What Do Your Food Cravings Mean?

Last Updated on October 5, 2022 by Carrie Korem, FNTP

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 Sulfur Thryptophan Can also indicate low blood sugar or low adrenal function	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 Read this post
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 Sulphur Sea Salt Iron	Soaked Sunflower Seeds, Raw Milk, Soaked White Beans, Wild Tuna, Pastured Beef Garlic, Onions Celtic Sea Salt Liver, Pastured Beef, Soaked Lentils
Carbohydrates such as: Biscuits, Pasta, Chips, etc.	Chromium Magnesium Hormone Imbalance, Blood Sugar Handling, or Adrenal Imbalance	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 Avenin Calcium Glutamine Potassium	Pastured beef, Pastured Chicken, Wild Weafood, Soaked Lentils and Black Beans Soaked Oats or Barley 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 Read this article
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