Decoding Food Cravings: A Health Coach's Guide to Understanding and Overcoming Them

Written by: Claudia Haller NBC-HWC

Cravings are something we all experience. While a desire for your favorite Thai restaurant doesn't always have a deeper meaning, your cravings are often trying to communicate something more to you. Sometimes cravings can be your body's way of telling you what you’re lacking. Deciphering these clues will give much insight into what's going on inside of you and how you can fix it.

​So.. what do your biggest cravings mean? Let's dive in!

Craving Something Salty
Whether it's fries, chips, or pretzels you're dreaming of, salty cravings may serve as a signal that your body is a little dehydrated. The best way to tackle this is to have some water. Sometimes, these cravings can also indicate a need for calcium. If you indulge in those salty snacks, you'll only temporarily raise calcium levels in your blood.
​
After ensuring you've had some more water, your best bet to satisfy salty cravings is to feed your body healthy foods with calcium. I would recommend grabbing a yogurt from the fridge, having a handful of raw almonds, or enjoying tofu topped with sesame seeds and green onions to tackle this craving and give your body what it's asking for. 

Chocolate, Chocolate, and More Chocolate
If you’re anything like me, you love to end the day with a sweet treat. Maybe even a small piece of Swiss chocolate? Whether or not it’s that time of the month, craving chocolate most likely means you need more magnesium. While it is common around your period, your body can also exhibit signs of magnesium deficiency at any time in the form of headaches, irritability, and fluid retention.

While enjoying some dark chocolate is enjoyable and sometimes a healthy sweet snack, you may also want to see how your body responds when you give it more natural magnesium forms. Next time before you reach for candy, toss together a spinach salad topped with nuts and seeds and watch your body get back in balance. Another great substitute for sweets would be to enjoy a hearty soup full of legumes. 

Craving meat?
If your body is craving meat, it could be trying to tell you that it needs more iron. While red meat is a great source of iron for those who enjoy it, you can also get iron from fresh fish and poultry. For completely meatless iron-filled options, products such as tofu, lentils, kidney beans, cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, oatmeal, dried apricots, raisins, mushrooms, and potatoes can all provide you with more than enough iron. Plant-based iron sources are harder to absorb, but you can help your body to process these nutrients by pairing them with foods full of vitamin C. 

Our cravings are not always signals about our physical needs, but can also stem from our emotions and mental well-being. The mind-body connection is powerful and sometimes your cravings could be a result of anxiety or boredom. And of course, we’ve all heard about and maybe even indulged in stress-eating... It’s important to check in with your emotions and your body to properly address your cravings.

In general, overcoming cravings can be quite a challenge. Even if we try to supplement them with something else, we still don’t always feel satisfied. Here are a couple of strategies to mitigate all kinds of cravings:

1. Mindful eating: Savor each bite of your food with mindful eating techniques to develop a deeper connection with what you’re putting in your body and truly get in tune with what it needs.
2. Balanced nutrition: By enjoying balanced meals and snacks throughout your day, you will craft a well-rounded diet that satisfies all of the necessary nutrient areas and often reduces cravings.
3. Hydration: As aforementioned, our bodies often confuse thirst with hunger. Maintaining proper hydration could play a very vital role in curbing those cravings once and for all.
4. Stress management: By learning to manage stress and emotional triggers, you may be able to avoid the unnecessary snacking associated with stress. Next time you feel a craving coming on, try out techniques such as meditation, deep breathing or engaging in enjoyable activities.
   
   

Overall, cravings are often a signal from your body that you're missing something. Whether it be rest, water, or calcium that you’re lacking, cravings are your body’s way of trying to get your attention! The first step to addressing your cravings is always to take a deep breath and a sip of water. If that craving is still sticking around, you are now equipped with plenty of other ways of getting your body exactly what it needs and kicking your cravings to the curb!

I would love to serve as a support and accountability partner for you in eliminating your cravings and developing healthy habits in your wellness journey. For more information about me, my qualifications and my specializations check out my bio below: 

Claudia is an NBC-HWC Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, the owner of Vibrant Health by Claudia LLC  and Virtual Health Coaches LLC. She studied Health and Wellness Coaching at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition where she also completed courses in Gut Health, Hormone Health, and Advanced Coaching. She is a Havening TechniquesⓇ Certified Practitioner and certified 21-Day Sugar Detox Coach as well as a co-author of two Amazon Bestsellers “The Ultimate Guide to Creating Your Soul Aligned Business” and “The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Successful Soul Professional”.

To schedule a time for a free information call click here or join her Vibrant Health Power Community - a free Facebook Group - here.

Additional Resources​
Satisfying your salty cravings is just one of the many benefits of maintaining proper hydration. To learn more about the importance of hydrating and get some advice on increasing your water intake, check out our Hydration Station blog from the summertime:
https://www.virtualhealthcoaches.com/blog/hydration-station 

Vegetarian or vegan and wondering how to make sure you’re getting enough iron? Check out this “No Meat Athlete” guest blog with tips on how to efficiently absorb iron when living on a plant-based diet: https://www.nomeatathlete.com/iron-for-vegetarians/
​

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this guest blog post are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of our website. We take no responsibility for any errors or omissions in the content provided. The information shared in this post is intended to be informative and educational, but it is always essential to conduct further research and seek professional advice where appropriate. We encourage our readers to form their own opinions and perspectives based on multiple sources and individual judgment.