10 Food Cravings and What They Might Mean for Your Body

Food is essential for our body's growth and maintenance, it is the basic necessity of life. Different food gives off various tastes, and many people have experienced food cravings. According to Dr. Rajita Sinha, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, cravings simply reflect the desire for something rewarding. Studies show that certain foods activate the brain’s reward system, creating pleasurable feelings that influence our eating habits and make us crave them regularly.

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Over 90% of people experience food cravings at some point in their lives. A food craving is a strong and persistent desire for food, however, it's not always for anything tasty. It may also result from self-imposed dietary restrictions, boredom, or nutritional deficiencies. Your cravings might indicate something going on in your body and here are some signals to keep in mind.

1. You crave for dairy products. Craving for dairy products like cheese might signal calcium deficiency. Also, cheese cravings may be an indication of a fatty acid deficiency (most likely omega-3), which can manifest as dry or scaly skin, little lumps on the back of your arms, dry eyes, and excessive ear wax.

Additionally, 18 of the 22 essential minerals, including calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D, all of which are especially important for the skeleton, are found in milk. This craving means that you might be lacking these nutrients in your diet and in your body

2. You crave for salty foods. Americans consume more than 3,300 mg of sodium daily, exceeding the recommended intake. Food cravings for salt are an indication of adrenal weakness. Your stress response, including rage, is controlled by adrenals.

Salty snacks are frequently crunchy as well, which allows your jaw to physically release tension. Further, it signals dehydration. You are lacking in potassium or magnesium, and sodium, which are important electrolytes for hydration, blood volume, and the functioning of your nerves and muscles.

3. You are craving for sugary or sweet foods. An imbalance in blood glucose levels is frequently the cause of sugar cravings. You may have a craving for anything sweet to raise your blood sugar levels if they are low.

Additionally, craving chocolates signals magnesium deficiency. It also contains phenylethylamine (PEA), a chemical linked to feelings of love. While dark chocolate boosts serotonin and dopamine, improving mood. It also has magnesium and theobromine, which help reduce stress and relax muscles.

4. You crave for ice. Pagophagia is a strong, persistent craving to chew ice and is a type of pica, a condition where people eat non-nutritional items. Occasionally chewing ice is normal, but if the urge is intense and frequent, it may indicate pagophagia which is associated with iron deficiency. A strong desire to chew on ice was reported by 16% of individuals with iron-deficient anemia.

5. You're craving for carbs. It may signal that you are undereating. Carbohydrates are the body’s main energy source, providing quick fuel, especially for the brain. Restricting carbs can lead to fatigue, cravings, and reduced focus.

Refined carbs, like white bread and sweets, digest quickly and spike energy levels. Severe carb restriction often leads to intense cravings and binge-eating. Moreover, decreases in the feel-good hormone serotonin, which is characterized by a drop in mood and focus, are linked to cravings for carbohydrates.

6. You crave citrus or vinegar. You may have low stomach acid if you frequently want acidic foods. The first line of defense for your body is strong stomach acid, which breaks down food, particularly proteins, and sterilizes and disinfects the stomach. Insufficient stomach acid causes a series of digestive problems, including constipation, food intolerances, and digestive discomfort.

7. You crave red meat. You may be deficient in zinc, iron, or amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. You may not be properly digesting it if you frequently eat steaks, beef, etc., and yet get cravings every day.

This could indicate that you have either a type O or type A blood type and should stay away from meat. Red meats can be broken down or not by the enzymes found in some blood types.

8. You're craving for spicy foods. Spicy foods can cause a runny nose and are often used as a natural remedy for congestion. Research suggests they may help clear up stuffiness. And when you feel stuck, bored, or dull in general, your body may turn this irritation into a desire for hot foods.

Additionally, mint enhances alertness and senses. Strong desires for spicy, crunchy, or sour foods have been linked to sensation seekers.

9. You crave for nuts. Craving for nuts may signal a deficiency in sodium, iron, magnesium, or zinc. Nuts are rich in essential minerals and vitamin E. If cravings persist, a daily multivitamin can help cover potential deficiencies.

10. You crave for fatty foods. Craving for fatty foods may mean your body needs more calories. If you're restricting calories, your body signals hunger for energy.

Some days, you may be hungrier due to exercise, hormonal changes, or missed meals. Eating balanced meals regularly can help prevent cravings.

Other factors that cause food cravings.

According to the nutrition source, the following are factors that can affect people's food cravings:

• Food industry advertising. The snack industry spends over $10 billion annually on advertising promoting hyper-palatable foods like chips, candy, and soda that trigger brain cravings. Just seeing an ad can spark hunger.
  Many ads target children, increasing their preference for unhealthy foods and contributing to overeating and obesity. With rising screen time, kids are exposed to these ads everywhere—including educational websites.
• Sleep. Getting enough sleep helps regulate metabolism, while lack of sleep disrupts hunger hormones, leading to cravings for sweets, carbs, fatty, and salty foods, which may cause overeating.
• Medication. Some medications, like certain antidepressants and antipsychotics, can increase appetite and weight, though the exact reason is unclear. They may alter metabolism and brain signals related to hunger.
  Antidepressants affect serotonin, which helps regulate mood and appetite. Prednisone, a steroid, can also boost hunger by making the body resistant to leptin, the hormone that suppresses appetite.
• Exercise. It temporarily suppresses appetite by lowering ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and increasing appetite-suppressing hormones like leptin. Longer, intense workouts reduce hunger more than short, moderate ones, as blood shifts away from the gut to fuel muscles. Hunger returns gradually after exercise.
• Stress. Sudden, short-term stress usually reduces appetite, but chronic stress often leads to cravings for high-fat, calorie-dense foods. This may be due to disruptions in brain signals that trigger cortisol release, which increases hunger and cravings.
• Hormonal changes. Hormone levels change throughout a woman’s menstrual cycle. When estrogen is low and progesterone is high, cravings increase, and meals feel less satisfying. Estrogen helps control appetite by reducing hunger hormones and boosting fullness signals.

Additionally, the gut-brain connection also affects food cravings. “Our research is showing that the tongue tells our brain what we like, such as things that taste sweet, salty or fatty,” stated Dr. Zuker, who is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics and of neuroscience at Columbia’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. “The gut, however, tells our brain what we want, what we need.” A new study also reports that gut bacteria drive sugar cravings.

Since gut health is important to maintain a healthy body and diet, here are some tips to improve gut health and manage food urges:

• Take probiotics, eat fermented food and prebiotic fiber.
• Eat less sugar and sweeteners.
• Reduce stress.
• Avoid taking antibiotics unnecessarily.
• Avoid smoking.
• Eat a vegetarian diet.
• Use different cleaning products.
• Exercise regularly.
• Get enough sleep.

Cravings not only stem from physiological factors, there are also psychological reasons, one of it is emotional eating. People don’t always eat because they’re hungry.

Sometimes, we turn to food for comfort, stress relief, or as a reward, often choosing unhealthy options. Emotional eating happens when we eat to satisfy feelings instead of hunger. In order to manage emotions without food involved, it is best to find other ways to feed your feelings.

According to helpguide.org there can be alternatives to emotional eating:

• If you're feeling down, call a friend, play with your pet, or look at something that brings you joy.
• If you're anxious, try dancing, squeezing a stress ball, or going for a walk.
• If you're tired, relax with tea, take a bath, light candles, or snuggle in a blanket.
• If you're bored, read, watch something funny, go outside, or do a hobby you enjoy.

Proper hydration can help regulate cravings since dehydration causes unnecessary cravings. The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine stated that an adequate daily fluid intake is about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men and 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women. As stated above good sleep quality can help regulate cravings as well.

Following these tips while keeping in mind the food craving factors and signals is a good step towards a healthy body. It is also advised to seek professional help if necessary. Starting the journey to a healthy lifestyle involves having a proper and balanced diet.

Find out habits to stay healthy with this link.