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Surely you have noticed more than once how strong the desire arises to eat this or that product. This can happen for psychological and physiological reasons. Physiological reasons are dictated by lack of nutrients, psychological ones – by our eating habits. Let’s take a look at the reasons for our taste desires.
Food cravings and nutritional deficiencies
If you are drawn, for example, to dairy products (cottage cheese, kefir, ice cream), your body lacks calcium.
Chocolate helps us to relieve stress, focus, clear the brain and relax. Many women have an irresistible craving for chocolate during critical days, often due to a lack of magnesium. According to nutritionist Lyle McDonald, magnesium supplementation during this period can help reduce sugar cravings and reduce PMS symptoms.
If you suddenly felt very hungry for bananas or tomatoes, then this indicates that the body lacks potassium. As you know, its amount decreases sharply in stressful situations, as well as in connection with the use of diuretics.
If you like nuts and legumes, chances are your body lacks B vitamins.
Suddenly, for no apparent reason, you wanted seeds? The body requires vitamin E.
If you are a white cabbage lover, you can say that you are trying to eliminate dissonance in the intestines by consuming this vegetable. Indeed, cabbage contains a lot of fiber, which is responsible for the proper functioning of the intestines.
The need for apples can be an indicator of an increased cholesterol level, it is magnesium, phosphorus, potassium that contribute to its lowering.
Psychological causes of food cravings
Psychologically, the need for sweet foods has many different causes. The most common of them are.
- The roots of the habit are often found in childhood. Parents often use sweet treats to influence their child’s behavior. But for him, sweets are more than food, they can act as both rewards and punishments. An easy and effective way to calm your child down is to give him candy. Likewise, as adults, we reward ourselves with chocolate, cakes, lollipops, ice cream, just like in childhood.
- From the point of view of psychoanalysts, the need for sweets masks internal conflicts that arise with the loss of an object of love, the loss of a loved one or sexual dissatisfaction. Desiring and rejecting sweet gifts can be a form of rebellion, a way to attract the attention of others. American psychologists in one study drew attention to the fact that the need for sweets in children increases precisely in “incomplete” families, if one of the parents is absent, this is due to a lack of parental warmth.
- Advertising tempts us for chocolate bars, cookies, ice cream. And not every one of us realizes that hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent on advertising, and that it brings in much more revenue – hundreds of millions. Competent advertising, acting on the subconscious, makes us buy a bar of chocolate to support ourselves “on the go.”
- As you know, the forbidden fruit is sweet. Recommendations to limit sugary foods for weight loss often have the exact opposite effect. So, the regular deliberate rejection of your favorite products will not bring anything, except for an increase in the desire to taste them.
- Emotional and mental stress leads to increased absorption of carbohydrate foods. For example, this happens during the session. Chocolate stimulates the brain well and even causes mild euphoria.
- Our social, cultural characteristics determine the attitude towards sweets. Festive cake, national delicacies, ice cream sometimes become a means of acquaintance and communication. A bar of chocolate, a bright box of chocolates has long been a way of expressing gratitude for certain services.
In our opinion, it is important to remember that everyone has their own reasons for consuming sweet and high-calorie foods. Most often this is a combination of several factors at once.
Can this temptation be overcome?
It is necessary to realize what role sweets play in our life. Perhaps the benefits of sweets will be significant. In this case, think about whether you need to give them up? “A holy place is never empty”. Therefore, we recommend that you find yourself a replacement that is healthier for your health.
According to the teachings of I.P. Pavlov, it is possible to achieve a decrease in the amount of foods that you like in food only through positive reinforcement and increased motivation. At the same time, a positive incentive should be more pleasant than sweetness, more accessible and easier to use.
Remember to ask yourself these questions as you sit down: How do I feel right now? What do I really want? Only by finding a complete substitute for sweets, you can tune yourself in to lose weight.