Food Cravings: Friend or Foe?

Chocolate chips cookies isolated on white.

When it comes to food cravings, people have it all wrong.
 
They have a tendency to think cravings are the enemy, and attempt to demonize them into submission, when really they're a sign of a much deeper imbalance that your body is trying to convey to you.
 
Sugar, chocolate, carbs – just about anything associated with your typical food cravings, I've craved, and felt incredibly guilty over it too.  But is it really a bad thing to have a craving?  Some might think so, however here’s a little known truth: cravings are not the enemy.  Rather, they're simply messages from your body alerting you to a critical imbalance that demands your immediate attention.
 
No matter what you’re craving, your body is always seeking balance, every moment of the day, and whether it’s craving satisfying relationships, exercise, inspiring work, or food, cravings will persist until it gets what it wants.
 
When it comes to your body, there is nothing more powerful than physiology, hence the reason you so easily give in to your cravings.  If your body wants something, and you try to ignore or deny it, it's a losing strategy.  Your body's #1 job is to maintain balance, an internal state otherwise known as homeostasis, and if a particular food is what it wants, it'll make sure it gets it.
 
Sugar is often the #1 cause of food cravings.  People love it!  In fact, they’re addicted to it, which is exactly how food manufacturers want it, and even though it is officially classified as a drug, it’s not outlawed like other addictive substances such as heroin or cocaine.  Just as destructive though, the more people eat it, the fatter, moodier and lethargic they become. 
 
Yet there's one important caveat as to why you might crave sugar, which is to get energy (unless you're an emotional eater too, which leads to a whole other discussion on cravings).  Sugar is one of two popular choices for artificial fuel, caffeine being second.
 
What’s driving the craving in the first place?  It breaks down to one of three things:
 

Which came first, no one really knows, but it's safe to say that each one interacts with the other and keeps your body in a constant state of craving sugar!

Adrenal exhaustion occurs when prolonged stress exhausts your adrenal glands of their ability to regulate cortisol effectively, effecting sleep patterns, energy levels, blood sugar stability, aging, and more, while Candida is a yeastlike fungus that lives in your digestive tract and eats undigested sugars and carbs before they hit your bloodstream. 

[bctt tweet=”About 15% of the overall bacteria in your digestive tract is Candida and it serves a very important purpose,”] however antibiotics found in prescription drugs, factory-farmed meat, and milk – even unfiltered water – kill off the good bacteria your gut needs and allows candida to proliferate out of control.  

Birth control pills and other prescription medications affect the delicate balance of your gut as well and unless you correct it, you'll experience symptoms such as vaginitis, thrush, athlete’s foot, skin irritations, moodiness, violent outbursts, depression, anxiety, and even sugar cravings!

Over 80% of Americans are so stressed, have such poor digestive health and eat so much sugar that they also develop a condition called hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, and the one thing that will quickly fix low blood sugar in the short term is sugar itself, which is why you crave it.  It metabolizes quickly in your mouth, giving you a quick burst of energy, driving blood sugar back up and preventing you from ultimately passing out.

It all leads to a vicious cycle.  Yet one alternative you can try instead of refined sugar to combat cravings is any form of natural sweetener such as stevia, agave or brown rice syrup, all of which have lower glycemic indexes and don’t impact your blood system like sugar does, thereby keeping your pancreas stable as well as insulin production .

Too much insulin too often will tax your pancreas and send your blood sugar skyrocketing, then crashing, leading to more severe blood sugar imbalances over time such as diabetes, however there are plenty of foods available made with natural sweeteners such as raw chocolate.  Made with raw cacao, it's how all chocolate starts off, yet when candy manufacturers get their hands on it, it becomes junk food.

When raw chocolate is made however, it's cooked at a low temperature, ensuring all the indigenous vitamins, minerals and enzymes needed to nourish your body remain intact.  It's loaded with magnesium too which is good for heart and brain health; neurotransmitters that regulate mood, sleep, and appetite; and has the most antioxidants of any food on earth, making it one of the world's healthiest superfoods as well as the perfect, guilt-free way to overcome persistent food cravings.
 
Raw chocolate is also made with agave, which is sweeter than refined sugar but won’t produce more cravings for sugar like sugar does due to its low GI of 30, so it's great at keeping your blood sugar stable  Just make sure you shop for raw, organic agave, otherwise it's too refined and is the same as eating refined white sugar.  
So the next time you want to beat yourself up because you have a craving, understand it's your body's way of talking to you and become a detective.  Figure out what it wants and if it's something sweet, try something like raw chocolate.  It does way less damage than sugary candy does, and is actually good for you, therefore no guilt neccessary!
 
I'd love to know your thoughts!  Leave feedback on the blog, plus be sure to download my free raw chocolate recipe guide with 10+ free raw chocolate recipes!  Just click below.
 
Love,
Angela
 

Angela Minelli is an author, speaker and founder of Angela Minelli International, a heart-based global business serving purpose-driven everyday women and entrepreneurs whose self-image and weight issues are inhibiting their confidence and blocking them from pursuing their life’s passion. 

Angela's joy is in taking a stand for women who are living less than ideal lives, stopped by fear and doubt, which prevents them from stepping into their innate power and delivering their God-given genius to the world. Her coaching programs and products are designed for women with busy lifestyles yet allow for powerful transformation to take place within a small segment of time.  

As a natural health practitioner and digestive health specialist, Angela specializes in helping people overcome weight and energy issues through holistic, non-invasive protocols that address the root cause of their conditions, including adrenal fatigue, candida, thyroid disorders, and more.  

Explore the ideals that are the cornerstone of her work at angelaminelli.com.

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3 Responses

  2. Hullo Angela, thanks for your craving article, i was quite lucky that i grew with my grandparents in the country side, where we had a mixed farm of fruits. But it was not until i graduated to urban life, that cravings caught up with me most especially through billboard, TV, Promotions, sleek supermarkets, adverts. In the process, ive lost out my three teeth to sweet things. Luckily my body still maintains 51-56kg at my age 51yrs. Iv’e also learned to balance my Primary / Secondary foods.

  3. Hi Otai! Thanks for sharing. Balancing Primary and Secondary foods is key. While at 1 time in your life you had the opportunity to enjoy more natural foods, later on junk food became a staple as with so many people. It’s great you have a deeper understanding now and your health is back on track!