How to Stop Cravings, hard to Answer. Are you craving something today? Maybe there are lots of things you crave or you only crave a few things, like craving eggs, or you’re craving something fresh, like craving pineapple. Most of the time on hot afternoons you crave something cold, sweet and refreshing. However, do you feel disturbed by your cravings? If cravings are still normal, then there is nothing you should be afraid of, but if they are not normal, they are bothering you, then you have to know how to stop cravings.
Cravings are something very common
Usually, when you are stressed or menstruating, a person will experience cravings for something they consider comfortable so that they are more relieved about their condition, which is not relieved.
Why do you have cravings? There are several things that influence cravings.
1) Emotional — If you are upset, stressed, then you crave food or something that can comfort you.
2) Nostalgic — When you are expecting something that you have experienced while you want something in the past to happen again.
3) Nutrient Deficiencies — There are also cravings that occur because your body is experiencing a lack of certain nutrients. This is your body language so that you fulfill your desire for adequate nutrition. When you are craving bananas, one possibility is because your body is lacking the potassium found in bananas.
Now I want to focus on reason number 3
If you know why cravings occur, it will be very beneficial for your well-being. You know whether this craving is really necessary or something that can be stopped. If you are lacking a nutrient, then when you are craving something you really need the food you are craving, so listen to what your body is telling you.
So, cravings can mean you need food or need to eat a lot to get enough nutrients such as protein, minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, need stomach acid, electrolytes and so on. Cravings like this are something you have to continue, continuing or giving your body what it asks for is the best way to stay healthy.
If these cravings are due to stress or because you are nostalgic, then of course there are other factors that arise first in you. For example, you are stressed because of a lot of work, stressed because of household problems and so on, when conditions are like that and you have cravings, it is very likely that your cravings are driven by factors that occurred first, for example stress.
Cravings are the body’s way of telling us that it needs something. This something could be a vitamin, mineral, fat, carbohydrate or essential fatty acid. So, cravings can also be interpreted as wanting to eat a lot. Food is a source of nutrition from which energy comes, so eating a lot is actually something that is natural and not a problem. However, you should consider it if you are not having problems with nutrition. Not working hard physically, not being malnourished, not being hungry and so on.
If our body craves or asks for food and you don’t listen, then it’s possible that you will end up eating too much. So, body cravings are an important thing to pay attention to, please follow their desires as long as they are within reasonable limits.
So, appetite is something magical, it appears when the body needs a supply of nutrients, so don’t prevent it. You can learn here that these cravings or appetites are your way of communicating with your body. Try placing your hand on your stomach, and saying “What do you need this time?”
When we start to hear our body’s desires, that’s when our body will experience changes for the better, our health will be maintained, our weight will be normal, and our mood will begin to improve and this will have an effect on the body’s general well-being.
When you have a craving, it’s best to use and take advantage of that condition to understand what your body is saying. By understanding what your body is saying, you will be able to empower yourself to make the best choices for your good.
5 Common Cravings and How to Support Them
1. SALT
Why do you crave salty food? Usually someone craves salty food when stressed. When we are under stress, our adrenals need minerals to function. While extra stress is additional cortisol and adrenaline production. So, what you have to do is not eat all the salt because you want it. However, reduce your stress levels by doing breathing exercises, taking a walk while enjoying the fresh air or doing mediation exercises.
Salt cravings can also mean that the body is lacking substances such as chloride, iodine, or silicon. Sea salt contains many minerals including sodium. You can further enrich the nutrition by adding seaweed, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. This food will add plus minerals to your diet.
2. VINEGAR
Are you craving something sour like craving sour candy or craving vinegar? Maybe your stomach acid is abnormal or at a low level. So, during conditions like this, the body craves vinegar because vinegar can stimulate the formation of more hydrochloric acid. This acid will help our digestion in breaking down the food we eat, especially protein, and helps in making certain vitamins that are important for the body.
Low stomach acid can be triggered by many factors, one of which is stress, foods that are low in protein, using excessive antacids, or it could also be because the body is deficient in vitamins.
![craving candy sour](https://afoodrink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/craving-candy-sour.jpg)
craving saur candy
Please consume vinegar in medium amounts, apple cider vinegar is one of my favorites when making salads, pickles, or making sauerkraut.
3. SUGAR
Craving for sweet foods is something that many people experience. The meaning of craving for sweet foods can also vary. One of them is a sign that your body is lacking food that contains high-quality carbohydrates.
Typically, I recommend eating one cup of starchy carbohydrates per day. For example, eat sweet potatoes, roasted winter squash, rice, quinoa, etc. Foods rich in carbohydrates are important as a good source of sugar for energy production for the body.
Cravings for sweet foods such as craving for pineapple, cravings for sweet corn, cravings for watermelon, are forms of the body that need amino acids or phosphorus, which are ATP molecules that provide energy for every cell of the body. When in conditions like this you can add chicken, beef, ground calculi, eggs, nuts or legumes to your food or diet. You can also add protein to your food because protein can also fill or numb your hunger.
So, before we continue, let’s remember the question in the title again. How to stop cravings? Do you have to stop cravings or vice versa? I think by recognizing the reasons behind cravings, we will be able to control them, either stop them, limit them or obey them.
4. CHOCOLATE
It is a healthy food, but depending on how you consume it, if you eat it in excessive amounts it certainly won’t provide you with any benefits. Chocolate is said to be a healthy food because it is included in the list of foods rich in antioxidants. It also brain-boosts neurotransmitters, and magnesium which can make the brain comfortable and relaxed. It’s not surprising that you crave chocolate when you’re stressed or when your menstrual cycle arrives.
If you want to relieve hunger, try looking for 85% dark chocolate. Try to make it melt in your mouth slowly without chewing. Apart from dark chocolate, foods rich in magnesium are nuts, seeds and dark leafy vegetables.
5. CARBS and FAT
If you find yourself craving carbohydrates and fat, a sign that you are not consuming enough calories in your diet, it is possible that you are on a strict diet or are lacking nutrition due to hunger. Lack of calories can cause someone to crave ice cream, burgers, pizza, French fries, pasta or noodles.
Well, then what is your attitude towards this condition? Should you support it? Yes, follow your soul’s wishes, add high-quality carbohydrates and healthy fats to your daily diet. By consuming foods that contain healthy fats, you can eliminate cravings for bad fats. You can eat toast with avocado slices, also consume smoothies with a healthy mix of ingredients such as smoothies made from almonds, hemp hearts, chia seeds and spinach. This is better than the tune of eating a quart of ice cream.
Salads and smoothies are also healthy choices to meet the body’s nutritional needs, but choose healthy ingredients when making your smoothie.
So, do you know how to stop cravings? Actually, it’s not about whether you should stop cravings or not. But it’s about understanding body language and body willpower. The body’s desires are about its needs for nutrition or about the comfort it must achieve. Pay attention to how cravings arise and support them well, you can limit food or indulge your cravings but still in reasonable amounts.