A lot of people crave salt, sugar or chocolate. Have you ever wondered why you crave a certain substance?
The following are possible deeper causes that can trigger three of the most common cravings, plus better ways to address these cravings, and also the corresponding longer term health improvements that can help eliminate or reduce the cravings:
Craving Salt
This is a very common sign of adrenal fatigue. When you have adrenal fatigue, your body gets rid of more sodium which can cause your body to crave more salt in order to maintain normal sodium levels in the body. Salt is very important for many physiological functions in the body; therefore, it is important that you make sure you are eating enough salt if you have adrenal fatigue but use natural unprocessed rock or sea salt as they contain lots of other synergistic minerals that are beneficial for well-being.
However, in the long term, it is important to improve your adrenal function for improved energy levels and better general health. Once your adrenal function improves salt cravings are likely to be noticeably reduced.
Craving Sugar
A common cause of craving sugar is dysbiosis in the digestive system. This can cause an over-growth of candida albicans in the gastro-intestinal tract which feed and thrive on sugar. So, your sugar craving can actually be caused by their need for sugar, not your own. This creates a vicious cycle, whereby the more sugar you have the more the candida albicans thrive, causing even greater sugar cravings. The best way to break the cycle is to cut sugar from your diet which starves the candida albicans and also to get good probiotic bacteria into your digestive system via fermented foods/drinks, and/or a good probiotic supplement.
Ironically, sugar cravings can also be created by eating too much sugar or simple carbohydrates. This causes a spike in blood sugar levels which triggers off a corresponding release of insulin causing a marked drop in blood sugar levels. This in turn creates a craving for more sugar or simple carbohydrates to bring blood sugar levels back up. This roller coaster cycle can create lower energy levels and an on-going desire for sugar to try and boost energy levels all the time. The best way to address this for the long-term is to replace sugar and simple carbohydrates in the diet with complex carbohydrates which provide more sustained energy and reduce extreme increases and subsequent decreases in blood sugar levels.
Craving Chocolate
Chocolate contains cacao which is a good source of magnesium. Craving chocolate can sometimes actually be a sign that you need more magnesium. So instead of reaching for sugar-ladened chocolate to fulfil your magnesium needs, eat or drink raw cacao, more leafy greens, raw nuts and/or take a good ionic form of magnesium. You can check more signs of magnesium deficiency here.