Chances are, we have all experienced cravings at sometime in our lives. Have you ever wondered what causes these cravings? Why do you suddenly want something random like a soft pretzel, a soda, or ice cream? Why does it seem like your cravings usually aren’t very healthy?
Medical News Today reports, “Food cravings are caused by the regions of the brain that are responsible for memory, pleasure, and reward.” This area of the brain holds lots of emotions, connections, and desires that can often be traced back to food items. Let’s analyze why certain factors related to this portion of your brain can cause cravings.
Seasons
Most people have certain traditions or celebrations during certain seasons. Her Unique Glow states, “The body craves foods that balance the elements of the season.” Your brain senses the change in the weather or atmosphere and can make this part of your brain crave certain things associated with that time of year. For example:
- In the spring you might crave fresh items like fruits and vegetables because everything around you starts to come back to life.
- In the summer you might crave things like ice cream, salads, and other cold or fresh items. These types of foods are often associated with summer because it is hot outside or because you eat them at barbecues or summer parties.
- In the fall you might crave baked items like breads, cookies, and pies or warm drinks like hot chocolate and apple cider. This is because the temperature begins to cool down and you start wanting warm things that have a cozy feel.
- In the winter you probably crave hot foods like soups, stews, and warm beverages. This is because you want warm things to help warm up your body temperature.
Emotional
A lot of people notice that when they are stressed, anxious, or sad, they tend to have more cravings and find themselves reaching for unhealthy foods. Thorne explains, “Chronic stress increases the level of the hormone cortisol, which increases appetite – especially for sweet carbs. If we are feeling sad, then we eat because it’s pleasurable and triggers the release of endogenous cannabinoids that can soothe our mood naturally.” If you eat every time you are feeling some type of negative emotion, your brain becomes used to this and sends that signal every time you are feeling down or nervous. For example:
- Women on their period often crave chocolate. This is most likely because in our society this has become a stereotype so because women tend to eat chocolate during their period. Because women feed this craving, their brains expect chocolate every time they are on their menstrual cycle.
- Many people “treat” themselves to unhealthy meals like pizza or burgers after a stressful week at work. Even though they think they just do this because they had a hard week, their brains often start to crave unhealthy foods at the end of every week.
- When you are nervous about something, you might eat “comfort” foods to help calm your nerves. This food can vary from person to person but if you eat certain foods every time you are nervous, your brain will start to crave that thing when feelings of nervousness arrive.
Deficiencies
The real reason you might be craving something, healthy or unhealthy, is because you are lacking a certain vitamin, mineral, or other nutrient. Your craving can actually be a secret clue that you need to eat a more balanced diet. Instead of satisfying your craving with unhealthy foods, dig deeper and see what your diet could actually be missing that is causing you to feel this way. For example, The Veggie Girl explained the following:
- If you are craving salt, you could be lacking chloride. Instead of reaching for the bag of potato chips you should instead eat tomatoes, lettuce, celery, olives, and seaweed.
- If you are craving sugar, you could be low in chromium, sulfur, or tryptophan. These nutrients can be found in things like broccoli, cabbage, beans, kale, cranberries, and grapes.
- If you are craving carbonated drinks, you could actually be needing calcium. You can find calcium in things kale, almonds, spinach, okra, oranges, broccoli, or sesame seeds.
Cravings are normal for everyone whether you are living a healthy life or struggling with some unhealthy decisions. Do your best to satisfy your cravings with healthy alternatives like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
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