in that nutrient and will send a signal to your brain asking for things extra vegemite on your toast for B vitamins. This explains why pregnant women crave the strangest things. Inadequate nutrition will also produce cravings for non-nutritional things like coffee or sweets as a form of energy.

6. Hormones. All forms of lady business including your period, pregnancy and menopause may cause unique cravings. For boys fluctuating levels of testosterone will do the same. Be mindful of that time and opt for nurturing foods that will support you through that time rather that harm you. If you’re craving chocolate, you might be needing magnesium which can be found in raw Cacao. Instead treat yourself to my Choco-Coco Truffles – recipe below.

7. Self-Sabotage. It’s a very strange thing but many of my clients find themselves in this very strange place. When things are going extremely well, they’re eating clean healthy food, exercising regularly, something makes them want to break that. Your body starts to crave foods that throw you off, creating more cravings to balance ourselves. This often happens from low blood-sugar and may result in strong mood swings. Never starve yourself, keep healthy snacks on hand and be aware that some other force is out there to test you.