What do cravings actually mean?
Cravings get a bad shake. They seem like this really "bad" thing that we all have to get a handle on or reign in if we want to be healthy or even have an ounce of control over our lives.
I blame diet culture (I know, I blame many things on this, but hear me out).
Cravings are seen as something to ignore. If we have enough willpower, that craving for a brownie can go away if we just eat these 7 almonds. But in the back of our minds hear: “Careful! not too many almonds because… calories. I mean, they're good calories though right? But still, don’t eat too many!!”
It's almost like our bodies can't be trusted. Us silly gooses over here are getting messages from our bodies to eat something, maybe even something decadent. Instead of viewing cravings as a legitimate sign that our body needs something - we see it as a weakness.
Cravings are viewed as something to be controlled. And if we give in... we add that to the list of mom fails to be guilty about.
This is some bullshit.
Cravings have no morals. They are not "good" or "bad." Mostly, they are messages from your body that your needs are not being quite met by your diet. This is not a good or a bad thing, just a thing.
Let's break this down. I generally find that cravings fit into one of 3 categories. Once you start to notice this and experiment, you can decode what your super smart body is trying to tell you.
Cravings for food with nutrients that we're missing.
When your body isn't getting enough of certain vitamins and minerals it needs, you're going to get a message.
Ever crave chocolate before your period? You may need more magnesium. Cocoa is super rich in this mineral, and your needs are higher for magnesium during your luteal phase. Lower circulating levels of this mineral can contribute to PMS. So we can take this craving as a sign that we need to increase our leafy green, nut, seed, fish intake and perhaps take a magnesium supplement. But also, eat the chocolate.
Another example is fatigue + dying for a burger and fries. This might be related to iron deficiency - particularly if you feel this way mostly when you're on your period (ie losing even more iron via your blood). Still get that burger, but also get your iron checked with a full iron panel with ferritin.
Why do I Crave Sugar? : Cravings as a blood sugar warning.
Picture it: 3 pm. Your living room. That cookie calling your name, or those chips singing a little "eaaaaaat meeeeee" song to you. You eat it and feel better pretty quickly and can power through the rest of your day.
This, my friend, could be a blood sugar crash. If we're not eating the right balance of protein to carb to fiber (or just not eating *enough* in general) - you get a loud and clear message that you need to do something about it. Low blood sugar is a safety issue for your body so you have this really strong built-in, almost primal mechanism to fix it ASAP with a snack. Along with that craving, your cortisol will probably spike because a blood sugar crash is considered a stressor to your body, and part of cortisol's job is to bring up low blood sugar. More on the stress hormone later.
Concentrating on eating 3, large balanced meals is the antidote for this. I routinely see that hitting the goal of about 100 grams of protein per day, divided into meals, dramatically cuts sugar cravings. Again, it's not that you can never have your favorite sweet or salty food. It's more about understanding the reason behind and giving your body what it needs so you can decode these cravings more easily.
Why stress can lead to cravings
When we also pair your cravings with other symptoms, we can get some clues about what's going on with your stress response. While I do like to run a urine or saliva test for cortisol with my clients to know exactly what's going on, we can still get some decent info from how symptoms cluster.
Feeling amped up, anxious, sensitive to coffee, feeling highly stressed, and also craving sugar or alcohol? I'm looking at high cortisol.
Describe yourself as burnt out, dragging with low energy, having minimal stress tolerance, and needing to eat alllll the salty food? Low cortisol is my suspicion.
Have a combo of both? You can have a mix of high or low depending on the time of day. This is really common.
I hope this helps you piece together what your cravings might be telling you and view them as just another symptom, and your incredibly intelligent body trying to communicate with you.
Now here's the kicker. Once we figure out all the above, start feeding your body what it needs and dramatically cut these more "physiologic" cravings - we may still want a donut. Or some ice cream. Or some chips from time to time.
The reason? They taste super good. Or we associate them with holidays or celebrations. Or you just want it. This is just part of being a normal human in a normal eating environment. And it's ok to just eat food just because. And the more you can feed your body what it needs in day-to-day life, the more these "extras" can come without a guilt price tag.