Everyone experiences food cravings at some point in their lives. Whether you want chocolate or pizza, one thing is for sure: your body is trying to tell you something. And this “something” means that the body is deficient in some vitamins, minerals or other nutrients.
Eating a perfectly balanced and complete diet is not easy, especially in today’s world. Many of us suffer from nutrient deficiencies due to the consumption of predominantly processed foods and a lack of whole, nutrient-rich foods in our diets.
As a result, the body experiences an unmet need for vitamins and minerals, which manifests itself in the form of food cravings. In many cases, these cravings are easily offset by small dietary changes.
Naturopath Dr. Kevin Passero will help us figure out what the body is trying to tell us when it is in dire need of these 6 foods:
Bread. When you crave bread, your body tries to tell you that it needs more nitrogen. Nitrogen is found in protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, nuts, and legumes. So instead of gorging yourself on bread, increase your protein intake throughout the day and you will find that you don’t feel like bread anymore.
Carbonated drinks. Can’t spend a day without mineral or some other sparkling water? Your body lacks calcium. Try increasing your intake of dark green leafy vegetables such as mustard, browncol, romaine lettuce, turnip greens, and broccoli. Or, you can start taking calcium supplements (after talking with your doctor). Either way, by increasing your daily calcium intake, you’ll forget about soda!
Chocolate. If you are a shock addict, your body is screaming for a lack of magnesium. Regular milk chocolate has nothing to do with real magnesium, while natural dark chocolate is really rich in this element. Therefore, when you really want to eat chocolate, give your body what it really needs – dark chocolate. Plus, add more raw nuts and seeds, avocados and legumes to your diet.
Sweets. If you are drawn to sweets, your body needs the mineral chromium. Try to eat more chromium-rich foods such as broccoli, grapes, whole wheat and garlic to resist sugar cravings!
Salty snacks. Are you always hungry for salty? This indicates a lack of chloride. Choose sources of this substance such as goat milk, fish, and unrefined sea salt.
Coffee. Can’t spend a day without this invigorating drink? Perhaps we are talking about a banal caffeine addiction, but it can also mean that your body needs phosphorus. If you are not a vegetarian, then try increasing your intake of animal protein – chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, or eggs. In addition, nuts and legumes can help increase phosphorus levels.