Do you often have cravings? One important thing health coaches do is to help deconstruct your food cravings.
Step by step, it is crucial to break down cravings and learn why they are there. When you do, you’re off to a great start in stopping them. The health coaches at Avera give tips on how to recognize these cravings.
Eight Categories to Break Food Cravings Into
- Primary Food: Primary food is not the food you put in your mouth, but all the other things that make up who you are. Think things like spirituality, joy, creativity, career, relationships, exercise, learning and finances. If these things are out of balance, your secondary food (or food you put in your mouth) can be out of balance and cause cravings. Emotional eating would be considered part of this category of food cravings.
- Hydration: Lack of water can send the message that you’re thirsty and on the verge of dehydration. Dehydration can manifest as hunger, so the first thing to do when you get a craving is drink a full glass of water. Excess water can also cause cravings, so be sure that your water intake is well balanced.
- Food imbalance: Cravings often come from foods we’ve recently eaten, foods eaten by our ancestors, or foods from our childhood. A clever way to satisfy these cravings is to eat a healthier version of your ancestral and childhood foods. A tongue scraper can also help minimize cravings for foods recently eaten.
- Seasons: The body often craves foods in accordance with the season. In the spring, people crave detoxifying foods like leafy greens or citrus foods. In the summer, people crave cooling foods like fruit, raw foods and ice cream, and in the fall people crave grounding foods like squash, onions and nuts. During winter, many crave heat-producing foods like meat, oil and fat. Cravings can also be associated with the holidays, for foods like turkey, eggnog or Christmas cookies.
- Inadequate nutrients: If the body has inadequate nutrients, it’ll produce odd cravings. For example, inadequate mineral levels trigger salt cravings, and overall inadequate nutrition leads lead to cravings for temporary sources of energy, like caffeine.
- Hormones: When women experience menstruation, pregnancy or menopause, fluctuating testosterone and estrogen levels may cause unique cravings.
- Self-sabotage: When things are going extremely well in your life, sometimes self-sabotage happens. We crave foods that throw us off, thus creating more cravings to balance ourselves. This often happens from low blood sugar and may result in strong mood swings.
- Reward: We’ve all treated ourselves to a sweet treat or maybe a juicy burger after a work win. When you’re being rewarded, your brain releases hormones like dopamine, which can reinforce cravings. Reward yourself with non-food items to stop reinforcing these cravings.
How to Stop Food Cravings With Mindfulness
Now that you have an idea of why you crave certain foods, it’s easier to put these helpful tips to use. Deconstructing your food cravings starts with being mindful and enjoying your food in the moment. You can also plan for cravings with the foods you choose.
- Eat only when hungry and stop when you are satisfied
- Eat in a calm environment without distractions
- Eat with others
- Take a breath before eating, slow down and chew your food 20-30 times/bite
- Eat plenty of protein and fiber to keep yourself feeling full
- Think ahead and preplan healthy and protein dense snacks
- Eat a meal every four to five hours to keep hunger hormones and blood sugar levels balanced
You can get more guidance by talking with a health food coach or dietitian. Learn more about our nutrition services or talk with your primary care provider.
