Cravings, does your body really need it?

I have recently been thinking a lot of cravings mostly in regard to pregnancy, but also in general. There is a common belief that if you craving something, like really craving it, like you just simply can’t think past getting that thing in your belly, then your body must need it. And that is true to a certain extent. But not to the extent that you are really craving KFC therefore your body must be subliminally telling you that you simply must have deep fried seasoned chicken or you will be nutritionally deficient. The truth doesn’t quite stretch that far.

So how far does it stretch? Well quite far, but it isn’t as simple as craving chocolate there I must have chocolate. You might be craving one of the minerals FOUND in chocolate and your brain associates that mineral with that food type. So if you are craving, there are healthy options to look for to no only satisfy the craving but help stop them in future.

Here is a list of common cravings, what they mean and a healthy option to replace them:

Cheese	Calcium deficiency	Sesame seeds/ tahini, broccoli, kale, legumes, mustard and turnip greens
Pasta, white bread, pastries	Chromium deficiency	Onion, romaine lettuce, tomato, cinnamon, grapes, apples, sweet potato
Bread and toast	Nitrogen deficiency	Foods containing proteins, i.e.. Green leafy veg, nuts, seeds, legumes, grains
Red meat	Iron deficiency	Beans, legumes, unsulphured prunes, figs+ other dried fruit, seaweed, spinach, cherries, Vitamin C for iron absorption
Potato chips	Chloride deficiency	Celery, olives, tomato, kelp, Himalayan sea salt
SWEETS
Chocolate	Magnesium deficiency	Raw cacao nibs/beans/powder, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, greens, fruit,magnesium
Soft drinks	Calcium deficiency	Sesame seeds/ tahini, broccoli, kale, legumes, mustard and turnip greens
General sweets	Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)	Fruit, high fibre foods (beans, legumes), complex carbs (grains), chromium (cinnamon)
Tryptophan deficiency	Spirulina, pumpkin/sesame/sunflower seeds, raw cacao, oatmeal, sweet potato, spinach, raisins
Chromium deficiency	Onion, romaine lettuce, tomato, cinnamon, grapes, apples, sweet potato
Sulphur deficiency	Cruciferous vege (kale, cabbage, etc), cranberries, horseradish, asparagus, carob powder, garlic, onion
Phosphorus deficiency	Whole grains, pinto beans, pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts, lentils