theoWho among us doesn’t crave some type of food, some of the time? If you don’t, get back on your unicorn and ride back into the sunset. But for the rest of us mere mortals, food cravings are a fact of life – at least until we get our diet and nutritional status figured out. Did you know that food cravings have a physiological basis? That PMS-crazed frenzy for coffee, chocolate and fries; that late-night NEED for pizza; a constant love affair with carbs? It’s more than, “You’re just a weakling with no discipline.”

This week over on Autoimmune Paleo, I wrote an article on the physiology of food cravings. For you science-and-diet geeks out there, it’s an interesting foray into why our bodies crave certain foods. A teaser:

1. Consumption of certain commonly reactive foods can produce addictive brain chemicals that keep us coming back for more (mmmm! chocolate! gluten! pass the corn chips!).
2. A lack of nutrient density via either inadequate intake of nutrients, or the inability to absorb nutrients, or both, can cause food cravings.
3. Blood sugar swings are related to food cravings in a variety of ways.

So, if you sometimes feel a slave to your fridge at midnight, or you keep compulsively returning those foods you know make you feel crappy, head on over and check out my article. I remember when I learned the piece about how foods we are sensitive to actually lead to an addictive response… it seemed so wrong but it actually made a lot of sense. It also empowered me to let go of those foods. You know the old saying about naming your demons gives you power over them? I got you cornered, sugar!

What foods do you crave, and what do you think the reasons might be?

 

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