How to Stop Food Cravings: Meanings and Chart

As most vegans already know, our bodies do not require meat; they need protein. Milk is not necessary – calcium is. We do not need fish; we need omega-3.

The same goes for other food items.

As children, most of us experienced asking for candy or other sweets and having a responsible adult tell us that we are probably hungry and should eat a proper meal first.

Children are not the only ones having cravings – sometimes, our bodies crave certain unhealthy food.

This article will thoroughly explain what our food cravings mean and how to satisfy them with a healthy diet.

Sure, from time to time, you should indulge your cravings. But in the long run, the safest and healthiest solution is to try to listen to our body and learn exactly what it needs when craving a certain food.

So, let’s dig into the subject of food cravings.

Food Cravings Meaning

A food craving, also known as selective hunger, is a strong urge to eat a particular food, and it is not the same thing as regular hunger.

It can be brought on by several variables, which can generally be divided into two groups: physical and mental.

Some physical causes include hormonal imbalances that affect hunger and fullness (like leptin and ghrelin), pregnancy and PMS, insufficient sleep and water, an unhealthy diet, etc.

Stress is most common among mental causes since it increases levels of a hormone called cortisol.

High cortisol levels may be associated with cravings, hunger, and an increased propensity for stress- or binge-eating habits.

Common Foods

Craving cheese can mean two things: your body lacks calcium or essential fatty acids.

For calcium deficiency, eat more sesame seeds (and tahini – a paste made from these seeds), legumes, mustard, and leafy greens such as broccoli, kale, and turnip greens.

Omega 3’s (EPA and DHA) are essential fatty acids found in flax oil, ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts.

An appetite for pasta, white bread, and pastries indicate chromium deficiency. Chromium is a key mineral that increases the effectiveness of insulin.

Onions and green onions, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cinnamon, grapes, apples, and sweet potatoes all contain a significant amount of this nutrient.

Wanting bread or toast usually means nitrogen deficiency. This problem can be solved by consuming foods containing proteins, i.e., green leafy veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes, grains, etc.

Red meat cravings imply iron deficiency. Instead, add beans, legumes, unsulphured prunes, figs (and other dried fruit), seaweed, spinach, and cherries to your diet.

Vitamin C is necessary for proper iron absorption, so don’t forget to consume food that is rich in this vitamin (citrus, bell peppers, strawberries…).

There is nothing wrong with having the urge to eat a small bag of popcorn when you’re in the movies. But frequent popcorn (and other salty food) cravings probably mean you have stress hormone fluctuations.

Try meditation, breathing exercises, physical activity, and adding leafy greens and vitamins B and C to your nutrition.

Just like cheese, having a specific appetite for crisps might mean your body requires more essential fatty acids.

It also might indicate chloride deficiency. To boost this important mineral, include more celery, olives, tomato, kelp, and Himalayan sea salt in your meal plan.

Flavors

Sometimes we don’t feel a craving for a specific food but for a flavor.

For example, we want slightly burned food. This probably means we have a carbon deficiency which can be solved by eating fresh fruits.

Yearning acid foods indicate a magnesium deficiency. This important mineral can be found in raw cacao nibs/beans/powder, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, greens, and fruit…

Craving salty foods (as mentioned when discussing popcorn) can indicate stress hormone fluctuation. It can also be caused by chloride deficiency (just like crisps).

Sweets

Having dessert occasionally can be a nice addition to our meals. But craving sweets may imply certain mineral deficiencies and low blood sugar.

Chocolate cravings (just like wanting food with an acidic flavor) probably mean you are low on magnesium. Deal with this issue by including magnesium-rich food in your everyday diet.

Having a specific desire for sodas and other fizzy drinks (as well as cheese) might imply your calcium levels are low.

Cravings for other sweets and food with a sweet flavor indicate a number of things:

• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) – consume more fruit, high fiber foods (i.e., beans, legumes), complex carbs (like grains), and chromium-rich food (for example, cinnamon).
• Tryptophan deficiency – this mineral can be found in spirulina, pumpkin/sesame/sunflower seeds, raw cacao, oatmeal, sweet potato, spinach, and raisins.
• Chromium deficiency – this issue can also be the reason for craving pasta, white bread, and pastries (chromium-rich food can be found in Common Food section).
• Sulfur deficiency – sulfur-rich foods are cruciferous veggies (kale, cabbage, etc.), cranberries, horseradish, asparagus, carob powder, garlic, daikon radish, and onions.
• Phosphorus deficiency – whole grains, pinto beans, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, and lentils are some foods containing this mineral.

Stimulants

Apart from food, we often feel like we need some pick-me-up in the form of stimulants such as coffee, alcohol, and tobacco.

Here are the most common reasons for craving coffee and black tea and which food to eat to resolve this issue:

• Sulfur deficiency – sulfur-rich foods are listed in the section above.
• Iron deficiency – beans, legumes, unsulphured prunes, figs, and other dried fruit, seaweed, spinach, cherries, and Vitamin C-rich foods for iron absorption.
• Sodium (salt) deficiency – Himalayan sea salt, Apple Cider vinegar, kombucha.
• Phosphorous deficiency – phosphorous-rich foods are listed in the section above.

Craving alcohol and/or recreational drugs might indicate:

• Calcium deficiency – sesame seeds (and tahini), broccoli, kale, legumes, mustard, and turnip greens.
• Glutamine deficiency – cabbage, beetroot, beans, spinach, parsley, vegetable juice.
• Protein deficiency – green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, grains, beans.
• A potassium deficiency – citrus fruits, bitter green leafy veggies, bananas, tomato, pineapple, black olives, and seaweeds.
• Avenin deficiency – oatmeal and granola.

Tobacco cravings mean either silicon or tyrosine deficiency.

To increase your silicon intake, consume food such as horsetail herbs, nuts, seeds, oats, millet, barley, onions, whole wheat, and beetroot, and avoid refined starches.

To solve the latter issue, eat more fruits (especially avocados and bananas), whole grains, oats, legumes, beans, nuts, seeds, Vitamin C, and vegetables.

Eating Habits

The science behind our eating habits can also be directly linked to certain nutrient deficiencies.

• Chloride deficiency – celery, olives, tomato, kelp, Himalayan sea salt.
• Thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency – whole grains, peanuts, seeds, beans, green and yellow vegetables.
• Niacin (Vitamin B3) deficiency – peanuts, sunflower seeds, wheat bran, and wheat germ.
• Manganese deficiency – walnuts, almonds, pecans, whole grains, green leafy veggies, pineapple, and blueberries.

On the other hand, frequent overeating might be caused by:

• Tryptophan deficiency – spirulina, pumpkin/sesame/sunflower seeds, raw cacao, oatmeal, sweet potato, spinach, and raisins.
• Tyrosine deficiency – just like tobacco – tyrosine-rich food is listed in the section above.
• Silicon deficiency – also mentioned before.

Often feeling snacky probably indicates your diet is not nutritionally balanced. Try doing a one-week detox and substituting junk food for healthy meals.

Strange Cravings

Don’t worry if you’ve ever felt a strange, non-food-related craving. It probably also has a simple, nutritional cause.

Cravings for laundry starch, cigarette butts, and crunching on ice all indicate iron deficiency.

Just like craving common food and drinks such as red meat and coffee or black tea, these unusual urges also come from lacking an essential mineral.

When consuming iron-rich food, don’t forget to include fruits and vegetables rich in Vitamin C to aid iron absorption.

Food Cravings Chart

Common Foods:

Flavors:

Sweets:

Stimulants:

Eating Habits:

Strange Cravings:

Food Cravings in Early Pregnancy

There are some periods in life that imply certain food cravings. One of them is early pregnancy.

Most commonly, food cravings start in the first trimester, get stronger in the second, and end in the last one. Apart from cravings, food aversions are also a regular phenomenon in this period.

Pregnant women have a couple of typical food cravings: sweets, high-calorie carbs, meat, etc.

Just like in any other period, indulging in some of the cravings on occasion probably won’t affect your health. But indulging too much in unhealthy food can jeopardize your and your developing baby’s nutrition.

Apart from food cravings, pica – a syndrome that can make people crave things other than food (like the examples listed in the section above) is also common in pregnancies.

Conclusion

We have all experienced food cravings, but most of us probably didn’t think about the meaning and causes of these appetites for specific foods.

Most food cravings indicate a deficiency in certain minerals and vitamins.

This also refers to stimulants such as coffee, alcohol, tobacco, and some non-food items like laundry starch.

So next time you crave a certain food, check the chart below and swap it with a healthy alternative rich in key minerals and vitamins.