Cravings: What are they and what do they mean?
“All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt”. Lucy Van Pelt from Peanuts Magazine by Charles Schultz.
Many of us view cravings as weaknesses. We should be able to assert our will over the “demons” in our lives that can take such a hold over us, shouldn’t we? We should be able to ignore the seduction of the Snickers Bar, shouldn’t we? If you look closely enough, you can almost see the devil horns sprouting out of the top of your potato chips, candy bar or Sid Slick chocolate ice cream. Well help is at hand, as I am going to put a whole new perspective on this “bad” behavior!
As with so many things in life, it’s all a matter of perspective. Instead of signs of weakness, in reality these are quite different indicators. Cravings are, in fact, important messages that your body is trying to communicate about getting itself back into balance. I know this takes a leap of faith, but we really do have to try and trust our bodies, as they are miraculous entities that hold great wisdom – if only we could listen.
Here are the 8 primary causes of cravings: 
Dehydration: The first sign of dehydration is hunger. So 1st step is to drink a glass of water.
Dissatisfying aspects of your life: Look at your relationships, work, exercise program, social and spiritual life. Eating is often used to fill a void in one of these areas. Eg If you have had a satisfying and nurturing day at work you are less likely to fill the void with ice cream when you arrive home.
Biological imbalance: Eg eating too much sugar can have us craving too much salt. A tip here is to eat a well-balanced meal to put you back on track.
Looking back to childhood: Often we crave food that makes us feel safe and nurtured. Substitute these childhood treats with a healthier version. Eg My mum used to allow us one piece of chocolate a day around 4pm with afternoon tea – now I substitute the Cadbury’s Dairy Milk from my growing up in England for Black and Greens 70% organic chocolate.
Go with the seasons: Our bodies are smart and often give us cravings for foods that help us to balance out the elements. Eg salads in summer; hearty stew in the winter. Holiday time can often be accompanied by cravings for foods associated with the season, eg eggnog at Christmas, Pimms in July. Don’t be alarmed; such festive activities are part of the fun – but in moderation.
Poor nutrition: If our bodies do not receive the nutrients we need to function properly, we will suffer odd cravings. Eg we may crave salty food if we are deficient in minerals, we may crave caffeine if our energy levels are low.
We girls and our hormones: fluctuating hormone levels connected to our cycles, pregnancy or menopause can lead to very strange food cravings. I would love to hear from readers about some of these!
The Saboteur: When things are going well, we sometimes sabotage ourselves and crave foods that put us off balance and this can lead to craving after craving.
Try this experiment: When you get your next craving – stop and ask yourself, “What is really going on here?”
