Most people have experienced these occasional, random “bangs” for certain types of foods that they normally do not crave. People who are physically active also occasionally experience food cravings, for example. However, food cravings may also affect any individual regardless of their medical conditions.1
When your brain receives signals that it is experiencing a craving, the brain usually sends a warning message to your body, telling your stomach to fill the stomach in order to prevent a “full belly” experience. Some of the most common and strongest natural pain-relieving substances are endorphins. Endorphins are natural body chemicals that are released when you are injured or are in pain. This is one of the reasons why people may experience mild food cravings during exercise.2
If you’re having cravings, the most important thing to remember is that you don’t necessarily need to avoid eating specific foods to avoid them. In fact, a good diet is likely to increase your enjoyment of food by making you aware of the many delicious and healthy varieties available to you. You should try to eat several small meals per day and make sure you get a variety of vitamins and nutrients, including protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and other nutrients. It’s also important to get regular exercise, avoid alcohol and drugs, and get regular sleep.
What Are The Common Causes Of Craving Salt Foods?
What are the common causes of craving salty foods? It has been noticed that we all have these common tastes and preferences. Salt has always been a part of our life; this may be because it is used in many of our favorite dishes. It is a common taste, but there are also some people who have very strong salt aversion. So, what are the common causes of craving salty foods? Well, one of the most common reasons is stress.3
When we encounter stress in our lives, we tend to eat more than what is necessary, and this is especially so when the food that we are craving for is not on the menu at the time. Stress can be triggered in different ways, but what is common to all is the desire to find a solution to it. The solutions to stress vary, but one common solution is to find something that will relieve us of the stress, and this is where craving salty foods comes into the picture.4
Another one of the common causes of craving is boredom. When you do not have something to do, you tend to browse the internet, talk on the phone, or take a nap. This makes the brain relax, and it releases neuropeptides, hormones that act as neurotransmitters. These hormones are responsible for our mood swings and feelings of general well-being. Boredom is a common cause of food cravings.5
Why Does Stress Cause So Many Cravings?
There are some more scientific reasons as to why craving salty foods is common. One is that some foods affect the production of neuropeptides in the brain. If the neuropeptides are produced at high levels, it will have an effect on how we feel. The common causes of craving are boredom, loneliness, or again, stress.
If the stress is so intense that it starts to affect a person’s mental health, then they might be suffering from depression. Depression can be hard to detect because sometimes the symptoms are like those of a cold or flu, so they go undetected. Sometimes, however, the person feels like they just ran a marathon, and their body is telling them that they just need to lay down and rest. This is when it becomes easy to fall into a craving cycle, where the craving stimulates another bout of psychological relaxation. Sometimes it can get to the point where the person can’t even function when they aren’t depressed.6
To prevent the common causes of craving salty foods, a person needs to understand what is triggering their cravings in the first place. If they know the triggers, then they can simply avoid them and reduce the frequency of craving. This will go a long way toward preventing episodes. For people who already have a craving, there are methods that can help neutralize those cravings.
Benefits of Salt For the Body
There are many of us who know the benefits of salt for the body, but there are still many of us out there who don’t know about this. We are constantly being told by our favourite dietician or the celebrity gossip columns that salt isn’t good for us and can help with weight loss.
But there are some real benefits of salt for the body, if consumed in the correct amounts. One of the most interesting salt benefits for the body is its ability to lower blood pressure. It has been known for some time that high blood pressure is brought on by the buildup of salt in the arteries. When you eat salty food, it benefits the body by raising the levels of sodium excreted from your system. This raises the pressure within your arteries, which reduces the pressure being put on the walls of your arteries, and lowers your blood pressure to a more healthy level. The best salt to use is kosher salt, as this contains no additives.7
Salt is also known to have benefits for the heart if consumed in safe amounts. It is a great helper when it comes to battling inflammation in the body. Our bodies encounter inflammation on a regular basis, whether it is from stress, poor nutrition, lack of sleep or even injury. To combat the build up of salt within the arteries, exercise is the ideal way to get the benefits of salt for the body.8 The salt will flush out the pollutants that have accumulated in the arteries, making the blood flow more freely throughout the body.
Image Credits
Food Revolution Network / Google Stock Images
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1 “Food cravings: Causes and how to reduce and replace cravings.” https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318441 Accessed 25 Aug. 2021.
2 “Endorphins: Effects and how to increase levels – Medical News Today.” https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320839 Accessed 25 Aug. 2021.
3 “Craving salt: Eight causes and outlook – Medical News Today.” https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319866 Accessed 25 Aug. 2021.
4 “Why Do You Crave Salt? – Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials.” 15 Dec. 2020, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-do-you-crave-salt/ Accessed 25 Aug. 2021.
5 “Overview of neuropeptides: awakening the senses? – NCBI.” 1 May. 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5424629/ Accessed 25 Aug. 2021.
6 “Food cravings mediate the relationship between chronic stress and ….” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6186388/ Accessed 25 Aug. 2021.
7 “Salt: Good or Bad? – Healthline.” 18 Jun. 2017, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/salt-good-or-bad Accessed 25 Aug. 2021.
8 “6 things you thought you knew about salt that just aren’t true.” 12 Nov. 2018, https://www.health.qld.gov.au/news-events/news/6-things-about-salt-that-arent-true Accessed 25 Aug. 2021.
