Have you ever wondered why you have certain food cravings? They can actually be the body telling you that you need certain nutrients.
Last month, I shared on Instagram about my major craving for raw fish. I ate some raw salmon and hoped that would suffice, but for the next week or so the craving wouldn’t go away. I found myself thinking of wild seafood all day long!
I soon realized my body was probably needing extra iodine. So I added an iodine supplement to my daily consumption of wild seafood and sea vegetables. The cravings finally subsided after about two weeks. My body was obviously going through some kind of shift!
Food cravings often communicate some deficiency our bodies are experiencing. For example, if you’re craving chocolate, that’s usually a sign you need some magnesium.
After my “raw fish” experience, I thought it would be helpful to give you a chart for reference. I received a version of this chart while completing Nutritional Therapy School and added some items to give you a comprehensive list.
*Here’s info about iodine and supplementation.
Craving |
What Your Body Really Needs |
Foods Containing that Nutrient |
|
Chocolate | Magnesium | Spinach, Swiss Chard, Soaked Pumpkin Seeds, Almonds or Black Beans, Avocado
Add 1 cup of Epsom salts to your bath and soak for 20 minutes each night. |
|
Sweets | Chormium
Carbon Phosphorus
Thryptophan
|
Broccoli, Grapes, Garlic, Potatoes
Pastured meats, raw dairy Soaked Sunflower Seeds or White Beans, Raw Milk, Wild Tuna, Pastured Beef Garlic and Onions Pastured Eggs, Spirulina, Wild Seafood, Pastrued Poultry, Raw Dairy |
|
Bread | Nitrogen | Pastured Meats, Wild Seafood, Pastured Eggs, Soaked Legumes, Spinach | |
Oily and Fatty Foods |
Calcium | Raw milk, Cooked Kale, Sardines, Cultured Yogurt, Raw Cheese | |
Coffee or Tea | Phosphorus
Sea Salt Iron |
Soaked Sunflower Seeds, Raw Milk, Soaked White Beans, Wild Tuna, Pastured Beef
Garlic, Onions Liver, Pastured Beef, Soaked Lentils |
|
Carbohydrates such as: Biscuits, Pasta, Chips, etc. |
Chromium
Magnesium
|
Broccoli, Grapes, Garlic, Potatoes
Spinach, Swiss Chard, Soaked Pumpkin Seeds, Almonds or Black Beans, Avocado Add 1 cup of Epsom salts to your bath and soak for 20 minutes each night. Check out this free online class taught by me and a fellow NTP |
|
Alcohol | Protein
Calcium Glutamine
|
Pastured beef, Pastured Chicken, Wild Weafood, Soaked Lentils and Black Beans
Raw milk, Cooked Kale, Sardines, Cultured Yogurt, Raw Cheese Pastured meats, Raw Dairy, Bone Broth, Spirulina, Cottage Cheese, Wild Fish, Asparagus Soaked White Beans, Avocado, Broccoli, Sweet Potato, Bananas, Wild Salmon and Sardines, Pastured Beef, Raw Milk |
|
Soda | Calcium | Raw milk, Cooked Kale, Sardines, Cultured Yogurt, Raw Cheese | |
Salty Foods | Chloride
Adrenal support |
Celtic sea salt | |
Acidic Foods | Magnesium | Spinach, Swiss Chard, Soaked Pumpkin Seeds, Almonds or Black Beans, Avocado
Add 1 cup of Epsom salts to your bath and soak for 20 minutes each night. |
|
Premenstrual Cravings | Zinc | Pastured Beef, Soaked Pumpkin Seeds, Chickpeas, or Cashews, Kefir
Zinc works synergistically with Hydrochloric Acid, so it’s important make sure your body is producing enough stomach acid. |
|
Lack of appetite when you wake up | Hydrochloric Acid | Take 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before each meal or 1 dropper of Digestive Bitters, and read this post. | |
Cheese | Essential Fatty Acids | Butter, Ghee, Lard, Tallow, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil | |
Red Meat | Iron | Liver, Pastured Beef, Soaked Lentils | |
Raw Fish | Iodine | Wild Seafood, Sea Vegetables, Cultured Yogurt, Raw Milk, Pastured Eggs, Soaked Lima Beans, Raw Cheese | |
Ice | Iron | Liver, Pastured Beef, Soaked Lentils |
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