Food cravings can shatter the willpower of even the most obstinate dieter. This is in fact your body’s way of telling you that it needs something. But those bizarre food cravings mean something……. Here are a few of the food cravings; what they mean and how to cure them.

Salty Foods

If you are continually craving for salty foods such as potato chips and French fries, your body might be saying that it’s low on calcium……… or probably a combination of calcium, potassium and iron.

Chocolate

It’s a known fact that chocolate is a natural anti-depressant. Eating chocolate even in a small amount encourages your brain to release serotonin hormone into the bloodstream.  Serotonin – a ‘happy chemical’. Whenever you feel blue, you would probably crave for chocolate. However if you want to indulge, remember that only a small amount of chocolate is sufficient to satisfy you craving and choose dark chocolate as its more healthier. The craving for chocolate might be a sign of lack of magnesium as well.

Spicy Foods

Spicy food lovers are prone to be adrenaline junkies. If you crave for Indian or Mexican or Thai with a little punch, it could be more of, an indication of personality trait rather than any mineral or vitamin deficiency. When the weather outside is hot, people might crave for spicy food because by eating spicy food, you can exude sweat and thus cool body temperature.

Sweets

If a person craves for sweets in general, then he or she might be looking for an instant energy boost because sugar is an incredible source of instant, intense energy. This food craving can be easily cured without ruining your diet. How??? You can eat a handful of sweet berries or pomegranate arils or dried fruit and satisfy your sweet tooth.

Carbs

The reason behind the craving for carbohydrates could be as simple as an evolutionary imperative i.e. when humans were developed, they craved carbs so that they could keep going, stocked it up whenever possible because, as foragers, they could never be sure of their next meal. Nonetheless, with a wide array of foods easily available today, we need to evolve a bit more before getting rid of this carb craving. Till then, keep over-indulging.

Salty and Sweet Together

When you crave for salty and sweet together, you might simply be tired and need a boost.

Are You in a Mood to Snack?

The urge to graze, nibble indicates a lot more than mere deficiency of mineral or vitamin. It might indicate boredom, thirst or even depression.

Once you know what various food cravings specifically mean, it becomes all the more, easy to combat the food craving that’s haunting you.