What Do YOUR Food Cravings Mean?

I am sure there is not one person in this country, who has never had a food craving. It seems as though mine can be timed right down to the day. A week before "that time," I crave chocolate, and a few days before, I crave salt! I'm not talking a piece of chocolate and a potato chip. NO....I want the ENTIRE bag of chips and the ENTIRE box of brownies! Pregnant women are also known for their weird cravings. Often times they reach for something that would have disgusted them in their "pre-pregnancy" days. I firmly believe, that a lot of people become overweight because of their strong addiction to sugar, chocolate, and refined carbohydrates. It's weird because even after we fill up on these foods, we still crave more. Ever wonder why that is?

First of all, I'm here to tell you that behind every craving, is a nutritional deficiency. Your body craves a specific food because it needs a specific nutrient that can often be found in that particular food. The problem is, most people don't know what nutrient they are actually craving and reach out for the worst possible choice in "filling the void." That is why, after eating a bag of chips, you still crave salt and after eating an entire box of brownies, you still want more! This phenomena is known as "false cravings." False cravings can be horrible when someone is trying to lose weight, watch what they eat, or have a disease that restricts their diet.

Here's a list of our most common "False Cravings." See where you fit on the list, and next time, try eating a food rich in that nutrient or taking a supplement next time a craving comes on.

1. When people crave chocolate, they're deficient in copper and magnesium.
2. When people crave dairy products, they're deficient in calcium.
3. Nuts = essential fatty acids, proteins, OR organic sodium (NOT table salt);
4. When we have PMS and have those uncontrollable chocolate cravings, we are deficient in magnesium. During our periods, the amount of magnesium we need sky rockets (which explains those uncontrollable cravings). -- You can find magnesium in liquid or capsule form, or in any yellow vegetable, or in the carob chip (a substitute for chocolate).
5. Carbohydrates = Most people crave carbs when they get off work or after a long day at school, this is because your nerves are raw (from thinking and doing so much) and the first thing you will reach for are carbs! Take some liquid magnesium on your way home from work (they'll kick in by the time you get home so you won't eat those chips) and start taking a B vitamin complex. Carbs contain b-vitamins and in today's society they get stripped out throught he food process, so it's important to make sure you're getting enough.
6. Salty = TRUE sodium; (From NATURAL sea salt which contains iodine.); Your body gets absolutely NOTHING from table salt, that's why you want more chips when you find yourself at the bottom of the bag.
7. Sweet/Sour = Your liver is trying to rinse and clean;
8. Dill pickle juice = liver support; So eat DARK greens (kale, spinach, asparagus, etc.);

Note: when pregnant women get really hot, it means their thyroid thermostat is off and the liver is congested, so try eating sweet and sour foods.

9. Sweets = You are deficient in GOOD nutritional sugar. Try eating fruit instead of reaching for a piece of candy. Wait 15 minutes and see if you still crave it. Most likely, even if you do still want a piece, you won't eat the whole bag because of the nutritional sugar you got from the fruit.
10. DIRT = There are actually people out there that crave dirt! This means you're deficient in trace minerals. Get on a good multi-vitamin that contains trace minerals. I like naturessunshine.com or you can get one from a health food store. Otherwise, pull a carrot out of the soil, and eat it without rinsing it. But DON'T do this to the carrots that come pre-packaged from the store!
11. Fried Foods = Lacking GOOD oil;
12. Spicy Foods = Thyroid imbalance or lack of fire/sulfur in the body; Eat garlic, horseradish, etc.
13. Caffeine = Exhausted adrenals; Take licorice root and vitamin C.
14. Nicotine = Vitamin B deficiency and emotional issues;
15. Alcohol Cravings = (specifically alcoholism in the family line) = L Glutamine deficiency;
16. Meat = Amino Acid deficiency or phosphorus burn (i.e. what occurs when the light bulb goes off in your head; It's a result of thinking a lot); You crave protein to refuel.
17. Ice = Iron deficiency;
18. Beets = Iron deficiency; 


Note: Have you ever wondered why you crave chips or food right when you get off work? You end up eating so much that you're full by supper time? The reason people eat a lot at night is because their nerves are hot from a busy day so they crave magnesium and carbohydrates. People crave foods that cool the nerves. Take ONE magnesium capsule when you get off work so you won’t crave the carbs when you get in the door.

****So next time you have a false craving for something sugary, refined, fried, or sweet (etc.), think about what you body is REALLY craving. Try eating something rich in the nutrients that correspond above, wait 20 minutes, and see if you still fill the need to eat a whole bag of chips! Your body will thank you and so will your waist line.