Pesky Cravings... just might be good for you!

Many consider that irresistible urge for chocolate or bread with butter slathered on to be the bane of anyone trying to maintain a healthy eating regime.  However, those sudden cravings for certain foods that have nothing to do with hunger could be your body trying to tell you something!

When I meet a patient for the first appointment, I ask them a LOT of questions.  Many of those questions are about what they LIKE to eat and what they don't like.  Also if there are foods they simply "can't live without", I put that in inverted commas as even though it may seem impossible for you to live without say... chocolate, I assure you it IS possible.  The reasoning behind these questions is simple, many foods that people think they can't live without and crave on a regular basis and will even go out of their way to eat is their bodies' way of telling them that there is something in that particular food that their bodies need and must have.  Usually this is down to a deficiency in certain nutrients.

For example:  Do you crave chocolate? (I know I do).  Well this common craving could be down to a lack of magnesium in some people.  Chocolate is rich in magnesium which is a mineral that is vital for skin and hair.  Women also crave chocolate as their magnesium levels tend to drop during the second half of the menstrual cycle, which also suggests a possible link with many of the usual symptoms of PMS.  There are other reasons for a lack of magnesium in the body, for example, drinking too much tea, coffee and carbonated drinks can lower magnesium levels.

The solution?  Well if the only thing that will do it for you is chocolate then stick to the dark stuff and preferable a minimum of 75% cocoa as this will have a higher magnesium content and less sugar.  However, nuts, particularly Brazil nuts are a richer source, leafy greens, brown rice, wholemeal bread and pumpkin seeds are also good.

If you suffer from PMS try taking a Vitamin B complex supplement with a magnesium supplement every day.

Is Ice a necessity for you?  Yes, believe it or not there are people out there that crave ice.  It is not know exactly why, but craving ice could be due to lack of iron in the body.  If you do crave ice and suffer from lack of energy you should see your doctor as you may be anaemic.  The amount of iron in our diets has decreased due to people eating less healthily and relying on processed foods.

The solution?  Red meat is an optimal source of iron as it is readily absorbed by the body.  Other sources are wholemeal bread, figs, apricots, spinach, broccoli and lentils.  However, if you are trying to increase your intake of iron through plant based foods, then you should also eat Kiwis, oranges and tomatoes as the vitamin C in them helps the body to absorb the iron.  So if you eat a spinach salad, make sure it has tomato in it too - for example.

If you would prefer and your doctor recommends it, you can take iron supplements - Solgar Gentle Iron is one that I prefer as it is less likely to cause constipation, but remember to take it with a kiwi or an orange for better absorption.

Do you go out of your way for a hunk of meat?  Craving meat can also be a sign of iron deficiency but it can also mean you are low on zinc.  Zinc is important to immune function, among other things, so when your levels are depleted you will be more susceptible to colds and flu.

The solution?  Red meat is a great source as well as lentils, shellfish, spinach, pumpkin seeds, cheese and wholemeal bread.  I always keep some zinc tablets at home and when I feel the typical first symptoms of a cold coming on I take them for a few days and they chase the cold away.

It has to be sweets?  I'm not a sweet eater... for me it has to be chocolate, but I did have a patient who suffered from anxiety and she ate sweets constantly.  Craving sweets could be a sign of chromium deficiency.  Chromium works with insulin to aid the uptake of glucose from the blood into the cells.  Reaching for sweets when you feel low on sugar can actually make the problem worse as it causes the body to produce insulin which leads to a sugar crash, making the cravings even worse.

The solution?  Eat plenty of liver, chicken, beef, kidney, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, whole grains and eggs.

Just can't get enough cheese?    Craving cheese can be a real tell tale sign of a lack of tryptophan.
 Tryptophan is one of the 20 essential amino acids that our bodies need but can not produce themselves.  We need to get these amino acids from our food.  Tryptophan is needed to help the body synthesize serotonin  or the happy hormone.  A lack of tryptophan can lead to low mood, anxiety and sleep problems.

The solution?  The best foods for their tryptophan content are eggs and cheese, so if you're feeling low a cheese omelette might be just the thing for you.  Other good sources of tryptophan are turkey, cashews, walnuts, and bananas.


I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com