How to navigate and reduce cravings naturally?

What leads to excessive cravings ?

Anything related to work stress, PMS, financial worries, health issues, hormonal changes, etc., could eventually lead to emotional craving. This is common for both sexes but widely seen more in women than in men, scientifically.

The feeling of stress and anxiety can make you feel empty from inside and to satiate the emotional or physical hunger one relies upon food.

Physical Cravings : The cravings that one might get either by biological imbalances or nutritional deficiency.

Causes of physical cravings:

• Stress, anxiety, sadness
• Dehydration
• Extreme hunger
• Lack of essential nutrients
• Food History
• Changes in Cortisol Levels
• Season
• Yin-Yang imbalances
• Hormones

Emotional Cravings : The cravings that one might get due to emotional triggers, the food-mood connection based cravings.

Causes of emotional cravings:

• Social and cultural influences
• Loneliness, the lack of social support in the times of emotional needs.
• Rigid lifestyle
• Boredom
• Self sabotage and self-limiting beliefs
• Reward and food addiction
• Stress

What are the effects of cravings?

• Weight related health problems: Repetitive emotional eating can lead to multiple health related problems likewise high blood pressure, diabetes, fatigue, etc.
• Guilt: There is generally a sense of huge guilt after the phase of emotional eating and the guilt leads to more emotional hunger.
• Nausea: The overeating or emotional eating or stress eating could potentially lead to stomach pains and later nausea or vomiting feels.

“The hundreds of hormonal changes and stress feeling can lead to emotional cravings but emotional eating doesn’t heal your emotional stress.”

It is very important to deviate your emotional or physical cravings into something which you won’t regret later. There must be healthy substitutes for all the unhealthy cravings. Initially one person won’t be able to completely finish the cravings but at least you will start suppressing your cravings rather than satisfying them.

Following are the common substitutes for different types of flavors during physical cravings:

BITTER:

Reasons: Sluggish Digestion.

Substitutes: bitter leafy vegetable, herbs.

SALTY:

Reasons: Low electrolytes or tastebuds are used to salt-taste.

Substitutes: A snack of high-quality protein, fresh vegetables or fruits, and healthy fats. Add a sprinkle of sea salt to steamed veggies.

SPICY:

Reasons: lack of flavour in diet or lack of life excitement.

Substitutes: spices like chilli powder or cayenne.

SOUR:

Reasons: Gut bacteria imbalance.

Substitutes: Kombucha, Multi-strain probiotics, kefir etc

SWEET:

Reasons: skipping meals, too much sugary diet, lack of sweetness in life.

Substitutes: Dates & dark chocolate, Roasted yams, carrots, beets.

There are hundreds of emotions according to which one’s emotional hunger gets elevated. The emotional hunger according to your mood, usual diet, season, texture of food, taste, density and many more.

What are the other ways through which you can relax your physical or emotional hunger?

• Stay hydrated always, especially after waking up in the morning.
• Tune into your body’s needs.
• Focus on deep breathing, meditation or yoga.
• Always use a tongue-cleaner after brushing your teeth.
• Eat more fibre in your diet.
• Limit caffeine and alcohol.
• Give your body rest of about 7-8 hours of sleep.
• Restore your GUT microbiome with keystone bacterial species lactobacillus and bifidobacterium.
• Add more self-care.
• Think big picture and nourish primary food like relationship, physical activity, spirituality, joy and social life.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6769512/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2912736/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6411047/