The 18 Most Common Food Cravings + How to Fix Them Healthfully

We’ve all been there:  Tuesday night.  Home alone.  There’s oatmeal in the cupboard and eggs in the fridge, but all we can’t stop thinking about is potato chips – and ice cream.  Alas, many nutritionists believe our food cravings are actually telling us we are deficient of some nutrient.  Take, for instance, the following 18 common diet disasters that come in the form of food cravings.  According to Dr. Huber, NMD, a naturopathic doctor and primary care physician in Tempe, Arizona, the following cravings are associated with the listed nutrient deficiencies, and can be appeased with the mentioned substitutes (Naturopathy.com):

If you crave this…	What you really need is…	And here are healthy foods that have it:
1. Chocolate	Magnesium	Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits
2.  Sweets	Chromium	Broccoli, grapes, cheese, dried beans, calves liver, chicken
	Carbon	Fresh fruits
	Phosphorus	Chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, legumes, grains
	Sulfur	Cranberries, horseradish, cruciferous vegetables, kale, cabbage
	Tryptophan	Cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach
3. Bread, toast	Nitrogen	High protein foods: fish, meat, nuts, beans
4. Oily snacks, fatty foods	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
5.  Coffee or tea	Phosphorous	Chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, legumes
	Sulfur	Egg yolks, red peppers, muscle protein, garlic, onion, cruciferous vegetables
	NaCl (salt)	Sea salt, apple cider vinegar (on salad)
	Iron	Meat, fish and poultry, seaweed, greens, black cherries
6.  Alcohol, recreational drugs	Protein	Meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, nuts
	Avenin	Granola, oatmeal
	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
	Glutamine	Supplement glutamine powder for withdrawal, raw cabbage juice
	Potassium	Sun-dried black olives, potato peel broth, seaweed, bitter greens
7.  Chewing ice	Iron	Meat, fish, poultry, seaweed, greens, black cherries
8.  Burned food	Carbon	Fresh fruits
9.  Soda and other carbonated drinks	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
10.  Salty foods	Chloride	Raw goat milk, fish, unrefined sea salt
11.  Acid foods	Magnesium	Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits
12.  Preference for liquids rather than solids	Water	Flavor water with lemon or lime. You need 8 to 10 glasses per day.
13. Preference for solids rather than liquids	Water	You have been so dehydrated for so long that you have lost your thirst. Flavor water with lemon or lime. You need 8 to 10 glasses per day.
14.  Cool drinks	Manganese	Walnuts, almonds, pecans, pineapple, blueberries
15. Pre-menstrual cravings	Zinc	Red meats (especially organ meats), seafood, leafy vegetables, root vegetables
16. General overeating	Silicon	Nuts, seeds; avoid refined starches
	Tryptophan	Cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach
	Tyrosine	Vitamin C supplements or orange, green, red fruits and vegetables
17.  Lack of appetite	Vitamin B1	Nuts, seeds, beans, liver and other organ meats
	Vitamin B3	Tuna, halibut, beef, chicken, turkey, pork, seeds and legumes
	Manganese	Walnuts, almonds, pecans, pineapple, blueberries
	Chloride	Raw goat milk, unrefined sea salt
18.  Tobacco	Silicon	Nuts, seeds; avoid refined starches
	Tyrosine	Vitamin C supplements or orange, green and red fruits and vegetables

Some Exceptions to the Rules Above

1.  Make sure that you eat controlled portions of the “healthy” alternatives listed above.  Fortunately, many of the foods listed above are high in fiber, whole grains, and/or water content, so it is rather difficult to binge.  Still, remember that a serving size of whole grains is about the size of a cupped hand, while meats should be no larger than a deck of cards.

2.  If you consume controlled portions of the substitutes listed above and still experience the craving, wait 20 minutes and determine if you are still hungry.  Avoiding the food you are craving altogether is a sound strategy – It turns out that people will eat more calories when given a food they have thought about beforehand than of a food they never craved to begin with (Appetite, 2003).

3.  If you are tired or fatigued and experiencing prolonged periods of hunger, make an appointment with your physician.  While it is likely that your condition is not serious, it is important to ensure that you are in good health before you begin any diet or exercise regimen.  One of my good friends recently was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and was rather relieved that her frequent colds, lethargy, and constant hunger had a cure.  You never know until you check!

Bottom Line

Try the above table next time you are feeling hungry.  If nothing else, you will be getting far more nutrients, less calories, and increased energy from stabilized blood sugar – definitely a win-win-win situation!

Other FutureDerm.com Posts You Might Enjoy

• The Eat Clean Diet Review (+ Helpful Modifications!)
  
• Does the hCG Diet Work?
• Did You Overeat?  4 Ways to Undo the Damage Healthfully
• 3 Real Reasons Your Last Diet Failed
• 5 Secrets to a Flat Stomach