More About Your Cravings

Crunchy Snacks

Crackers, crisps/chips, and pretzels. Sometimes, it feels good to crunch. If you get cravings for those "crunchy" snacks, these might be the reasons why:

• You're stressed: Grinding something in your jaws feels great when you're stressed. If you're getting a craving for something you can crunch, it might be a sign you're tense.
• You've been eating too many soft foods: Juice diets, soup cleanses, we eat a lot of soft food in our attempt to be healthy. One of the problems with this is that our jaws get bored. Our teeth were not designed to have a diet comprised of liquid soups, juices and yoghurt. After a few days, they crave some stimulation. That's when you'll start craving those crunchy treats.

Salt

Adding lots of table salt to your meal? Craving those potato chips, and salted peanuts? You're craving salt. But why?

• You're low in sodium: Sodium is not evil. We need it to control our blood pressure and regulate water in the body. Most of the time, we have enough in the normal foods that we eat. But sometimes, especially after diarrhoea, intense exercise, or drinking a lot of alcohol, our sodium levels can become depleted. If you crave something salty, try a little salted popcorn for a healthier alternative to potato chips.

Meat

You're walking through the town when you find yourself being drawn to the scent of a thick, juicy steak, wafting from the open door of a restaurant. Suddenly, you're salivating. You're craving meat. What's the cause?

• You could be low in iron or zinc: Due to health concerns, many of us have reduced the amount of red meat in our diets. As a result, more of us are suffering with iron and zinc deficiencies. Iron and zinc are both vital for the body. Iron helps transport oxygen in the blood and is vital for the immune system. Zinc also plays a vital role in the immune system; without it, we are more susceptible to infection. Without iron, we become fatigued (tired) and breathless. Zinc deficiency can cause skin problems, brittle nails, and diarrhoea. It's recommended that you have red meat at least once a week. Whole grains, beans, and dark leafy greens are additional sources for iron, while shellfish, lentils, cheese and wholemeal bread are good additional sources for zinc.

READ Food Cravings May Originate In Your Belly, Not Your Brain

Cheese

If you want to gorge on Gouda or chow-down on the Cheddar, there are a couple of possible reasons:

• You're low in Calcium or Vitamin D: Calcium and Vitamin D are essential nutrients for bone-building. Cheese is packed-full of both of these nutrients. Many women are avoiding cheese, because we fear saturated fat. This puts us at a hugely-increased risk of osteoporosis (fragile bones at risk of fracture) in our 40s and 50s. We really should be eating cheese. Not only is it vital for bone and tooth health, it's also essential for healthy nerves and muscles. So, if you get a craving to eat cheese, obey it wholeheartedly. Up to 30g a day. Some of the best cheeses, with regards to Calcium levels, for that portion size are: Parmesan (360mg Calcium), half-fat cheddar (256mg Calcium), and Swiss cheese (290mg Calcium).
• Your diet is too low in fat: When we follow a very low-fat diet for a long period of time, we eventually start to crave fat (which is an essential nutrient; necessary for brain development, cognitive functioning, and blood clotting). And cheese is possibly the most delicious form of fat around!

Sometimes, of course, our cravings are simply caused by self-denial. When we deny ourselves something, we want it even more. So make sure that no diet is ever so restrictive that there's no room for a tiny treat.

Just remember the old adage: a little of what you fancy does you good.