4 Common Food Cravings

There are many reasons for common food cravings. The good news is that these are reasons you can change and have an easier time controlling your cravings. The first step you need to do is identify the reasons for your craving so that you can come up with a plan to get them under control.¹

There are several reasons for common food cravings so you need to learn about them. You may be feeling bored, you could just be in a mood and you could be anxious. There are also physical reasons for cravings such as being diet conscious or because you are trying to lose weight. You can change any of the reasons and with some help from a nutritional supplement, this will not be a difficult task. If the reasons for your craving are emotional, there are other ways to deal with them. One of the reasons for emotional cravings is depression and low self-esteem.²

It is important to know the reasons for your cravings so that you can change them. This will allow you to have a healthy lifestyle and have a better chance at controlling them. It is easy to get into unhealthy eating patterns once you have a craving so you need to make changes in your life. It is better to address the underlying reasons for your craving than it is to try to fix the symptom itself. With some help, you can find a way to eliminate your common food cravings.

Why Do People Crave Chocolate?

When a person craves food, they require that food in an almost immediate fashion – even if that food is a vegetable or a piece of fruit. This physiological response within the human body triggers an individual’s emotional needs to fulfill the extreme need for the substance. For most people, when they crave chocolate, they are emotionally unfulfilled, and this allows them to feel full without having actually consumed any of the food. However, the high of experiencing “highs,” as they are called, is short-lived, usually only lasting several hours.³

A chocolate craving can also be caused by magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is essential for many bodily functions, including nerve and muscle cell function.⁴ If a person does not get enough magnesium, he or she may feel restless, irritable, and experience muscle pain, cramps, and nausea. This can then lead to a drop in blood sugar levels which makes it hard for a person to focus on other things while craving chocolate, such as work, school, or even family.

The psychological reasons why people crave chocolate may be connected to one’s biochemical and metabolic makeup because our bodies are constantly changing in both size and function. Therefore, the foods we eat as adults may not be the same foods we enjoyed as children and eating chocolate as a child may be completely different than eating chocolate as an adult.⁵

Why People Crave Dairy Products

Why do people crave dairy products? The answer lies in the nutritional value of the food, and also the health benefits. People are not only eating the same old foods that are unhealthy, they have a hard time changing to a new diet with so many foods that are highly processed and contain chemicals and hormones.⁶ People need that calcium, vitamin D, Vitamin A, B-12, phosphorus, potassium, and other minerals that our bodies need to stay healthy.

One reason why people crave dairy products is because they are low in fat and calories. When you consume dairy products, your body does not store any fat because it is removed before it is used. Therefore, you will be losing weight while gaining lean muscle mass. It is simple to get the weight off, but it can be hard to get back on.⁷

Why Do People Crave Caffeine?

Many people who suffer from insomnia often have caffeine as a trigger, along with a number of other triggers. The American Council on Exercise reports that caffeine is the most common “food-cue drug” used by exercisers, increasing their heart rate and adrenaline while they are working out. Some researchers have gone so far as to suggest that caffeine can actually be used by some exercisers during exercise as a way of masking any feelings of depression or anxiety that may be felt without the obvious exercise stimulus. This is because caffeine increases the amount of adenine molecules in the brain, which dampens feelings of depression or discomfort.⁸

But if you think that caffeine itself is the craving, you may be missing out. The reason people crave caffeine varies for a number of reasons. It can be because it tastes good (sometimes), it can make us feel energetic (most of the time), or it can provide an escape from the harsh realities of the world. Many people report a craving for caffeine when they are hungry or have just had a workout.⁹ But it can also be a great motivator for people to stick to a healthy diet and regular exercise routine, which can lead to weight loss and a healthier lifestyle overall.

One thing that is clear is that if you crave Caffeine, you should not give in to your cravings by drinking more coffee or soft drinks, or anything else that contains caffeine. If you have a craving for something, instead of reaching for that Caffeine-derivative, try doing something else for a while.¹⁰ Caffeine is a stimulant, and overuse of stimulants can be very dangerous. Instead, reach for a cup of water or herbal tea, and wait for your craving to go away. In the meantime, you’ll be doing yourself some valuable “coping” by exercising and eating right!

Why Are You Craving Salty Foods?

In reality, the body needs salt in order to properly digest and utilize the protein and carbohydrates found in food. The problem happens when the body doesn’t know when to get its salt back. When this happens, the person can easily get sick and can cause themselves even more damage if they don’t get the salt back in their system in time. When this happens, the person will find that their body isn’t functioning correctly and that they may be suffering from dehydration as well.¹¹

The first reason people crave salty foods is that it enhances their appetite. When you have an excess of salt in your blood, the body has the tendency to want more food because it thinks that it needs to work harder to get the salt into your system.¹² This is why do people sometimes suffer from severe hunger pangs even if they’re just trying to cut down on their food cravings.

The second reason why people crave salty foods is because of the effect of dehydration. It’s very true that excess salt causes a drop in the water levels in the body. People who are dehydrated also suffer from water retention and other health problems. Also, salt tends to slow down the process of digestion leading to constipation. Hence, you can see the relationship between craving salty foods and health problems.¹³

The bottom line is that you need to get your salt back into your system. It’s in your muscle tissue, it’s in your fat cells, and it’s in your bloodstream. By the time you’ve eaten, the problem is usually long gone and you’re able to eat again with less frequency than before.

Image Credits

Dacado Blog / Google Stock Images

The Counter / Google Stock Images

Harvard Health / Google Stock Images

Mental Floss / Google Stock Images

Salt is Good Blog / Google Stock Images