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The food you crave can tell you a lot about your health. More importantly, you can actually stop the cravings by correcting what is causing you to crave certain foods. Not only can food cravings ruin a diet, the food people typically crave is unhealthy.
Food cravings are actually your body’s way of telling you that you need certain nutrients. If you correct the nutrient imbalance, you’ll no longer crave the food. If it sounds too simple, try it yourself – here’s how.
Many people crave either salty foods or sweet foods. If you crave salty foods, your body needs more chloride. The levels of chloride in your body help control the amount of fluid inside and outside of your cells. Chloride also helps maintain the PH balance of your bodily fluids and aids in controlling blood volume and blood pressure.
If you’re craving salty foods, try eating a lemon, unrefined sea salt, tomatoes, celery, olives, fish, lettuce, or seaweed. These all contain chloride and can combat your craving – and fix it if you keep your levels up.
If you typically crave sweeter foods, you may have a lack of chromium, sulfur, or tryptophan. Chromium helps regulate blood sugar and aids in transporting insulin into glucose in the cells. From there, it gets used for energy. Sulfur provides vital amino acids and tryptophan is an essential amino acid.
You can get these nutrients from eating broccoli, cabbage, beans, kale, cranberries, and grapes instead of opting for a sugary treat.
Bread is another big food item that people crave. These cravings come from a lack of nitrogen. Your nitrogen levels come from amino acids which are important for your hair, muscles, skin, and tissue.
If you crave bread, you can increase your nitrogen levels by eating beans, lentils, oatmeal, peas, spinach, almonds, mushrooms, lean meat, or white fish.
Chocolate cravings are a unique sugary food that’s a little bit different than simply craving sugar. If you crave chocolate, your body needs more magnesium. It regulates muscle and nerve function, as well as, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure.
Combat these cravings by getting more magnesium through fresh fruit, legumes, and raw seeds and nuts.
By eating healthier foods that contain what you actually need, you’ll reduce or eliminate your cravings. Improving the nutrient balance in your system can help you stick to a diet, control what you eat, and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
