What do you crave?

Take a moment to think about it before you continue reading.

What foods do you crave?

Ice cream?
Fried chicken?
Greasy Chinese food?
Potato chips?

Most of us associate cravings with unhealthy food choices.

We have good intentions to eat healthier and then…
Cravings happen.
They take over.
And we feel powerless to resist.

We see cravings as the obstacle to good eating and good health.

But what if instead of FIGHTING our cravings
We can try to FRIEND them?

Your body is smart.

It has an amazing healing capability and mechanism.
And given a chance, it will guide you on a healthy path.

Cravings are important messages. 

They tell you that something needs to be paid attention to.
Listen to them and take the following steps to start understanding your cravings and use that knowledge to help you create the health you want.

1. When you crave a food, take a few minutes to write it down.
Write what it is you crave.
How often do you crave it?
Is it all the time or at certain times of day?
Is it in certain situations?
Is there something that triggers the cravings?
Writing about it will start the process of understanding the craving.
If you recognize a trigger, maybe you can change or remove it.

2. A craving is often the body’s signal that something is missing.
You might be missing something

Are you eating a lot of processed foods and not enough whole foods?
That is a recipe for cravings!
Start adding some super foods like leafy greens, beans and whole grains.

Are you drinking enough water?
Being dehydrated sends the body hunger signals when in fact you are thirsty.
Have a large glass of water and wait 15 minutes.
Sometimes that will be enough for the craving to subside.

Are you bored and use food as distraction?
Start asking yourself
what do I REALLY need?
What is missing in my life?
What can I do to address that?

Years ago I was working at the institute for integrative nutrition.
I was mentoring students, seeing clients and teaching cooking classes.
Mondays were especially busy and long and on my way home on Monday night I found myself walking into a Dunkin Donuts store and inhaling two donuts. After a few weeks of doing it I spoke to a colleague who was also teaching at the institute and told her about my donut cravings. I was feeling bad that after a whole day of teaching people how to eat and live healthy, I was eating those donuts. During our conversation I discovered that on Mondays I was feeling very depleted after a long day of work, taking care of and listening to so many clients. I was feeling: ‘what about me? Who listens to me?’ My friend suggested that I call her on Monday nights to just tell her about my day. And that did the trick. My donut cravings were gone. What I really craved was someone to talk to.

3. Your cravings satisfy your taste buds.
Think about the food you crave.
What is it about that particular food?
Do you crave something cold and creamy?
Do you crave something salty and crunchy?
Do you crave something fatty?
Create a healthy version of that food to satisfy that craving.

fruit ice cream.
when you’re feeling like something cold and creamy
i make those in my vitamix and they come out smooth like ice cream
put one cup of frozen fruit in a blender or food processor
try: frozen bananas mangoes and strawberries
add 1 tablespoon of your choice of milk (soy, coconut, almond), 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a little stevia
blend until smooth

kale chips
when you’re in the mood for salty and crunchy
these really hit the spot
you can use a package of pre washed and pre chopped kale
or wash it and chop it yourself
just make sure it’s completely dry
single layer kale on baking sheet lined with parchment paper
drizzle with olive oil (or use oil spray)
sprinkle with salt and your favorite seasoning (chili, cumin, paprika, curry…)
bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes, when edges of kale start to brown

rice cake with tahini and honey
when your want cake or cookies
great with tea or coffee
spread on rice cake: 1 teaspoon coconut oil, one teaspoon honey, one teaspoon raw tahini (sesame paste). yum!!

would love to hear your response!
what foods do you crave?
what have you learned about your cravings?



Please share.