What Are Your Cravings Trying to Tell You?

Sweet, Salty, Crunchy, Carby… Is Your Body Trying to Tell You Something?

Cravings have a terrible reputation. We tend to think of them as evidence that we've been “bad”, lack discipline or have somehow fallen off the healthy-eating wagon.

Personally, I think we need to take a slightly more curious approach.

A craving doesn't automatically mean your body is deficient in the food you're craving. If you desperately want chocolate, for example, it doesn't necessarily mean you're magnesium deficient and need to sprint to the nearest supplement shop. Sometimes, you simply want chocolate.

However, cravings can sometimes give you useful information about hunger, sleep, stress, emotions, eating patterns and the foods you've been restricting. Particularly during menopause, when sleep, appetite, stress and energy can all shift, it is worth becoming a little more curious about what sits underneath your cravings. Let's look at some of the common ones.

“I Need Something Sweet.”

Sugar cravings can become particularly strong when you've gone too long without eating, haven't eaten enough, are exhausted or have experienced significant fluctuations in hunger throughout the day. Poor sleep can also make appetite regulation more difficult, which can leave you reaching for quick, convenient sources of energy.

There is another possibility, too. You might simply enjoy sweet foods. We don't need to turn every desire for chocolate into a biological mystery. Just make better sweet choices like some juicy fruit or a black bean brownie.

The more useful question is whether you're experiencing an occasional craving or whether you're constantly fighting intense hunger and cravings throughout the day.

If it's the latter, look at your overall eating pattern before blaming your self-control.

“Give Me Something Salty.”

A desire for salty foods can sometimes be influenced by fluid balance or dehydration, particularly after sweating or losing fluids, but a craving for salty crisps doesn't necessarily mean you're dehydrated. Sometimes salty food is simply very palatable.

If you're constantly reaching for salty snacks, though, it is worth considering whether your meals are satisfying enough or whether you're using snack foods to compensate for going too long between meals.

“I Need Carbs.”

This is one of the cravings that has probably been unfairly demonised the most.

Carbohydrates are an important source of energy, and there is nothing inherently unhealthy about eating them.

If you've been restricting carbohydrates heavily, exercising more than usual or simply not eating enough, it isn't surprising that your body may start demanding them. Bread, potatoes, rice, oats, fruit and other carbohydrate-rich foods can all form part of a balanced diet. The issue isn't that you want carbs. The question is whether your overall diet is nourishing and satisfying enough.

Trying to suppress every desire for carbohydrates can sometimes create the exact cycle you're trying to escape: restriction, intense craving, overeating, guilt and then more restriction. That isn't a particularly effective long-term strategy.

“I Need Something Crunchy.”

Crunchy cravings are interesting because they aren't always about hunger. Sometimes we're looking for stimulation, texture or the sensory experience of eating. Crunchy foods can be particularly satisfying when you're stressed, bored or emotionally wound up, which may be why you find yourself wandering towards the cupboard looking for something to crunch on despite having eaten recently.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying texture. You could simply choose something that gives you that satisfying crunch while also providing nourishment, such as nuts, seeds, vegetables, roasted chickpeas or wholegrain crackers, depending on what works for you.

The point isn't to find a “healthy substitute” every time you want something crunchy. It's to understand what you're actually looking for.

“I Want Something Fried or Really Rich.”

This can be linked to low energy availability. Sometimes it's comfort or it's the combination of fat, salt and texture that makes certain foods incredibly appealing.

Stress, poor sleep and restriction can all influence appetite and food choices, so if you're regularly finding yourself craving highly palatable foods, it may be worth looking at what's happening earlier in the day.

Have you eaten enough?

Are your meals satisfying and balanced, protein, fiber, fat?

Are you constantly trying to be “good”?

Are you exhausted?

Are you using food as your only reliable source of pleasure or comfort?

None of these questions are about judgement. They're about information.

What About Chocolate?

Ah yes, chocolate. The one food that seems to require its own psychological assessment.

Chocolate cravings are incredibly common, and there are plenty of theories online suggesting that they automatically indicate magnesium deficiency or some other nutritional problem, which could be true or the reality is rather less exciting.

Chocolate is delicious, highly palatable and associated with pleasure and reward. A craving for it doesn't automatically tell you that you're deficient in anything. If you eat a varied diet, get adequate nutrition and genuinely enjoy chocolate, there is no particular reason it needs to be treated as forbidden. Just make it the 70%+ darker variety to get the added health benefits.

Sometimes the healthiest relationship with chocolate is simply being able to eat some without deciding that you've ruined everything.

The Bigger Question: What Was Happening Before the Craving?

This is the part I find most useful. Instead of immediately asking: “How do I stop this craving?” Try asking: “What was happening before it?”

Were you hungry?

Had you skipped lunch?

Did you sleep badly?

Were you stressed?

Had you been restricting certain foods?

Were you bored?

Were you looking for comfort?

Had you eaten enough protein and fiber?

Did you simply see something delicious?

The answer might tell you far more than the craving itself. Cravings aren't necessarily problems that need to be eliminated. Sometimes they're useful signals, habits, something emotional or physiological. Sometimes, frankly, you're watching television and want chocolate.

The goal isn't to become a woman who never experiences a craving.

It's to understand your body well enough that you can respond to those cravings more thoughtfully rather than moving between restriction and guilt. Especially during menopause, when your body is changing and your old strategies may no longer work in quite the same way, curiosity is much more useful than criticism.

You don't need to fear your cravings. You can learn from them.