Why do I end up with a bowl of popcorn every evening?
I regularly find myself in the witching hour, about an hour and a half after dinner you know the one I mean when you start to feel snackish. Not hungry, not starving, not peckish just snackish. Which loosely translated means I find myself with a bowl of popcorn, or crisps or something salty to munch on before I go to bed. What the heck is all that about? Well, read on below.
The 8 Causes of Cravings
Lack of Primary FoodEating can be used to fill the void of what s known as primary food so exercise, career, relationships, and spirituality. Being unhappy with a relationship, bored by a job, or participating in an exercise routine that is too much, or too little for your body may all cause emotional overeating and specific cravings.
Water
Dehydration regularly shows up as mild hunger. Before you give in to your craving, drink a full glass of water down and give it a minute. You'll soon see if it was hunger or a lack of water.
Yin-Yang Imbalance
Sometimes, our cravings stem from a desire for foods eaten in our childhood. To satisfy these cravings, do eat the food you want, but try eating a healthier version of Mom's curries, enchiladas or chocolate chip cookies.
Seasonal
The body craves foods that balance the elements of the seasons. For example, in spring you tend to crave detoxifying leafy greens and citrus; in summer cooling foods like fruit, raw food, and ice cream; in autumn you tend to crave grounding foods including squash, onions, and nuts. It's common to crave heat-producing foods in winter like meat, oil, and fat. You do also tend to crave certain foods around holidays.
Lack of Nutrients
Not consuming the right balance of nutrients can cause odd cravings, i.e. salt cravings can indicate deficient mineral levels and non-nutritional cravings for coffee and instant-energy/sugary products can indicate poor nutrition overall.
Hormonal
In particular, for women, fluctuating testosterone and oestrogen levels can cause cravings during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause.
De-evolution
Also known as the self-sabotage syndrome ..when things are going well, we crave foods that throw us off balance which then causes us to crave foods to balance ourselves; this often occurs with low blood sugar. Ultimately cravings just make you feel bad because you feel out of control. But I think knowing some of the reasons why you get them makes you feel marginally better don't you?
What are your main cravings and when do you get them? Email me at info@noshdetox.com, I would love to know!!
