If you're a part of the growing percentage of people who have attempted intuitive eating, you’ve likely experienced something that threw a huge wrench in your efforts: Food cravings. This article is your guide on intuitive eating as it relates to food cravings. I'm here to share with you exactly what your cravings are telling you, how to listen to them, and what to do about them.
If you've ever put yourself through a calorie restrictive diet (and who hasn't, right?), you've likely encountered some true, authentic food cravings. Let me tell you, your body is very smart and phenomenally intuitive. When you deprive it of a diverse balance of nutrients, you'll find it asking for the foods that will help to replenish that of which it's been deprived.
I've had more than a few experiences with this in my life. When I started my weight loss journey, I transitioned from one nutrient restrictive diet to the next, modifying each diet to fit within my, at-the-time and inherently-flawed, low fat, low calorie, and vegan beliefs. It is interesting to look back and see how my food cravings so closely aligned with my ‘at-the-time' diet:
Low Fat Diet:
During this period I craved ice cream, yogurt, and baked goods like it was nobody's business. The more I restricted my fat intake, the more I craved the fat + sugar + salt trifecta.
Low Calorie Diet:
As I restricted my calories more and more, I began craving high calorie & high sugar foods. My body was screaming at me for energy (a calorie by definition is a unit of energy) by craving foods that would supply it with a quick source of energy through carbohydrates and sugar.
Vegan Diet:
During my time following a vegan diet, I ignored my cravings for dairy, meat and fat. Instead of these foods, I focused my diet around raw veggies, hemp seeds, tempeh, and soy foods. My body continuously craved animal protein & dairy, even though I was repulsed by the thought of supporting conventional factory farming.
Four years later and two different nutrition-focused certifications behind my name, I'm all about listening to your body and mind, and indulging your cravings. NOT sweeping them under the rug. Listening and indulging. In fact, I firmly believe we must learn to listen to our body’s cravings to help us identify missing pieces in the puzzle of our nutrient needs. By doing this, we can finally find freedom.
Let's get to it.
What Is Intuitive Eating?
I'm outsourcing this one to Isabel Foxen Duke, who basically took the words right out of my mouth.
Let me tell you, “intuitive eating” does NOT mean “eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re full…or else.”
It means using that little voice inside of you, [the one] that also reminds you to lock your door before you fall asleep, and not go home with that asshole you met at some bar.
Your intuition is a product of your mind, body and spiritual knowing. It’s a part of your body (hence hunger and fullness play an important role in guiding it), but it’s not ONLY your body.
It’s also informed by logic, environment, as well as something entirely different — something metaphysical; something only you can know in yourself.
As Isabel states, intuitive eating is done by connecting with your intuition in order to listen to the true needs of your body, your mind, your spirit. If it was merely the act of eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're full, it would be so simple.
In addition to that simple concept of hunger and fullness, intuitive eating involves training your entire being to listen and translate your needs, desires and emotions, as a way to identify the foods to eat and the actions to take in order satisfy them.
In this post, I'm shedding light on one small facet of the gem that is intuitive eating: Food cravings.
Intuitive Eating & Food Cravings
I've identified that intuitive eating is the act of listening to the needs of your body and mind in order to determine when, what, and how much you should eat. However, much of the processed food found in your grocery store was designed by a food scientist. This profession often involves creating and controlling foods to be hyper-palatable and addictive, making it hard for us to distinguish true cravings from a food that simply “sounds-good-merely-because-it-was-designed-to-be-addictive”.
On top of the hyper-palatable foods these scientists are creating, we also have to deal with emotional variations. When you experience these emotional variations, your brain will attempt to find balance with the aid of food. You likely don’t realize that there's more to your food cravings than meets the eye. Often, it’s what you aren’t eating, saying or doing in life that’s really fueling your cravings – whether they be healthy cravings or the alternative.
Now I know what you're probably thinking. “If intuitive eating involves listening to what my body and mind is asking for, how do I know when my body is asking for something real vs. something to which it's addicted?” This is where understanding what your food cravings actually mean is crucial to intuitive eating and ultimately, finding freedom.
Read on to learn more.
Do you want more specific examples and information on each of these cravings? Get my free step-by-step guide to understanding your food cravings, learning what each craving (sweet, salty, crunchy, etc.) really means, and how to use your cravings as a way to find freedom, download my free intuitive eating ebook.
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What Your Food Cravings Actually Mean
In general, there are three types of food cravings. Let’s get down to what each of these cravings might actually be trying to tell you.
Three Types of Cravings:
Bacterial Cravings
We all have good bacteria in our digestive system. This good bacteria helps to promote optimal mental and physical health, which is why it’s important for you to support it with pre- and pro-biotic rich foods.
When it comes to your brain and your gut connection, well… they’re actually connected. Your vagus nerve connects your abdomen to your brainstem, and your body utilizes this nerve to transmit information from the gut to the brain. That’s right, appetite, cravings and much more, are all affected by bacteria living in your intestinal tract.
The key to identifying bacterial deficiencies is based on what it is that you're craving. Filling your diet with probiotic rich foods which help reinoculate the good bacteria in your gut, and following that up with prebiotic rich foods to “feed” that good bacteria is key in satisfying these cravings.
Nutritional Cravings
This type is your body’s true craving for a nutrient that can be gained from the food. In some cases, it’s best to seek out alternatives to the food you're craving. In other cases, you’ll want to indulge the craving.
You've likely experienced some nutritional cravings that are obvious, and others that may not make sense to you at all. An example of the former might be craving salty french fries after a long run in the middle of the summer (the bodies cry for electrolytes). An example of the latter might be craving seaweed if you have a iodine deficiency.
The key to identifying nutritional deficiencies is through trial and error. If you find yourself with recurring cravings for very specific foods or specific types of foods (such as citrus fruits), it could be beneficial to research the nutrient profiles in that food. You can always try a google search of the food you're craving, and add the search term “food craving meaning” to the end. Since this is a biological need for a nutrient, the key in satisfying these cravings is to indulge in foods abundant in that nutrient.
Emotional Cravings
These cravings often indicate non-food deficiencies, and can be eased with non-food related activities. The tricky thing about emotional cravings, is that while they aren't caused by a food deficiency, they often present themselves as a food craving.
Without emotional pleasure in your life, your body will crave the foods that provide the highest level of physical pleasure. This often shows up as a craving for foods that excite the dopamine center of the brain, as a way to boost neurotransmitters and help the body and brain feel good.
The key to identifying emotional cravings is to become more in touch with your feelings. Despite what you may believe, there's nothing wrong with expressing your emotions. In fact, it's said that physical and verbal expression can be very cathartic and ultimately what will balance out the emotion.
Instead of turning to food to aid in the “feel good process”, which will only result in fleeting feelings of relief, turn inward and ask yourself what would truly make you happy. Often times a hug or a chat with a loved one will have a more profound effect on curbing the craving than would indulging in the food.
Implementing Intuitive Eating
Intuitive eating is like learning a language. It won't come naturally at first, and it won't come at all without practice. In addition, you can't expect to understand it if you only do it occasionally. You need to immerse yourself in the principles, surrounding yourself with the words, thoughts, and actions of intuitive eating. Eventually, the repetition will help to form your new set of intuitive skills. Slowly, and yet all at once, you'll become fluent.
So the way to implement is to just begin. Start allowing your mind and body to crave what it's deprived of, and allow yourself the freedom to decide when to indulge. Freedom isn't giving yourself the ability to say “no”.
Freedom comes when you realize and accept that you have a choice.
You have a choice every single day to indulge the foods and actions you love, the foods and actions that make you feel great, and the foods and actions that feed your emotions. Once you give yourself the choice to indulge in the right foods at the right times, you’ll find freedom for yourself.
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Do you want more specific examples and information on each of these cravings? Get my free step-by-step guide to understanding your food cravings, learning what each craving (sweet, salty, crunchy, etc.) really means, and how to use your cravings as a way to find freedom, download my free intuitive eating ebook.
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