There are different reasons as to why people will crave certain foods; this all depends on the individual. The reason behind food cravings can be as simple as not eating the right balance of protein, fats and carbohydrates which your body needs in order to function optimally. Cravings can also be a sign of vitamin or mineral deficiency.
A person who is a protein type (whose body functions optimally on a high protein low carbohydrate diet) can often crave salty or fatty foods. But if a protein type consumes too many carbohydrates in their diet they will find themselves craving sugar. A person who is a mixed-type (whose body functions optimally on a balance of protein and carbohydrates) generally won’t have cravings for sweet or salty foods; but if their diet is out of balance and they consume either too much protein or too much carbohydrates they can find themselves suffering from cravings. A person who is a carbohydrate type (whose body functions optimally on a higher balance of carbohydrates) can crave sugary foods when not enough protein is consumed in their diets.
Another reason craving for certain foods can start could be a sign that the body is deficient in a certain vitamin or mineral. Here is a list of a few common cravings and what nutrients the body may need.
|Craving…||What your body may really need…||Healthy food options that have it…|
|Chocolate||Magnesium||Raw nuts and seeds, fruits|
|Bread, toast||Nitrogen||High protein foods, fish, meat, nuts, beans|
|Sweets||Chromium Carbon Phosphorus Sulfur Tryptophan||Broccoli, grapes, dried beans, calves liver, chicken, fruits, chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, cranberries, horseradish, cruciferous vegetables, kale, cabbage Liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach, cheese (not paleo)|
|Fatty/oily foods||Calcium||Broccoli, kale, sesame seeds. turnip greens, cheese (not paleo)|
|Alcohol||Protein Avenin Calcium Glutamine Potassium||Meat, poultry, seafood, nuts, broccoli, kale, sesame seeds. turnip green, meat, chicken, fish, eggs, bitter greens, seaweed, apricots, bananas, fish, meat|
|Coffee / tea||Phosphorus Sodium Chloride (salt) Iron||Chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts Sea salt, apple cider vinegar, red meat, seaweed, greens, black cherries|
|Carbonated drinks (ie. Coke)||Calcium||Broccoli, kale, sesame seeds. turnip greens, cheese (not paleo)|
|Salty foods||Chloride||Raw goats milk (not paleo), fish, sea salt|
|General overeating||Zinc Silicon Tryptophan Tyrosine||Red meat, seafood, leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach, cheese (not paleo), green vegetables, red fruits|