Cravings and Possible Deficiencies

According to Megan Heimer at LivingWhole.Org, Chocolate and Tortilla Chips may be a sign of magnesium deficiency.  Here is a list of other potential deficiencies Megan gives:

  • Craving chocolate? Chocolate cravings are associated with deficiencies in magnesium and copper. Around “that time of the month,” the body uses up more magnesium which is why many women experience PMS and chocolate cravings. To curb the craving, try a magnesium supplement, eat more yellow foods like butternut squash, (Non-GMO corn if you’re into that sort of thing), apples, apricots, bananas, and nuts (especially around “that time of the month” where your body requires extra magnesium). Still want some chocolate? Substitute with carob or add a teaspoon of raw cacao to a smoothie.
  • Craving tortilla chips? Your might be deficient in magnesium.
  • Craving all thing dairy like, milk, cheese, ice cream, or pizza? Your body is telling you it needs calcium.
  • Craving nuts? Your might need more essential fatty acids, protein, or healthy sodium.
  • Craving salt? Your body is craving healthy sodium (which is naturally rich in iodine) and attempting to restore balance within your body. Avoid table salt and opt for Himalayan salt or celery juice, which is one of the easiest and healthiest ways to satisfy a salt craving.
  • Sweet and sour cravings? We’re talking pickles, lemons, limes, or a combination of sour on sweet. These cravings are associated with liver congestion. The simple fix is to add lemon to your water on a regular basis.
  • Craving sugar and starches? These cravings can be caused by any number of things, the most common being a candida (yeast) overgrowth, a neurotransmitter (often serotonin) imbalance, and a lack of glucose from good complex carbs. If you crave sugar while studying, it’s because the brain burns glucose for energy. If you crave sugar after chow’n down on some chips, it’s because you ate too much salt.Instead of grabbing the sugar, try eating carrots or a piece of fruit and wait 15 minutes to see if the craving goes away. Invest in a good probiotic. Up the fiber. Do a candida cleanse. Make sure your diet contains adequate amounts of protein. Exercise to properly regulate your neurotransmitters, and incorporate healthy carbohydrates into your diet so you’re less likely to binge on the empty ones.
  • Craving dirt? A dirt craving is often associated with a deficiency in trace minerals and is very common during the third trimester of pregnancy. Make sure you’re getting adequate fruits and vegetables and invest in a trace mineral supplement. If you have your own organic garden, pull a carrot up from the soil and eat it without washing.
  • Craving fried foods? This is a sheer sign your diet is lacking good fats. Ditch the “taste good but bad for you” fried foods and up the olives, avocado, coconut, seeds, nuts, and healthy oils.
  •  Craving spicy foods? A spicy food craving is associated with a thyroid imbalance or sulfur deficiency. Eat garlic, horse-radish, curry, cayenne, etc. and make sure you source organic.
  • Craving chalk? A craving for chalk is another common third trimester pregnancy craving and is associated with an iron, calcium, or trace mineral deficiency.
  • Craving caffeine? Your adrenals are exhausted or you have a neurotransmitter imbalance. Cut out the stress in your life and try licorice root, vitamin B5, and vitamin C.
  • Craving nicotine? People who crave nicotine often have unresolved emotional issues and a b vitamin deficiency.
  • Craving alcohol? You might have an L-glutamine deficiency (especially if alcoholism is genetic) and a neurotransmitter imbalance.
  • Craving meat? You might have a deficiency in protein (rare in this country), iron, amino acids, or phosphorus.
  • Craving ice? An ice craving is most commonly associated with an iron deficiency. Try to incorporate more iron rich foods into your diet, more leafy greens, or try a chelated iron or supplement that increases the blood’s ability to carry oxygen (required for iron absorption), like I-X or liquid chlorophyll.
  • Craving tuna? You might be deficient in essential fatty acids or protein.
  • Craving carbs after a hard day’s work? People crave carbohydrates and magnesium at the end of a busy day to calm their nerves. Take magnesium right before you leave work so you won’t attack the junk food and tortilla chips when you walk in the door.

If Sugar is your downfall and you’d like to get rid of those cravings, consider a candida/yeast cleanse. True Balance Wellness will be hosting another group through this cleanse in January which also addresses leaky gut and rebalancing the gut flora. Stay posted for class schedules here.

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