How to Kick Food Cravings

We’ve all experienced that mouth-watering, intense desire for chocolate, or caffeine, or even fried chicken. You know, those strong food cravings that you just can’t ignore. Food cravings have hit us all at one time or another. And, the truth is food cravings for health foods, like fruits and veggies, are a rarity. So, why do food cravings occur? Or, more importantly, do you know how to kick food cravings when they hit? Turns out, it takes more than willpower and self-discipline to kick food cravings to the curb.

What are Food Cravings?

Food cravings are an intense desire for food, typically a specific food. According to Psychology Today, there are a few characteristics that help define food cravings:

• The desire for highly palatable foods that are high in calories, like sugar, salt, or fat
• Dieting, or caloric limitation, can lead to increased food cravings
• Cravings are often not due to hunger, but actually emotional or mental factors, such as stress or habit
• Physiological factors, such as chemicals and hormones, contribute to food cravings

Most adults will experience food cravings in their lifetime. In fact, many children will experience them, too. However, you are not a slave to your food cravings. Learning how to kick food cravings is the first step in conquering them once and for all.

Causes of Food Cravings 

No matter the cause, food cravings are never a sign of weakness or lack of willpower, despite popular belief. Truthfully, they are your body’s way of telling you that it needs something, such as a specific macro or micronutrient.

The most common causes of food cravings include:

• Low blood sugar
• Low caloric intake or dieting 
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Emotional stress or anxiety
• Hormonal fluctuations 
• PMS or menstrual cycle
• Dietary habits

Interestingly, food cravings are more likely to be caused by a physiological imbalances or emotional circumstance than physical hunger. So, it’s important to pay close attention to food cravings, so that you can begin to understand what your body is trying to communicate to you.

Questions to Ask When Experiencing Food Cravings 

One of the best ways to better understand why you’re experiencing food cravings is to ask yourself a few questions when the cravings hit. Introspective questions, like the ones below, help identify the root cause of your cravings:

• Did you skip any meals that could have caused you to be more hungry?
• Did you eat enough protein with your meals? Or did you eat carbs/sugar by themselves?
• Did you include complex carbs and fiber with your meals?
• Are you emotionally stressed?
• Did a situation occur that caused emotional turmoil?
• Have you implemented poor dietary habits?
• Do you associate food with a specific emotion, circumstance, or event?
• Are you about to start your menstrual period?

All of these questions can help you begin to understand why you might experience food cravings. You can use a notebook or your phone to start logging the answers to these questions as cravings strike.

How to Honor Your Body’s Hunger and Needs

As previously mentioned, food cravings are one way that your body will communicate with you. In order to overcome food cravings, you have to understand what your body needs and begin to honor it. Here are a few ways to honor your body’s hunger and nutrient needs:

• Don’t attempt to eat something else to “curb the craving.” This can sometimes make the craving even more intense!
• Instead, be very mindful when you eat. Pay close attention to when your body is full and satisfied. Eating slowly and chewing a lot can help with mindful eating.
• Before or during your period, you may notice an increase in hunger. This is normal! It can also be normal to experience a reduced appetite during your period.
• Consume nutrients to meet your food cravings. For example, the following cravings are often correlated with a specific nutrient need:
  • Chocolate = magnesium (found in dark chocolate, leafy greens, and nuts and seeds)
  • Sweets = chromium, phosphorus, or sulfur (found in broccoli, grapes, cheese, chicken, liver, beef, and kale)
  • Fat = calcium (found in cheese, kale, turnip greens)
  • Coffee = phosphorus, sulfur, salt, or iron (found in broccoli, grapes, chicken, egg yolks, sea salt, fish, and cruciferous veggies)
  • Salty foods = chloride (found in goat milk, fish, sea salt)

If you’ve implemented that strategies above and are still struggling with recurring food cravings, it’s time to dig a little deeper. Here’s how:

• Check for nutrient deficiencies
• Check for blood sugar imbalances or insulin resistance
• Work with a professional

I am passionate about helping women understand why they experience food cravings on the regular. I use a variety of functional testing and symptom analysis to get to the root of food cravings and help overcome them for good. Learn more about how I can help you kick your food cravings, here!