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Writer's pictureShannon North

What is Causing Your Cravings?

What is causing your cravings? Is it emotional need, subconscious looping, societal pressures or maybe foods you are eating that are causing triggers. There are many reasons for underlying cravings and the first step in getting back some control is AWARENESS. Let’s start with your brain. The hippocampus, seems to be activated during food-craving times, indicating that memory is responsible for associating specific food with a reward. The hypothalamus plays a role in regulating food intake and body weight. In addition, certain brain/gut chemicals (think vagus nerve) have a profound influence on emotions and, hence, why and when we eat.

Common Causes of Food Cravings

Psychological or emotional stress

Certain prescription and over-the-counter medications

Hormone imbalances (including leptin, serotonin, cortisol, insulin, estrogen)

Physical and mental health conditions (such as type 1 diabetes, depression, and eating disorders)

Dehydration

Gut Microbiome Imbalance

Chemicals—Food Additives

Hormone imbalances (including leptin, serotonin, cortisol, insulin, estrogen)

The hormone leptin signals the brain when to start/stop eating. In the body, leptin comes from fat cells in direct proportion to the amount of stored energy. Unfortunately, in obesity the leptin system doesn’t work as it should. When leptin signaling is impaired (leptin resistance), the message to stop eating doesn’t get through to the brain. Having an imbalance of serotonin in the brain can contribute to the development of depression. When you're craving simple carbohydrates, you're usually being drawn to foods that encourage serotonin production.

Chemicals—Food Additives

Foods such as cheeseburgers, pizza, ice cream and doughnuts contain palmitic acid, which can also affect the brain. This fatty acid goes straight to your head, telling your body to ignore appetite-suppressing signals from leptin or insulin—for up to three days. Also, these processed foods have additives in them that keep us wanting more. Monosodium glutamate (MSG), for example, is

Gut Microbiome Imbalance

Research is showing that point our gut microbes have a major vote in what we crave. Gut microbes each have their own appetites: yeasts crave sugar, Bacteroidetes enjoy fat, Prevotella love carbs and Bifidobacteria are fiber fiends. They also can manipulate our hormone systems to increase cravings for the foods they desire. Microbes can also increase our craving for certain foods by changing our taste buds and increasing opioid receptors.


Ways to Work with Cravings

Become Aware of Emotional Triggers

The next time you go to reach for that food/drink you are trying to quit, stop and ask yourself why you're reaching for it. Identify your feelings, then pause and reflect on the action you usually take. Try replacing the old looping pattern with an enjoyable activity, such as going for a walk or taking a warm bath.

Get Active & Eat Well

If you’re working on finding new activities to replace snacking, you may want to try using the opportunity to exercise (walking, dancing, hiking, etc.). Regular physical activity stimulates endorphins, which can help improve your mood. When we are in a better mood, we are less likely to grab simple sugar foods.

Stay Hydrated

Some people crave salty foods like chips, and savory snacks. This is linked to low levels of electrolytes, dehydration and stress. Drink 6-8 glasses of water throughout the day. Eat more water filled fruits and veggies. Include vitamin B foods like nuts, seeds and whole grains.

Manage Microbiome

Your gut microbiota turns over every half-hour or so because bacteria have a short life cycle. What you eat changes the composition of your microbiota. So, if you can override your bad cravings, you can effectively rebuild your microbiota in just a few days. Increase the variety in your diet to increase the variety in your microbiota (eat a rainbow of veggies weekly). Eat more fiber including good fiber-filled veggies like broccoli and artichokes.

Cravings and Hormonal/Adrenal Imbalance

A lack of healthy nutrition is frequently linked to hormonal imbalance and can cause cravings because you’re not getting consistent quality fuel — lean protein, enough fiber, complex carbohydrates, essential fats, and valuable micronutrients (lots and lots of veggies).

Practice Mindfulness & Moderation

Similar to how your mind might think you’re hungry when you’re actually thirsty, the meaning of a particular craving may be more complex than it seems. Mindful eating plugs you back into your body’s cues so you know when to stop and start eating. Being mindful can also bring about better management of your emotions.

Talk to Your Doctor

If you’ve tried addressing your cravings on your own without success, you may want to talk to your doctor. Sometimes, cravings for certain foods can be a sign of an underlying health condition. You may crave certain foods if you are deficient in some essential vitamins and/or minerals

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