The winter weather has well and truly arrived and if you are anything like me, it has got you craving warm, soothing meals to heat you up from the inside out. Our bodies are amazing biocomputers that know when to go to sleep, when to wake up, when to go to the bathroom and when we are getting genuinely hungry. Our bodies also know how to maintain a heathy bodily temperature of 37 degrees celsius, repair itself when wounded and knows the miracle of pregnancy and childbirth. Our hearts literally never miss a beat and our lungs never miss a breath. The body is its own computer and it never makes mistakes. This is why every time we experience a craving, it is caused from our body missing something it feels it needs to perform at its best.
There are different types of cravings that we can sense in our bodies. One type of craving is like the one I described at the start, seasonal cravings. The type that sends messages to our brains of wanting warm food in the cooler months, and wanting cool food in the summer months. These cravings are normal and are nothing to worry about. It is just our bodies way of telling us to eat in tune with our environment and climate.
Another type of craving is that sensation some people get at strange times throughout the day for an exact type of specific food or drink. An example would be craving a sugar hit at around 3-4pm in the afternoon, or a coffee fix when you get to work each morning. Many people view cravings as weaknesses, but really, they are important messages. It is the bodies way of guiding us to maintain more balance in our lives. So next time you are experiencing a craving, deconstruct it and ask yourself what does my body actually want and why?
THE 8 PRIMARY CAUSES OF CRAVINGS…
- Lack of maintaining a balanced life.
Feeling dissatisfied with a relationship, having an inappropriate exercise routine (too much, too little, or the wrong kind), being bored, stressed, uninspired by a job, or lacking a spiritual practice can all cause emotional eating. Eating can be used as a substitute for entertainment or to fill the void of something more important missing from your life.
- Water
Lack of water in your body can send the message that you are thirsty and on the verge of dehydration. Dehydration can manifest as hunger, so the first thing to do when you get a food craving is to drink a full glass of water. Excess water in your body can also cause cravings, so be sure that your water intake is well balanced. Approximately 2 litres every day, plus an additional litre for every hour of exercise.
- Yin-yang imbalance
Certain foods are more yin (expansive) while other foods are more yang (contractive). Eating foods that are either extremely yin or extremely yang causes cravings. This is because our bodies naturally try to maintain balance. For example, eating a diet rich in sugar (yin) may cause a craving for meat (yang). Eating too many raw foods (yin) may cause cravings for heavily cooked foods and vice versa.
- Inside coming out
Often cravings can come from foods we have recently eating or foods we ate in our childhood. A clever way to satisfy these cravings is to eat a healthier version of your childhood foods. For example, try these simple healthier alternatives to some of your childhood favourites:
- Swap chocolate bars for raw slices and bliss balls
- Swap caramel and buttery popcorn for natural popcorn with sea salt
- Swap potato chips for all natural corn chips with sea salt
- Swap muffins and cakes for healthy home baked treats
- Swap soft drinks for kombucha or mineral water
- Swap ice cream for homemade bananan icecream or smoothie bowls
- Swap sugary yoghurts for greek yoghurt with cinnamon or honey and nuts.
- Seasonal
The body often craves foods in accordance with the season, just like I mentioned earlier. In the spring people crave detoxifying foods like leafy greens or citrus fruits. In the summer, people crave cooling foods like fruit, raw foods and ice cream and in the winter people crave more grounding foods like pumpkins, onions and nuts. During winter, many crave heat-producing foods like meat, oil, and fat. Cravings can also be associated with the holidays, such as easter time people crave more sweets, and over Christmas cravings are often for roast meats, puddings, custards and other family traditions.
- Lack of nutrients
If the body has inadequate nutrients, it will produce odd cravings. For example, inadequate mineral levels trigger salt cravings, and overall inadequate nutrition leads to cravings for temporary sources of energy, such as caffeine.
- Hormonal
When women experience menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause, fluctuating testosterone and oestrogen levels may cause unique cravings.
- De-evolution
When things are going extremely well in your life, sometimes self-sabotage happens. We crave foods that throw us off, thus creating more cravings to balance ourselves out. This often happens from low blood sugar and may result in strong mood swings. This is also the reason I promote an 80/20 lifestyle, so you are never depriving yourself of anything and therefore stopping de-evolution and self-sabotage before it even happens. (There will be more on the 80/20 lifestyle in another post coming soon).
I hope these can help you to address the underlying cause of your next craving, and help you be on the path to living a healthier, happier and balanced lifestyle.
Ashlee xx
