Cravings: What They Mean & What To Eat
•Food - general
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Cravings! We all get them, but what do they mean? We can blame it on hormones and emotions, but our bodies are pretty good at letting us know when they’re lacking in a certain nutrient and sometimes this causes us to crave different foods.
Sweet Foods
One of the most common cravings of all! Sweet, sugary snacks. If you’re getting cravings for foods like chocolate, lollies and cookies, then you may have a dip in blood sugar and your body is signalling it needs a pick-me-up.
Luckily, there are healthy alternatives to sugary snacks.
What To Have
Fresh Fruit: Nature’s lolly! Reach for fruits like berries, oranges and mangoes when sugar cravings strike. They’re naturally sweet, packed with fibre, vitamins and antioxidants, and can help satisfy your sweet cravings while providing long lasting energy.
Nuts & Seeds: Snack on a handful of nuts or seeds like almonds, walnuts or pumpkin seeds. They provide healthy fats, protein and fibre, which can help stabilise blood sugar levels and reduce cravings.
Smoothies: Whip up a nutritious smoothie including ingredients like leafy greens, frozen fruit, Greek yoghurt and almond milk.
We recommend you try our cakes and cookies! They’re lower in sugar than the store-bought variety, but sweet enough to satisfy that craving.
Salty Snacks
Arguably just as common as sugar cravings, when we crave salty foods like chips, pretzels, popcorn and crackers our body may be signalling we need more sodium.
What To Have
When salty cravings hit, reach for nutritious options that can help satisfy your taste buds as well as provide your body with essential nutrients.
Seaweed Snacks: Crispy seaweed snacks are low in calories and high in minerals like iodine and magnesium. They come in various flavours and can help satisfy that need for salt.
Pickles: Crisp and tangy pickles are a low-calorie snack that are sure to crush salty cravings. Aim for naturally fermented pickles to get the probiotics to keep a happy gut!
Veggies & Hummus: Dip crunchy raw vegetables like carrot sticks or celery sticks into creamy hummus for a satisfying snack. You’ll get the protein, fibre and healthy fats from the hummus and the vitamins, minerals and satisfying crunch from the veggies.
We can help you out here too! If you’re craving a salty snack, try some of these recipes.
Carb-Heavy Foods
When our blood sugar drops, aside from craving sweet snacks, our body could be calling out for carbs! This is because carbs are a quick source of energy for our body. We need carbs, so don’t run from them, but instead of the bad carbs like white bread, white pasta and white rice, reach for the complex carbs.
What To Have
Whole Grains: Opt for whole grains like oats, quinoa, brown rice or whole wheat bread or pasta. They’re complex or “good” carbs that will help crush your cravings and keep you fuller for longer.
Vegetables: Non-starchy veggies like leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower and capsicums are all good carbs that will help crush cravings while providing fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Chia Seeds: Add some chia seeds into a smoothie, yoghurt, porridge or even pudding for an extra nutritional boost that will satisfy your cravings and keep you full!
Have a look at some of our carb-friendly recipes!
Cravings are a natural part of the human experience. Although hormones can play a role, our bodies will always drive us toward essential nutrients if we haven't provided it with enough! When you get a craving, don't ignore it, listen to your body and be mindful you're eating the right kinds of food.
