Sudden food cravings are often associated with pregnancy, but a strong craving for a certain product occurs not only in expectant mothers. Body language is pretty simple. The desire to eat a particular product is an attempt by the body to replenish the reserves of a nutrient that it needs. A sharp change in taste preferences (sometimes they can be very unpredictable and even strange) may indicate the development of a disease. This is what a sharp urge to eat something specific can mean:
1. Red Meat
If you are haunted by a craving to eat red meat in the form of hamburgers, steaks or any other dishes this may mean that your body lacks a key nutrient. Sometimes a craving for this product occurs in people with anemia or low iron levels in the blood.
There is a lot of iron in red meat which is part of hemoglobin and is found in animal food. It is considered the most easily absorbed type of iron. To cope with the craving for red meat you can add more nuts, peas, lentils, and iron-rich cereals to your diet.
2. Cheese
You may want cheese just because you love it, but sometimes it’s the way your body tells you what it’s missing. Cheese contains the amino acid tryptophan which is involved in the production of melatonin and serotonin that help us to feel relaxed and positive.
Tryptophan is not found only in cheese but in nuts, salmon, poultry and some crops.
3. Chocolate
According to a nutritionist, craving for chocolate may indicate a magnesium deficiency. It is often encountered by women during menstruation or pregnancy. Magnesium is vital for regulating insulin levels, while a huge number of people are deficient in this element. Despite the stereotypical jokes about the desire to lay and eat chocolate during critical days, you should take this signal of the body seriously.
If you want more benefits, gastroenterologists recommend to choose chocolate with a high cocoa content or replace it with almonds or leafy greens.
4. Any Other Sweets
When you want not chocolate specifically, but any sweetness, perhaps the reason is that your body does not have enough energy. This happens with those who do not get enough sleep or experience serious stress. People often use sugar as a way to combat exhaustion. However, do not forget that sweets give a quick but very short burst of energy.
Try to give your body a comprehensive rest and do not try to maintain the performance with an extra dessert.
5. Chips and Other Savory Snacks
Craving for salty foods may indicate that your body lacks sodium. Although it may also indicate an excess of salt and dehydration as salt holds water. When there is too much sodium in the body, it may require even more salty foods to increase cravings for water to compensate dehydration.
If you feel a desire to eat something salty, try to drink a couple of glasses of water and this craving will pass by itself. Be sure to drink enough liquid when you eat sodium-rich foods.
6. Citrus
If you feel a desire to drink orange juice, eat grapefruit, lemon or something sour, it may indicate that your body needs vitamin C. Vitamin C is necessary for the growth, development, and restoration of all tissues of your body.
This vitamin is found not only in citruses but in fresh green vegetable too.
7. White Bread
A sudden craving for white bread may indicate a nitrogen deficiency. It plays an important role in the growth and development of the body, as well as in the synthesis of proteins. To balance the nitrogen content in your body, include enough protein in your diet.
Keep in mind that craving for a particular product is not the same as feeling hunger. This signal comes from the brain, not from the stomach.
8. Water
If you are constantly thirsty then think about how much water you drink during the day. When everything is good with hydration in the body, a person’s urine is light yellow. When any amount of water cannot quench thirst and a person has not eaten anything very salty, it can be a sign of diabetes. A constant urge to drink and frequent urination is sometimes early signs of high insulin levels.