Happy Friday, Everyone! I hope you all have a fun weekend ahead. I’m heading up to Asheville, N.C. this afternoon for a friend’s wedding and some time with a few college buds.
So today we’re talking about cravings. We all get them. You women know exactly what I mean. There are those times, usually during a certain time of the month, that you would literally be willing to donate your left kidney for some chocolate! Cravings are just our bodies’ way of telling us that it NEEDS something in which it may be deficient. Something tells me that our bodies are not deficient in Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk, so what does it really mean when we think we just gotta have it? (Of course I’m not talking about me, but a girl I know really struggles with this! Ha!)
Cravings can get the best of all of us!
I’ve always battled a sweet tooth, but I’ve made a lot of headway in controlling my sugar handling in the last few months. I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t crave sweets at all throughout the day, which is huge for me! Is there a food craving you need to kick? If so, let me know and I’ll try to give you some ideas!
My instructor shared this food cravings chart with our class and I thought it would be a great thing to pass along to you. It can help us decipher what our bodies are really asking for when we feel a mad hankerin’ coming on! Enjoy and I’ll catch you all on Monday!
| If you crave this… | What you really need is… | Healthy alternatives containing this nutrient |
| Chocolate | Magnesium | Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits |
| Sweets | Chromium | Broccoli, grapes, cheese, dried beans, calves liver, chicken |
| Carbon | Fresh fruits | |
| Phosphorus | Chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, legumes, grains | |
| Sulfur | Cranberries, horseradish, cruciferous vegetables, kale, cabbage | |
| Tryptophan | Cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach | |
| Bread, toast | Nitrogen | High protein foods: fish, meat, nuts, beans |
| Oily snacks, fatty foods | Calcium | Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame |
| Coffee or tea | Phosphorous | Chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, legumes |
| Sulfur | Egg yolks, red peppers, muscle protein, garlic, onion, cruciferous vegetables | |
| Coffee, Tea (cont.) | NaCl (salt) | Sea salt, apple cider vinegar (on salad) |
| Iron | Meat, fish and poultry, seaweed, greens, black cherries | |
| Alcohol, recreational drugs | Protein | Meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, nuts |
| Avenin | Granola, oatmeal | |
| Calcium | Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame | |
| Glutamine | Supplement glutamine powder for withdrawal, raw cabbage juice | |
| Potassium | Sun-dried black olives, potato peel broth, seaweed, bitter greens | |
| Chewing ice | Iron | Meat, fish, poultry, seaweed, greens, black cherries |
| Burned food | Carbon | Fresh fruits |
| Soda and other carbonated drinks | Calcium | Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame |
| Salty foods | Chloride | Raw goat milk, fish, unrefined sea salt |
| Acid foods | Magnesium | Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits |
| Preference for liquids rather than solids | Water | Flavor water with lemon or lime. You need 8 to 10 glasses per day. |
| Preference for solids rather than liquids | Water | You have been so dehydrated for so long that you have lost your thirst. Flavor water with lemon or lime. You need 8 to 10 glasses per day. |
| Cool drinks | Manganese | Walnuts, almonds, pecans, pineapple, blueberries |
| Pre-menstrual cravings | Zinc | Red meats (especially organ meats), seafood, leafy vegetables, root vegetables |
| General overeating | Silicon | Nuts, seeds; avoid refined starches |
| Tryptophan | Cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach | |
| Tyrosine | Vitamin C supplements or orange, green, red fruits and vegetables | |
| Lack of appetite | Vitamin B1 | Nuts, seeds, beans, liver and other organ meats |
| Vitamin B3 | Tuna, halibut, beef, chicken, turkey, pork, seeds and legumes | |
| Manganese | Walnuts, almonds, pecans, pineapple, blueberries | |
| Chloride | Raw goat milk, unrefined sea salt | |
| Tobacco | Silicon | Nuts, seeds; avoid refined starches |
| Tyrosine | Vitamin C supplements or orange, green and red fruits and vegetables |
