Let’s Talk About Food Cravings by Eleni Seitis

Just about everyone has food cravings.

You know those pesky feelings of desire for certain foods that you debate within yourself whether you should be eating them or not. Like, when you’re standing in line at the checkout, and there is an array of lollies or health food bars next to you on the counter to tempt you to purchase these snacks.

Or perhaps you are ordering a coffee and the cake and hot food display show foods that are bursting with colours and smells that seemingly overwhelm your good sense (or self-control), so you purchase them and maybe regret your decision later (or try to justify it to yourself why you ate it).

That’s food cravings for you. Have you ever been working or so focused on a task that you forgot to eat? When you start to feel hangry (hungry and angry), you realise you haven’t eaten for a while. Your body will signal you to eat (or drink) to obtain the nutrients you need to bring your body back to a harmonious state. 

What if, however, your body is doing its very best to get you to eat those foods because you are deficient in a nutrient or brain chemical? Would you still eat them, or eat foods that are healthier options that contain the nutrients that your body requires? Your appetite for certain foods including cravings, reflect your emotional state, peace of mind and energy levels.

Many times, hunger is a mask for thirst. If we ignore our body’s thirst signals, it will give you hunger signals instead as these are more powerful and harder to ignore. Try drinking a glass of water 5-10 minutes before eating to see if it was really your thirst needing to be quenched rather than your hunger.

Learning to eat healthier, more nutritious foods can help you maintain, or even lose weight. Just eating fruit or celery sticks is not going to cut it though. Let’s explore some common food cravings and what information they hold regarding nutrient and brain chemical deficiencies. 

Foods that we commonly crave are chocolate (which is rich in magnesium); other sugary sweets (contain chromium, carbon, phosphorus, sulphur or tryptophan); salty foods (comprise sodium, potassium and chloride); oily or fatty foods (provide calcium or essential fatty acids); and refined carbohydrates like bread or pasta (has nitrogen). 

What healthier foods could you have instead of these ones which are full of excess calories and carbohydrates, and fats (including trans fats that contribute to arterial plaque)?

To replace chocolate, eating raw nuts and seeds, legumes and fruit will often provide the magnesium your body craves.

Swapping sugary sweets with fresh fruits, dairy products, nuts, leafy greens, sweet potatoes and oatmeal will offer your body sufficient amounts of chromium, carbon, phosphorus, sulphur and tryptophan. 

Salty foods can be exchanged with goats’ milk (as in goats milk feta) and adding more sea salt to your foods (tastes great on raw tomatoes), increases your sodium, potassium and chloride levels.

Dark leafy greens, nuts and cheese will give you the calcium and essential fatty acids your body needs without having to resort to oily, fatty foods.

Refined carbohydrates can be substituted with high-protein foods, tofu, peanut butter, or yoghurt, to obtain the nitrogen your body needs.

Other strategies to help quell the cravings are eating a big breakfast every day, loading up on protein to balance your serotonin and dopamine levels, skipping artificial sweeteners, eating more frequently, take probiotics, eat more healthy saturated fats, and supplement with gymnema or Emulin 5 (a carbohydrate manager that also reduces carbohydrate cravings).

Having chocolate, chips, pastries, processed carbs and deep-fried fatty foods are okay to have occasionally, though not as part of your regular eating pattern. Eating a varied diet full of fresh fruit, vegetables and nutrient-rich foods will keep your body healthy and you get to satisfy your food cravings as well.

Eleni Seitis is a Therapeutic and Intuitive Bodyworker of 20 years’ experience. She works from her home in Redcliffe. Go to www.oasishealthcentres.com.au or call/text on 0438 545 045. Emulin 5 supplements can be purchased from Eleni at https://bit.ly/Emulin5-Oasis