Have you ever craved a chocolate bar, salty chips, steak or French fries? Most people believe that cravings are a problem or represent a weakness; but that is not always the case.
Oftentimes people forget just how amazing the human body really is. Think about it. It knows when to go to sleep, wake up, go to the bathroom, maintain 98.6 degrees, and tighten the eyes when the light gets bright. It knows the miracle of pregnancy and childbirth. Your heart never misses a beat. Your lungs are always breathing. The body is a super computer and it never makes mistakes.
Cravings really aren’t a weakness. They're important messages meant to assist you in maintaining balance. When you experience a craving, take a moment and deconstruct it. Ask yourself, what does my body want and why? When taking the time to “check in” with your cravings, you come full circle with your relationship to food. Are you hungry or just bored, sad, lonely or looking for pleasure?
The list below illustrates eight primary causes for cravings. See where your cravings fit in, then keep track of it in your food journal. You may be surprised at how easy it will be to head those pesky cravings off at the refrigerator door!
The 8 Primary Causes of Cravings
1. Dehydration. The body doesn’t send the message that you are thirsty until you are on the verge of dehydration. Dehydration occurs as mild hunger, so the first thing to do when you get a strange craving is to drink a full glass of water.
2. Lack of life fulfillment. Being dissatisfied with a relationship, or having an inappropriate exercise routine (too much, too little, or the wrong type), being bored, stressed, uninspired by a job, or lacking a spiritual practice, may all cause emotional eating. Eating can be used as a substitute for entertainment, or to fill the void of life fulfillment.
3. Yin/yang imbalance. Certain foods have more yin qualities (expansive) while other foods have more yang qualities (contractive). Eating foods that are either extremely yin or extremely yang causes cravings in order to maintain balance. For example, eating a diet too rich in sugar (yin) may cause a craving for meat (yang). Eating too many raw foods (yin) may cause cravings for extremely cooked (dehydrated) foods or vise versa. ...
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